Expansive Soil And Foundation Cracks Video

By Tim Carter
©1993-2009 Tim Carter

VIDEO SUMMARY

When the soil starts to dry out, the clay soil will contract, creating large cracks in the ground. This can spell big problems for your foundation if you have a shallow foundation on a garage or room addition or if your house is built on a slab. These soil settlement cracks indicate that the soil is extremely dry. This can lead to the cracks in your foundation.

To cure this, the soil down about two feet needs to receive water. The water has to get down to the bottom soil quickly. Use an auger to drill holes 2 feet on center and 2 feet from the house all around the house. This will allow rain or garden hose water to travel down into the soil without getting side tracked by the grass and flowers.

Once the holes are drilled, fill them with grounded small, pea gravel. Fill the hole all the way with the gravel. Use your garden hose to fill the hole with water. You will be amazed at how much water the hole will hold.

These holes and gravel will get the water down into the soil and get it moisture. This reduced the ground shrinkage and helps prevent those foundation cracks.






COMMENTS

Joseph Oddei
07 Oct 2008, 04:05
i think this is a laudable idea but what about swelling as water gets into it. Can it affect the foundation? or shd there be limit to water ingress that should be based on its natural moisture content, which should be determined during ground investigation? thanks
Mike Bernard
07 Oct 2009, 16:44
please do not recommend to people to "wet" the expansive clay beneath their home. This is antiquated thinking, and does not work. Instead, FIX the clay with an ion-exchange fluid, injected into the clay. it will rob the clay of its electrical charge, permanently. The clay will not attract water, and movement will stop. THEN permanent repairs can be made. We have been manufacturing this technology for 40 years.

     View all comments
*Name:
Email:
Notify me about new comments on this page
Hide my email
*Text:
Security Image:

Visual CAPTCHA


 




Contact us to Advertise on this site.
Have a Suggestion?
Do it right, not over!

Ask the Builder Comment Help

Helpful Comment Tips: If you need help with a problem, please try these things now before you type in a comment. You could discover your answer in just minutes.
Don't show this alert again.