The Crackman Podcast

Why Flexseal Doesn't Work on basement water problems. The Crackman rescues another DIY disaster. This episode explains why DIY fixes with overhyped, off-the-shelf products most likely will not fix your basement water problem.

We've done a number of podcasts about sump pumps but we've never really talked about sump pump safety. In this episode we cover 3 basic but essential tips every homeowner should know and practice.

Do you have bulkhead frustration after this long, cold winter? In this episode, we cover the parts and pieces of the bulkhead that can leak, how to repair them, and how to determine if you need a new bulkhead door.

In this tip the Crackman talks about how he helped pinpoint and properly repair a leak from a Granite block foundation.

Here is the Crackman with a professional tip on what to do when you find water leaking out from under a finished wall in the winter.

Let's say a homeowner wakes up to find a lake in their basement. After the initial panic and requisite swearing, what is the first thing they should do? In this episode, Rich covers 5 essential steps to getting your basement back.

We've had a ton of snow over the last couple months. That's not good for the basement. In this episode, Rich talks about the most common call he's receiving right now, some of the DIY fixes he finds when he goes out on a job, and what he does to permanently solve the problem.

The Crackman gets a lot of calls this time of year from homeowners who report a sump pump that keeps shutting down on them. Why does a sump pump do that? In this episode we discuss the top 6 failure points of a sump pump and what to do about it.

In this Crackman Case Study, Rich tells the bizarre story of a customer who had a basement leak despite the fact that it was zero degrees outside. You would think that the water would've froze before it came into the basement but it didn't. Very fascinating.

In this episode the Crackman explains how he solved a basement water problem in a home that had basement floor cracks and water seepage.

This episode contains practical tips homeowners should heed as the snow piles up around the house. The Crackman covers basement water prevention tips for both the interior and exterior of the home.

With all the bad weather you tend to see a lot of de-icing products in use all over the place, which is good from a safety perspective but are the slowly killing your concrete?

In this episode we discuss why and how concrete ages. Then, Rich provides the main 4 steps to repairing damaged concrete.

This episode gets started with a definition of cold weather from Concrete's perspective. Then, Rich explains why Concrete needs to be Protected against Freezing and methods that are used to do it. 3. Okay, so I'm guessing that concrete construction doesn't just stop in the winter. What do concrete professionals do to help the pouring and curing of cement in cold weather?

This is a very interesting case study about a customer in Cape Cod who had a leaking pipe penetration in their basement causing a sever flooding problem. The Crackman describes the problem the customer was having after several failed DIY attempts. He was smart enough to call the Crackman so Rich talks about how he solved the problem.

In this episode, Rich talks about how concrete production has improved over time. He covers everything from cement plants, to transportation, and techniques that have improved its strength. It's a great history lesson.

For most homeowners, the hazards of freezing pipes are widely known and prepping exposed pipes is something that should've been done a month or 2 ago. We actually discussed that in Episode 21 of the Crackman podcast. But for this episode, the Crackman talks about how sub-zero temperatures affect your foundation.

In this Episode, Rich talks about a recent case study where he solved a serious basement water problem in a $4 million house in Newton MA. He had to stop water from pouring past a personal record 14 different pipes. It's a fascinating story.

Boxelder bugs, commonly known as â??stink bugsâ??, can become a nuisance to homeowners throughout the New England area during late Fall and even into the winter months. When the cold weather hits, boxelder females search for a warm and dry place, and they somehow find a way into your home! In this episode, Rich, talks about how Stink Bugs enter the Home and what you can do to prevent it.

The goal of a sump pump is to lower the water table that is underneath your basement floor. A properly installed sump pump with adequate gravel under your basement floor can solve most water problems through cracks in the floor or from floor/wall seams. In this episode, we discuss the various types of sump pumps and which one is likely best for your needs.

Cracks in concrete are a common occurrence, especially in New England with the harsh winters and numerous freeze-thaw cycles. A crack in your concrete floor is like have a window open in your house; it may let certain unwanted things in, such as: water, radon, water vapors, insects, and rodents. In this episode, we discuss the various types of cracks you can get and what to do about them.

According to the weather forecasters, a typhoon out in the sea of Japan is going bring Arctic temperatures to the Eastern half of the US in the next few days. That could make for a really busy week for you, the Crackman, but homeowners can save themselves a lot of agony if they follow some simple preventative tips for waterproofing their Home that we cover in this episode.

This episode takes us back to a time when buildings were constructed with coal as the main heating source. In this episode we discuss what a coal chute is and how you go about waterproofing them.

The Crackman recently went out on a job where the customer had never had leaks in her stone foundation and suddenly she was finding water in her basement. Certainly not an unprecedented event but the cause of this leak had a shroud of mystery surrounding it. Rich discusses the symptoms, the bizarre cause, and the fix action.

So, you would think that if you can put a man on the moon, surely you can build a house that doesn't leak where the floor and wall seams come together. In this episode, we discuss how it actually happens and what you can do to stop those pesky leaks.