By Kai Iris
The foundation of a home should be designed to support the weight of the structure on it and also ensure that it is not affected by the moisture around it. When your home’s basement foundation is in good shape, your structure is stable and you won’t have to deal with wetness in your home.
However, a failing basement foundation can cause a lot of problems for your home. For example, moisture can start seeping into your basement and cause damage to your home and belongings. In severe cases, your health is even threatened because of mold growth in your home.
In this article, we discuss some of the important things to know about basement foundations. This resource was put together by our professional foundation repair company. We are experts in basement foundation repair in Montgomery AL.
Causes of basement foundation problems
There are a couple of things that can cause a basement foundation to develop problems. The following are the major ones:
- Differential settlement: It’s normal for a structure to experience uniform settlement, which makes the home slightly settle into the soil beneath it. However, when different parts of the structure settle at different rates, then there’s a problem. When there’s a differential settlement in your basement foundation, the walls can lean, bow, crack, or sheer.
- Soil expansion and contraction: The soil is said to be expansive if it expands and contracts based on its moisture content. So, the soil expands when it is wet and shrinks when it dries. This incessant cycle of expansion and contraction puts continuous stress on the walls of the basement foundation, causing them to lean, bow, crack, or sheer.
- Hydrostatic pressure: If you have stagnant water in your basement foundation and there’s no proper drainage system in place, your walls can be affected by hydrostatic pressure. This means that the soil increases with the accumulation of water, and your wall will feel the pressure.
- Frost-heave: Soil rises as it freezes, and then settles down again as it thaws. This cycle of rising and falling can make the walls of the basement foundation lean, bow, crack, or sheer.
Is it possible to repair the basement foundation?
Absolutely! There are many approaches to basement foundation repair. The best method for you will depend on the kind of foundation problems you’re dealing with. The following are some of the common basement foundation repair solutions available:
Basement foundation settlement repair
- Steel push piers: When a basement foundation is sinking, the steel push piers can be used to fix it. During this process, the piers are pushed into the soil beneath the basement foundation to the level where the soil can bear the heavy load. The basement foundation is then raised back to its original level.
- Helical piers: These piers are also called screw piles. They function like corkscrews which are drilled into the ground until they reach load-bearing soil. After this has been achieved, the basement foundation is then lifted back to its original position using hydraulic jacks.
Basement wall repair
- Wall plate anchors: The use of wall plate anchors is a very common recommendation for fixing bowing walls. This process begins with attaching a wall plate to the bowing wall on the inside, after which an anchor is placed in the dirt on the basement’s exterior. Finally, the anchor and the plate are connected together by a very strong rod, which pulls the bowing wall outward.
- Helical tieback anchors: These are also effective in fixing basement foundation walls that bow. The good thing about this method doesn’t require any excavation. The basement wall is drilled from the interior rather than using an outside anchor. In this case, the anchor functions like a corkscrew which twists and pulls the wall outward.
Basement foundation cracks repair
- Carbon Fiber Staples: Staples are very effective in fixing walls with non-structural and structural cracks. The process begins with grinding slots through the cracks, after which a very strong epoxy is used to position the carbon fiber staples into the slots and then fused into the concrete.
- Epoxy crack injection: Any form of cracks that may appear in your basement foundation can be fixed using this approach. The first part of the process involves using an epoxy binder to create a surface patch. Epoxy is then injected into the crack. With this done, your basement foundation is waterproofed and reinforced.
Final thoughts
You must ensure that your basement foundation remains in good shape. Any suspected problem with the foundation must be addressed as soon as it is discovered to prevent the issues from getting worse with time. That is why it is important that you have a professional conduct occasional inspection on your foundation so that issues are detected and addressed early.
And before you hire any foundation repair contractor, ensure that you do due diligence in finding out about their reputation on the Better Business Bureau.
