Thread: after earthquake..

After 4.3 Mg earthquake in southern California, many minor cracks found when I inspect walls.
but this crack on the wall between garage and living space seems a bit serious.
I found only this crack in whole house
what do you think? is that issue/problem that need call geological engineer?
thank you for any suggestion garage wallA.jpg

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Looks pretty bad…… I would consider moving about 1000 miles East!

Having lived 45 years in So Cal, and thru many earthquakes, I have to say that if thats the only damage you have after a 4.3, there's probably not a huge problem.
If you didn't see anything else of note on the foundation, or in the attic, or anywhere else, then I would probably not refer to an engineer.

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

Having lived 45 years in So Cal, and thru many earthquakes, I have to say that if thats the only damage you have after a 4.3, there's probably not a huge problem.
If you didn't see anything else of note on the foundation, or in the attic, or anywhere else, then I would probably not refer to an engineer.

I agree.. 4.3, just another day in sunny so cal

I don't miss the earthquakes. You haven't lived until you are in an attic, or crawlspace during and earthquake (or aftershock). Not so much fun.

Looks like the crack is an old one that has reemerged. Looks like fiber glass tape peaking through. Time for a re-repair, till the next time.

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

I don't miss the earthquakes. You haven't lived until you are in an attic, or crawlspace during and earthquake (or aftershock). Not so much fun.

Hey Jack, you want to know something funny? That thought crosses my mind every single time I enter a crawl. I even carry my cell with me down there now ..

Stuff we learned after our 6.8 quake up here in the mountains...

1. Those brick or rock chimneys make a big mess when they fall through your roof. Happened to my house.

2. Many older homes lacked shear walls and therefore had a lot of movement, especially those with cathedral ceilings...again, my house.

3. Water heater hose prices went sky high because many water heaters tipped over just enough to crack the copper connectors. The plumbing suppliers were taking advantage of that fact. When I refused to pay the jacked up price and left, there was a guy out in the parking lot going "Psssst! Psssst! Over here. I got hoses!"
Needless to say, I waited til the roads were open and went off the mountain to Home Depot for supplies.
Moral of the story, keep extra hoses handy.

Sorry for the stroll down memory lane, but you know how us Californians like to chat about earthquakes!

Looks like improper construction to begin with. There should be a header over the door which would have broken the cracking. As it is, the crack runs from opposite wall to doorway corner, presumably following a wallboard seam. Assuming a dry-walled wall with mud over joints, that horizontal crack would probably not run full width of the wall in that manner. Also looks like there is no corner bead installed. Being a So Cal home, in the Irvine area, few homes would be that old not to have bead. Patched up handiwork IMO, over poor construction. Lots of fiberglass tape under heavy muddling/plaster. I'm guessing an add-on remodel of some kind and have to call framing into question. The fiber tape exposed is not that which is typically used for drywall install and wouldn't be used in a lath and plaster wall.

A 4.5 quake is not much more than a moving truck driving past, unless you are sitting right on top of it and it's less than a mile down, so not likely to cause that kind of damage unless there is an underlying construction problem.

After 4.3 Mg earthquake in southern California, many minor cracks found when I inspect walls.

I'm born and raised in sunny southern California (58 years), and have worked on earthquake damage from Chula Vista to Santa Rosa, including a lot of work in the Bay Area, and I'm no Chicken Little, but that is not damage one would expect from a little ol' 4.3 shaker (short of sitting on the fault directly above the epicenter) unless there is an underlying issue, including but not limited to poor design and/or poor execution, even with a prior repair as evident by the mesh tape (noted by another poster, as well). There is a flaw of some sort in that wall, thus the prior repair, and the earthquake exacerbated it. I don't agree with the oft-standard reply around here of "consult an engineer" but this is one where some thought needs to be given as to investigation. It could be fairly innocuous but it could also be something else (but it's not falling down tomorrow or next week).

Curious as to whether that garage is cut into a hill and if that is a retaining wall to frame wall connection. Still, a 10'-12' crack shouldn't happen during a 4.3 if it is both well-designed and well-built, and it looks like there's another crack closer to the ceiling (may be a pencil mark or similar), along with a vertical crack to the left.

Totally OT but the Bruins did not deserve to beat the 'stangs just now.