How Hot, Dry Weather Affects Your Foundation

Sunburns and heat exhaustion are not the only dangers of hot, dry weather.  The recent and frequent hot, dry weather in California may have more of an impact on your home than you are aware of.

Dry weather can cause a variety of problems for the foundation of your home or business.

Water Evaporation from Concrete

If you have a new slab or concrete foundation, it may still be susceptible to water evaporation. As the heat rises, it will cause water to evaporate out of the concrete. This evaporation can cause the concrete to crack, making it unstable and letting water inside the cracks.

Soil Shrinkage

As the temperatures get warmer and if dry conditions persist, the soil around your home will dry out. The drier the soil gets, the more it will shrink. When this happens, the soil starts to compact or form spaces and voids. The foundation is no longer properly supported with these spaces and cracks in the ground underneath it, so it will start to sink and shift. Settlement and shifting lead to a host of other issues, including foundation cracks and leaks, wall cracks, and sticking windows and doors.

Soil Erosion

Once a decently heavy rain finally does fall on soil that has been dried out for a while, water will rush through the cracks and spaces, causing the loose, dry soil to wash away. This can create further voids under the home or slab, making for more severe foundation settlement. On the other hand, if the rain continues long enough, water can fill the voids, saturate the ground, and lead to an increase in hydrostatic pressure that pushes on the concrete. This pressure will cause heaving and crack formation.

Dry Weather Solutions

No matter what sort of issue occurs due to the hot, dry summer weather, FOUNDATIONS ON THE LEVEL has a solution. We offer piering solutions to lift and level sinking concrete foundations. We also offer polymer foam injections to lift concrete slabs and crack repair solutions for the results of hot weather foundation damage.

Call us today to learn more!