Why Hot Weather Damages Your Home Foundation
Texas temperatures in summer easily break 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Even when the temperature is in the high 90s, dry Texas weather wicks the moisture from the soil around your house and steals it from your foundation, which causes cracks. Dry weather day after day is a recipe for foundation disaster, and you may find yourself with lasting foundation damage that compromises the structural integrity of your home if you don’t address the problem.
Foundation repair experts believe that homeowners in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in and around Plano should understand the facts behind this phenomenon, and why it’s more important than ever to be proactive in assessing damage to your home’s foundation.
Shrinking Soil
When the weather gets too hot and dry, especially in states like Texas where the daily summer temperature easily reaches above 100, that dehydrates the soil. Since the soil around your foundation is usually moist, it shrinks when it’s dehydrated, moves around, and stops supporting your foundation. The loss in support causes your foundation to settle.
Sinking Foundations
When settling occur in the foundation because of dryness and hot weather, the foundation will settle until it finds support again. However far away from your foundation the dry soil has moved, that’s how far the foundation will move until it has soil to rest against again. This causes parts of your foundation and house to tilt in whatever direction the foundation started to fall and sink.
Just Add Water
One of the ways homeowners can combat dry soil and cracking foundation is to water the area around the house. Spend 15 to 20 minutes each day adding water to the soil around the foundation. If your area is in a drought, do as much as you’re allowed, but be consistent. As permitted, increase your watering time until you hit 15 or 20 minutes each day. Just remember to keep the soaker hoses 6-18″ away from the foundation. For those who worry about water costs during the summer, your water bill might be a bit higher, but that’s preferable to a foundation repair that costs thousands of dollars. Use watering as a method to maintain your foundation. If you believe you have a settling issue, continue to water normally and call Align.
Foundation Cracks in Dallas-Fort Worth? Call a Professional
How do you know this damage hasn’t occurred already? Sometimes it’s obvious, but sometimes those cracks are sitting in places you can’t see. Call a professional and ask for a foundation evaluation. When no problems exist, our foundation repair service professionals will recommend more measures you can take to make sure your foundation stays intact. When settling is present, we will let you know how extensive the damage is and whether repairs need to happen right away.
The Texas heat is brutal on your foundation, so foundation damage isn’t something to ignore. Contact Align Foundation Repair right away for an inspection. Our Texas foundation repair service areas include Plano, Garland, Arlington and the entire Dallas-Ft. Worth area. If your foundation is fine, start watering it every summer day to make sure it stays that way. If it isn’t, take care of it before the damage gets any worse.
