Narrator: It’s time once again for the “Crack Man Podcast” hosted by A1 Foundation Crack Repair. We’re here with the Crackman himself, Rich Comeras. Rich has 30 years of experience in the construction industry and over 20 years experience as the President and founder of A1 Foundation and Crack Repair Inc. His podcasts provides expert basement water proofing, concrete repair, and preventative maintenance tips for homeowners and businesses. A1 Foundation’s valuable insight will help avert a disastrous flood within the basement, health problems associated with water infiltration within the basement, and protect your biggest investment….your home. The topic for today’s podcast: Do-it-yourself foundation crack repair: is it a good idea?
Narrator: So, Rich, the big box stores are full of home remedy for leaky, concrete cracks. Products like Drylock, Fast Plug and the ubiquitous Flex Seal tout their amazing abilities to solve water leaks fast. If that’s the case and if it’s so easy, why do we need professionals like you?
Rich: Well if it worked, I wouldn’t be around for over 21 years. It’s interesting, you’re in Massachusetts and even in New Hampshire, the past few weeks we’ve had some horrendous downpours and we’ve been quite busy. And this past week, I’ve probably had about 4 people call me up and tell me that they’ve tried to fix their foundation crack, and I always ask them, “What is it you used?” Well, 3 of the 4 did the one that markets the best which is the Flex Seal. And also an interesting thing, I don’t know if it just doesn’t work on concrete cracks or the way they used it. I don’t know, but we’re consistently getting calls to repair the stuff that they used. . Then we had a fellow call us, we caught that he had a triple because he told me he put Fast Plug which is a hydraulic cement but it’s a masonry material that he put on. And the reason that doesn’t work is because concrete contracts and hydraulic cement Fast Plug does not. This guy not only did the Fast Plug first, but he wanted to be sure so he put Drylock, which is a magic paint that you can put on concrete and that’s supposed to stop water coming through. And if you look at the pounds per square inch that it will stop, that isn’t much. So that’s two of them, the Fast Plug and the Drylock. The triple that he applied was Flex Seal that you see advertising on TV all the time. He sprayed that on too. On his work bench, he kept a collection of all three of those things. So yeah, take a look at my blog, you’ll see a picture of that triple play: the Flex Seal, Drylock and Fast Plug. And we came in and fixed it by injecting a closed-cell polymer resin with an electric pump into that crack where the material goes towards the outside and we can give him a warranty. He was very thankful that we can do that as his wife was all over him in reference to his home remedies.
Narrator: I’m sure that was pretty frustrating for him. I’m guessing that with all the money that he was collecting in his “swear jar”, that he was able to pay you with that money itself, right?
Rich: Ah, that’s correct. We fixed it well. Narrator: Sometimes it’s better just to do it right the first time and call a professional like the Crackman versus trying to do it yourself and getting frustrated in having the same problem occur over and over and over again, right?
Rich: That’s correct. Plus, it’s going to save you money in the long run. And you get a warranty that transfers.
Narrator: Alright, that’s awesome. Well thanks again Rich for saving the DIY-er from themselves and being there when they realize that these products are temporary fixes, at best. If you have a basement water problem and think you need a professional, or, if you’d like more information on foundation crack repair and basement waterproofing topics, please visit A1FoundationCrackRepair.com or call Rich or Adam at (866) 929-3171. Or you can email Rich at info@a1foundationcrackrepair.com. Thanks for listening and keep that basement dry.