Installing a perimeter drain in the basement is not an inexpensive venture, so if you have a basement water problem, when do you know it’s time to install a perimeter drain versus just fixing the water leak? The Crack Daddy, Adam Tracy, explains.
Jan 31, 2021
Modern homes are pretty well built and one can imagine how disconcerting it is to suddenly find a leak in the basement after never having had a leak before. The homeowner goes through a wide range of emotions and questions...the biggest one being, why is my foundation leaking?
Jan 14, 2021
The Crackman receives a lot of interesting pics of basement problems. In this episode, Rich explains a picture that shows a pair of pants that are spread across the seam between the floor and wall and they’re wet.
Jan 06, 2021
Accompanying this blog post is a picture that looks like a bunch of white fluffy powder on a basement wall. What are we looking at here? Is it snow? Baby powder?In this episode, Rich explains "efflorescence" and what can be done about it.
Dec 21, 2020
As we’ve learned in the 6+ years of doing this podcast, stone foundations are a legacy construct from about 80 years ago. In typical fashion, many homeowners tend to ignore the little issues with their homes until they become big issues. So, if you have a stone foundation with some holes and obvious issues, when do you know it’s time to do something about it? The Crackman explains.
Dec 15, 2020
The Crackman has saved many real estate deals in his 25+ years in business. Usually, he's responding to an urgent basement water problem but this time it had to do with masonry repair work. It’s good to know The Crackman can do masonry repair work on top of basement waterproofing and eradication.
Dec 09, 2020
So, you have a basement water problem and you don't know where the water is coming from. This tip explains how to determine if it's naturally occurring water or if it's from a city source.
Dec 07, 2020
People love their fur babies and sometimes they need to get them out of the way. Is the basement a good choice to lock them away, or are there hidden dangers there that pet owners need to be concerned about? The Crackman explains.
Nov 30, 2020
We’ve all been awakened by the annoying chirping of a smoke alarm with low batteries. Does a sump pump alarm fall into the same category? The Crackman shares an interesting tale.
Nov 22, 2020
The Crackman frequently receives urgent phone calls to help get customers out of basement water jams. In this episode, Rich recounts a recent problem he rectified for a customer with a finished basement.
Nov 22, 2020
In this episode, Rich discusses another sad tale of a Homeowner trying to do a basement wall crack repair with a product that doesn't quite hold up to the test of time. Hopefully, homeowners will take heed and realize they need to leave their foundation crack repair job to an expert like the Crackman.
Nov 15, 2020
If you’ve got a suspicious wall crack and don’t want to invest in fixing it right now, how do you monitor it for leaking without sitting right in front of it and watching it. The Crackman offers 3 ways to do it.
Nov 12, 2020
In this episode, we have the Crackdaddy, Adam Tracy, the Engineer, himself, here to talk to us about temporary lally columns. Adam explains why it is critically important to make your temporary lally columns permanent as soon as practical.
Nov 09, 2020
So, when water is squirting out of your stone foundation, it’s not a good sign that everything is well, right? The Crackman shares a case study.
Nov 04, 2020
Winter is still a few months out. Is there anything a homeowner can do during the lovely Fall weather to prepare their stone foundations for winter? The Crackman gives practical tips.
Nov 01, 2020
In this episode, we have Adam Tracy -- AKA The Crack Daddy -- with us to share an important case study and wake-up call for homeowners. The foot stomp couldn’t be any louder. Check those downspouts today!
Oct 26, 2020
It hasn’t rained in weeks and the Crackman has been getting calls about basement water issues. One would think a basement water remediation expert like Rich Comeras would be taking a vacation during a dry spell. In this episode, Rich explains how a basement can have water puddles during a drought.
Oct 21, 2020
The Crackman saved this person over $10,000. If you think you need an expensive repair for a basement water problem, it’s probably a good idea to get a second opinion from a trusted basement water eradication expert like the Crackman before you proceed.
Oct 19, 2020
The Crackman has talked about stone foundation repointing, repair, and resurfacing in the past, but he's never talked about using a stone foundation as a vegetable garden. Is this something new?
Oct 14, 2020
While it’s natural that a Homeowner would want to try the DIY route first, the Crackman's Flex Seal case studies will help people find the best solution the first time.
Oct 12, 2020
The Crackman has seen a leaking window or two in his 25+ years of doing the foundation crack repair business. In this episode, Rich explains what a homeowner should do if they have a leaky window?
Oct 05, 2020
In this episode, the Crackman explains a picture of the backside of a garage that obviously has a stone foundation with concrete blocks above it but wow! It looks like a mess! Rich explains what happens when you dig too close to a stone foundation.
Oct 04, 2020
The Home Construction industry is rife with crooks suggesting expensive fixes for problems that are easily remedied with less expensive repairs. The Crackman recently saved a customer in Brookline Massachusetts over $10,000 by implementing the proper fix to a basement water problem. In this episode, Rich explains how he did it.
Sep 23, 2020
The Crackman's expertise was called in recently when a customer shared his concerns about a crumbling block foundation. Those blocks are pretty strong, so what could cause them to crumble?
Sep 16, 2020
In this episode, the Crackman clears up a concern from a customer in Fitchburg Massachusetts who was worried that putting in a Radon system would put cracks in the foundation floor. The bottom line is, if you are worried about foundation cracks, give the Crackman a call and he’ll be happy to answer your questions.
Sep 09, 2020
In this episode, A1’s engineer on staff, Adam Tracy, AKA the Crack Daddy, explains why most home DIY foundation wall crack repairs fail so quickly.
Sep 02, 2020
The Crackman covers another interesting case study. This time, it's about a mystery puddle in the basement.
Aug 26, 2020
The Crackman is in Hudson Massachusetts and the title alludes to him helping a person in Auburn Massachusetts, but they were actually a little farther away, in Auburn California. Rich shares a story about how he helped a desperate homeowner over 3,000 miles away solve a severe garage foundation issue.
Aug 19, 2020
Rich had 2 different calls that were basically identical--one from Reading Massachusetts and one from Leominster Massachusetts--where the callers complained about water collecting in the corners of the basement. In this episode, Rich explains how water can collect in basement corners on hot, humid days.
Aug 12, 2020
The Crackman is no stranger to seeing FlexSeal attempts used in DIY home repairs for leaking basements. In this episode, Rich shares an amusing DIY fail using Flex Seal. Hopefully, people take heed and get a professional to fix basement foundation leaks in the after listening to this.
Jul 27, 2020