Mikerson

Kurt, Piers do have consistent mortar. The pics make it look like there is a big gap, but it's just the lighting.

Thanks for all the replies everyone. It's obvious these cracks were patched over (poorly, I might add) at one point in time, and recracked. I can't be sure that the broken shims are what allowed the movement that caused the crack. It's clear from some streaks on the insulation that water flowed into the crawl through the vents at one point in time. How much, I don't know. I believe water is not an issue any longer. Jim is right, gravity never sleeps, so I wanted to try to correct what might be a problem and help fix the cosmetics at the same time. Here are some pics of the cracks. The first is on a wall parallel to the beam, the second is perpendicular. The pics are sideways, sorry. Click to Enlarge 20.45 KB Click to Enlarge 18.64 KB

First, thanks to all that supply this forum with great answers. I've been reading the info here for a while, but have not posted before. I have 3 CMU piers supporting a beam under my house (built 1979). The floor joists sit on the beam, which is a triple 2x12 or 2x14. The wooden shims between the pier and the beam have broken, allowing the floor to sag and cause sheet rock cracks above in this one-story house. My question is, what should I replace these wood pieces with? A couple of 4x6x1/4" steel pieces at each pier? The CMUs appear to be sound, but do I need to fill them to prevent this type of thing from happening again? There is not room for a 4" cap. Anything else you notice here? Thanks guys.[:-thumbu] Click to Enlarge 41.73 KB Click to Enlarge 54.73 KB Click to Enlarge 50.52 KB Click to Enlarge 54.16 KB Click to Enlarge 50.73 KB Click to Enlarge 68.05 KB