What are the signs of Foundation Heave?
Foundation heave is the uplift movement of the soil layer. It occurs when the expansive soil layer has been saturated with water and provides pressure on the building’s foundation. The signs and symptoms of the foundation heave should be controlled at an early stage to prevent the pressure of the foundation heave. This helps to avoid severe damage to the building foundations.
Signs of Foundation Heave
The signs that have been seen in the case of occurring foundation heave are:
Foundation slab’s crack
The crack in the foundation slab is a clear sign of foundation heave. This type of crack often forms while the slabs are lifted or separated. This crack can be big or small in size. The early identification of this crack can be achieved by checking the foundation on a regular basis.
Figure 1: Crack in the foundation slab
Crack in walls
The drywall cracks have been often observed which is the most unmistakable sign of the heave in the foundation. This type of crack is visible on the floors along with the building walls. These types of wall and floor cracks can occur in different patterns including horizontal cracks or stair-step cracks. Horizontal cracks are usually seen in the concrete wall and stair-step cracks occur in the brick wall. Floor cracks have also appeared overnight. This floor crack indicates that the soil under the building foundation is getting swelled which pushes the foundation upward resulting in the floor crack.
Figure 2: Crack in the walls and floor
Lifted Flatwork
Concrete, which is 4 to 6 inches thick and uniform is referred to as flatwork. In the case of the lifted flatwork, it can occur inside the house and can be managed to hide under the area rugs and carpets.
Figure 3: Lifted flatwork due to foundation heave
Off-Center Frames
There is constant pressure on the foundation of the house which transferred into the wooden structure of the building thus affecting the building structure. This results slanting of the building framework.
Figure 4: Off-Center Frames
Crack in the interior wall
Sometimes, interior wall cracks have appeared without any kind of apparent cause. This indicates the occurrence of foundation heave. These interior wall cracks are wider at the top of the crack and become narrower towards the bottom of the crack. This nature of the interior wall crack suggests that the building foundation is unevenly lifting.
Figure 5: Interior wall crack
Uneven floors
In case of the ground swelling under the floor, the building floors become bulgy or uneven. This type of bulgy floor is usually seen on the ground floor or in the basements.
Figure 6: Uneven basement floors
Leaning chimneys
Chimneys are more heavy which are more likely to move while the ground expands. In the case of the chimney leaning away, it needs to be fixed immediately as it is the biggest warning regarding the foundation heave.
Figure 7: Tilting or Leaning Chimneys
Sticking windows and doors
The structure of the house has been messed up due to heaving. This results in sticking of the doors and windows and the doors are becoming hard to open. This occurs due to the foundation wrapping the building frames. In this case, the inspection of the foundation needs to be done.
Figure 8: Sticking doors due to heaving
Gaps around windows and doors
Due to the uneven lifting of the foundation, it has been noticed that there are gaps around the windows and doors. This condition pulls away the building frames from the walls. Thus houses become less energy efficient.
Figure 9: Gaps around doors and windows
Water pooling
The soil can also expand due to the collection of too much water around the foundation of the home. Heavy rain conditions and lousy drainage systems can lead to wetness and swelling of the soil.
Figure 10: Water pooling around the foundation
Misaligned trim
Misaligned molding or trim has appeared as pulling away from the building walls which is also a sign of heaving in the building foundation.
Figure 11: Misaligned foundation wall
Cause of Foundation Heave
Poor drainage system
In case of not draining the water properly, water pooled around the building's foundation. This pooled water slopes toward the foundation and leads to the foundation heave.
Excessive rainfall
The soil around the foundation becomes saturated with water due to the excessive rainfall. Water can be absorbed by clay soil and soil expands. Heavy rainfall also leads to ground swelling which results in foundation heave.
Frost heave
In the coolest weather, the soil contracts and expands which also negatively impacts the building foundation.
Plumbing leakages
Leakage in the pipes results in the expansion of the soil which also leads to the occurrence of the foundation heave.
To get more details, watch the following video tutorial.
Video Source: Concrete Repairman LLC
How do we deal with this situation?
The treatment options that will help to fix the problem of foundation heave are:
- The drainage system of the building should be improved. In this context, the gutter and the downspouts should always need to be cleaned properly. Leaves and other garbage need to be cleaned regularly from the gutters. It also needs to ensured that the ground slopes away from the building foundation.
- To avoid foundation heave, the soil around the house should kept away from sweeping and wetness too much. This can be done by managing the amount of water the soil gets around the house. Large tree roots have the ability to suck up a lot of water and dry the soil. In this regard, it is suggested to plant more trees around the house.
- Regular inspection of the foundation can also be helpful to stay in good shape of the building foundation as regular inspection helps to identify the foundation issues.
- Taking suggestions from the experts is also beneficial to determine the status of the foundation damage and implement the appropriate foundation repairing solutions.
