Expansive Soil And Foundation Cracks Video
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
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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.
carpenter 13 Dec 2009, 13:17
Yeah my main concern would be the foundation, I've been taught not to have
any water in the ground as the water table may affect the foundation
structure?
engineer 04 Mar 2010, 18:35
I would suggest this away from the home, if tree roots and larger shrubs
were not getting water.
However wetting clay can lead to so many problems adjacent to the home. If there's a basement, hydrating the clay will cause it to expand both vertically and horizontally. The horizontal expansion pushes against the basement walls causing them to bow and/or crack. Thorough hydration of clay below interior slabs will cause the slabs to heave. If the home is settling as a result of shrinking clay, a better approach is to support the foundation with helical piers to prevent settlement. View all comments |
