1 week Ago By Steve Maxwell
Q Is it worthwhile sealing a crack on the outside of my house foundation? The basement is finished so I can only get to the outside. I’ve seen your video about a carbon fibre system for concrete crack repair and I’d like to try it. A Yes, it is definitely worth patching that crack, even if you can only get to the outside.
You’ll need to dig down to expose the entire crack, and you’ll also want to scrub and wash the surface to remove all dirt before applying the patch. The system you’re planning to use is offered under two brand names – Dricore and Rhino – and in my tests these work so much better than the regular options that fill masonry cracks but do nothing to prevent more cracking. Both Dricore and Rhino begin with an injection of either epoxy or polyurethane foam to fill the crack, but then carbon fibre cloth and epoxy resin is applied afterwards to add tensile strength so the crack does not expand.
I’m told this kind of repair is stronger than the masonry itself, so I did a test on this ambitious claim. You can see the results in the video at baileylineroad.com/basement-crack-repair-torture-test-video.
Most basement foundation cracks are more or less vertical, and these typically have no structural significance. Just the same it’s still good to patch them to discourage leaks. But foundation cracks that run horizontally usually indicate a slow but progressive inward failure of the foundation wall and are more serious.
Carbon fibre can successfully repair this kind of thing, but only when used in a more extensive way, and only when applied to the inside face of the foundation. This is a rare situation though, and probably not what you’re facing. ———— Milling flour at home Q Is it practical to grind my own grain into flour at home? I’d like to get into serious bread baking and want to start from the raw grains.
A Yes, small equipment is available to make flour, and the usual grain involved is wheat. I have a hand-operated mill I’ve been using for many years and it makes excellent flour. The mill I use is made by a French company called Samap.
It can grind coarse or fine flour at a rate of 30 to 80 grams per minute. It’s a good physical workout to use this thing, which is probably something most of us need (in addition to some truly whole wheat grains). Before I bought the Samap, I tried a few cheaper models that clamp to a countertop with a crank handle on one side.
The output was slow and troublesome. The Samap lets you use both arms and your entire upper body, so it works much better. I screwed mine to a board that I then clamp to a bench in my workshop for use.
You can buy grain on Amazon for grinding into flour (search for “wheat berries”) but this is an expensive way to go. Wheat makes the best flour for bread, but the price of a five-pound bag on Amazon is more than what it costs to buy an 80 lbs bag from a farmer. Even buying in bulk from a health food store will be a lot cheaper than these little bags.
You’ll find hard red spring wheat is best for making baking flour, and soft winter wheat is best for things like pancakes. One thing most people don’t realize is that commercially available, ready-milled “whole wheat” flour isn’t entirely whole wheat. The germ is partially or entirely removed while processing since it contains small amounts of oil that can go rancid on the shelf.
The only way to get truly whole wheat flour is grinding it shortly before use. Steve Maxwell finds the best pancakes are made using freshly ground flour made from soft winter wheat. Visit him online at baileylineroad.
com for thousands of hands-on how-to articles made for Canadians..
