Foundation problems are frequent in areas with difficult weather conditions. These issues aren’t something to underestimate since your foundation is the most important part of your home.
If it starts to crack and move, your entire house will suffer the consequences. When you notice signs of foundation damage, immediately contact adequate professionals.
To get more insight on the matter, here are the 5 most common reasons for foundation cracks:
- Faulty Drainage
Water, whether from rain or underground springs, is very powerful. It isn’t a force that you should reckon with and that’s why experts invented proper basement waterproofing and drainage systems.
Lack of or inappropriate basement waterproofing can be the cause for your foundation cracks. If your sump pump is reaching its age limit or if your weeping tiles are clogged, water won’t get drained the proper way, resulting in broken concrete and foundation damage.
You need to have your entire home covered, including the backyard and roof. Controlling water is the key for having a healthy and crack-free foundation.
- Dry Soil
The condition of your foundation largely depends on the soil that surrounds it. When there is too much water in the soil, the drainage systems work very hard to pump it out. Sometimes, they can fail at their jobs and the water breeches on the inside.
An opposite scenario is when the soil is too dry. When this happens, the soil (no matter the type) starts contracting. The problem is that soil doesn’t contract evenly, so your home will in the middle of a fight between pulling forces with opposite directions.
To fight damp soil, plant flowers and install backyard drainage. To prevent dry soil in the summer, make sure to keep your garden watered at all times.
- Poor Construction
Good construction work is crucial for the survival and functionality of a home. If amateurs and nonprofessionals carried out the construction process of your home, foundation cracks should be the least of your worries.
To find out whether this applies to your home, you need to get in touch with certified experts who will thoroughly investigate your home’s condition. If this is the reason behind your cracks, expect to invest a bit more to solve the issue.
- Large Trees
We previously mentioned how plant life might help you fight of wet soils. However, to succeed at this, you need to give in a little maintenance and proper care. When trees aren’t watered enough, they start looking for additional water sources.
The closest thing to a water source they will have access to is your piping system. Expect the roots to break and clog your pipes, which can result in massive floods inside the basement. Uncontrolled excess water is never good for your foundation.
- Clogged Gutters
Everything in our homes is connected. This connection is so strong that a broken roof can cause a flood in the basement. To make sure your home is healthy, you must do annual inspections and clean ups.
Gutter cleaning should be done twice a year and after each storm. You might ask yourself why. Well, gutters gather and carry rainwater to a proper disposal area. When debris starts building up inside, it can create a massive clog.
This clog will disrupt water’s pathway, resulting in large splashes in your backyard, attic leaks or in dripping on your exterior walls. The large splashes will put pressure on your foundation, eventually cracking it. The water in the attic will start traveling throughout your entire home, creating all kinds of disaster even in the basement.
That’s why your foundation crack might be caused by roof damage or clogged and detached gutters as well. Contact professional plumbing services to determine the cause of your foundation cracks. Each reason is a problem on its own and requires different methods for solving.
