Our central location allows for all sorts of weather and environmental changes that affect structure foundations. Here are the major players:
Freeze/Thaw Cycle
The freeze/thaw cycle wreaks havoc on our Cummings home foundations. As ice, snow, and sleet settles into a porous concrete foundation and refreezes, the concrete expands and cracks form. Each time water leaks into the cracks and refreezes, the cracks are pushed farther apart until obvious sagging begins to show in the floors and walls.
Rainy Season
It’s usually warm and sunny in Cumming, but we have our rain and flood times. Excess rain causes two very distinct problems. If there isn’t proper drainage under the foundation, rain pools under the home and the moisture causes cracks and settling. Another problem, rain and flooding causes is heaving. Soil that contains too much moisture will heave upward and push the foundation with it.
Soil Preparation Issues
The soil that will be under a home’s foundation is as important as the foundation itself. You have to take the type, consistency, and condition into consideration before a foundation begins. Soil has to be properly compacted before a foundation is poured on it. The type of soil you’re working with, like the loamy, clay mixture commonly found in Cumming, determines how it is compacted.
High Temperatures
The higher the temperatures go, the faster water evaporates from your home’s foundation. This is especially true of newer slabs, or concrete foundations. Evaporation causes cracks to form in the foundation. Water seeps into the cracks and small fissures and destroys the foundation over time.
Hot weather also causes soil shrinkage. Several days of excessively hot temperatures draw a lot of moisture from the soil. Loss of moisture causes shrinkage. The moisture it loses, the more it shrinks. As it dries, soil becomes hard and compact. It develops spaces and air pockets under the foundation, and it becomes unstable.
Soil shrinkage occurs in the upper portions of soil. Desiccation by tree roots and drops in moisture levels from evaporation or a low groundwater table are the usual culprits of soil shrinkage. The same process happens in reverse when soil swells and upheaves.
Hot, dry climates also lead to soil erosion. Rain pours into the cracks and fissures in dried out soil and all the dusty soil rushes away with it causing bigger voids under the foundation. Long stints of rain saturate the ground, fill up the cavities, and increase hydrostatic pressure which pushes on the concrete foundation, causing more upheavals and cracks.
Even if your soil is correctly compacted before you pour a foundation, soil erosion and shrinking are problems Cummings homeowners face regularly. Soil erosion is natural, but human interaction also has a big impact.
Shrinking and swelling soil issues are commonly associated with fine-grained clay soils like the ultisol prevalent in Georgia.