How To Properly Maintain Your Foundation
You are probably already familiar with the typical warning signs of a damaged foundation (and if you aren’t, you should read our article about it). However, did you also know that most foundation problems can be prevented if you do proper foundation maintenance?
Of course, you should always let a team of foundation professionals handle the bigger jobs so as not to put yourself or your house at risk. Still, there are plenty of things that you, as a diligent homeowner, can do to keep minor issues from turning into big (and expensive) headaches.
7 Tips For Proper Foundation Maintenance
The following tips will help you properly maintain your foundation:
1. Regular Foundation Inspections
There’s no better way to find problems than to go looking for them. When it comes to your foundation, that’s exactly what you want! Performing regular inspections will allow you to catch any foundation issues while they’re still in the early stages. This will save you lots of time and money when you choose to repair them.
A thorough inspection around your property, looking for any signs of water damage or cracks, should be enough to avoid any major problems and costly repairs. Remember to also inspect the interior of your home (especially the basement if you have it) for cracks on the walls and ceiling. If your doors or windows are also hard to close properly, that’s another sign of trouble. All of these can be a sign that your home might be shifting too much, and that needs to be addressed.
2. Fix Any Known Plumbing Issues
Plumbing issues mean moisture and unchecked moisture means trouble for your foundation. The worst-case scenario for plumbing issues is an undetected leak that saturates the soil surrounding your foundation with water. This can result in foundation cracks if the soil presses too hard against it or cause your home to shift too much in one direction (which can cause structural damage.)
Have your pipes and fixtures inspected three or four times per year to detect any plumbing leaks that might be spilling water near your foundation. Even a slow leak can make the ground too damp and soft to properly support the weight of your home, but it also wastes hundreds of gallons of water every month if left unchecked.
3. Install A Root Barrier In Your Yard
While trees can be a beautiful addition to your yard, it’s important to understand the risks posed by their roots and how to prevent them. One of the biggest issues that homeowners with trees in their yard face is root penetration. That is, growing tree roots can reach the home’s foundation and cause all sorts of damage.
As you know, tree roots grow unpredictably and can be almost three times as long as the tree’s canopy; this means that if a tree’s canopy has a 10-foot radius, then its roots can easily surpass 30 feet in length! Drop the ax, however; installing a root barrier can help you avoid root penetration of your home’s foundation while keeping your beautiful tree alive.
A root barrier is a piece of material made to separate tree roots from your home’s foundation to prevent root damage. A professional should be able to install a root barrier between your foundation and the offending tree in just a couple of hours.
4. Make Sure That Your Yard Goes Downhill From The House
No matter where you live, you do not want your house to be at the bottom of a hill. Why? Well, if your house were to be at the bottom of a slope where all the water that runs from the hill converges (also called a “drainage point”), then floods and water damage would be a constant problem for your foundation. For example, after a heavy rainstorm, the soil surrounding your home can become so flooded that the water might flow back toward your foundation.
If you find out that the ground around your home does slope towards your foundation, the good news is that you can level the slope away from it. How? Well, the process is to simply use dirt to fill the low parts of the slope around your home and then grade it little by little. Unless you have plenty of experience doing this kind of job, we highly recommend hiring a professional to do it on your property.
5. Maintain A Steady Temperature Inside Your Home
Constant temperature fluctuations year after year can make your foundation expand and contract. As a consequence, cracks might appear on your foundation. To prevent this, keep your home’s temperature and humidity levels as consistent as you can through the years, which will minimize the damage done to your foundation.
If you’re leaving on vacation, you might be tempted to just turn the thermostat off, but this can cause extreme temperature changes that will do more damage to your foundation. Instead, leave it on a low setting so that the temperature never goes below 40 F or above 100 F.
6. Keep A Consistent Moisture Level In Your Yard
As we’ve mentioned above, the soil around your foundation will contract and expand as the moisture levels change and it gets flooded or dries out. However, did you know you can fight moisture with moisture? Most foundation cracks actually appear when the soil dries out and contracts. In order to prevent cracks from appearing on your foundation, keep a consistent moisture level all around your yard by using your sprinklers or a hose all through the year, particularly during the drought season or right as the rainy season ends.
There are also more specialized solutions to this problem. You could install an underground foundation watering system, which makes sure that the soil around your foundation is always evenly moisturized at just the right level.
7: Give Proper Maintenance To Your Gutters And Downspouts
We have talked before about the vital role that your gutters and downspouts play in protecting your foundation from water damage. Well, proper maintenance of your gutters will ensure that their utility doesn’t give out and continue to provide proper drainage for your home. After all, blocked gutters and downspouts cannot properly divert the water away from your foundation.
Make sure that you clear out all the dead leaves, twigs, and other debris out of your gutters and downspouts to prevent the water from pooling around your home (and then filter straight through your foundation. Also, make sure that the water being diverted away from your foundation actually follows the slope on which your property is built, or it will flow back directly to your home.
Trust Above All Foundation Repair For All Your Foundation Needs
Following these tips will make sure that your foundation has many, many healthy years ahead of it. However, if you notice any worrying signs that your foundation might be already giving out, call a professional to perform an inspection right away! Hesitation will only give the existing foundation damage more time to expand, which can lead to more problems down the line.
Nobody wants to deal with the cost and inconvenience of a damaged foundation. If you find yourself in that situation, call Above All Foundation Repair right away! We are a team of certified professionals with years of experience and the latest inspection and repair tech. We’ll give your foundation the care it deserves — reach out today to schedule an inspection!
