Your home's foundation is an important and essential part of your home structure. If your foundation is settling or cracking due to exterior conditions, get them diagnosed and professionally repaired. Here are some helpful tips for you to recognize foundation issues and make sure it is protected and repaired when necessary.
Be Diligent About Inspections
As an important step in keeping your foundation in good repair, you should make it a habit to complete your own personal inspection and check around the outside of your home and look at the foundation. When you regularly inspect the exterior, you will have a good idea about the types of cracks that are present so you can recognize it when they enlarge or new ones emerge. This can help you call in a professional to check over the foundation and make sure the existing or new cracks are not a sign of foundation sinking, settling, or other damage. Then, if your foundation needs some repairs, such as crack filling, your foundation professional can help you remedy it.
It is also a good idea to have your home's plumbing inspected to look for any plumbing leaks. Plumbing leaks that occur within the main drain line exiting your home can cause soil erosion and lead to voids in the soil below your foundational slab and cause settling and cracking. Your plumbing professional can complete a visual inspection for any leaks and you can take any necessary action to repair any found leaks.
Maintain the Soil's Condition
Occasionally when a home is built, the construction crew back-fills the soil around the foundation, but some areas of the soil contain voids of air. This can cause the home's foundation to crack due to a lack of exterior support against the wall. You will need to correct the soil problem and fill the area with compacted soil.
The soil around your foundation can also cause expansion problems when it becomes wet and dry. Some soil tends to shrink and expand a great amount when it dries out and absorbs moisture, which can put excessive pressure on your foundation walls. Keep an eye out for this type of soil, as you will notice the soil gaping away from your home foundation when it dries out. Repair this issue by adding sandy soil to the area around your foundation to prevent expansion. Then, contact a foundation repair specialist to fix any damage to your foundation.
Repairing foundation cracking can be a simple fix as long as the foundation is not shifting or sinking. Your foundation specialist can inject a concrete epoxy into the cracks to repair them. This fully fills the cracks and because the epoxy is flexible, it will adjust to any further movement to your foundation walls.
For more information, contact a foundation repair contractor in your area.
