watering foundation?

[awdblazer]

never heard of this before
father in law said i should be watering my foundation cause he said the dryness will cause cracks in my foundation?
thanks

 

[MoparTrucks]

They were telling people around here to do that on the news because of the drought; they said the water table was so low and the soil so dried out the backfill was pulling away from the foundations causing problems. No one I know has had any problems but they did show some pretty bad problems.

 

[PT Doc]

Wet the foundation during the curing process or after it has cured?

 

[djjsr]

It's supposed to keep the concrete from drying too fast. That can cause cracks when the weather is hot.

 

[awdblazer]

my house was built in 1950 so its cured lol

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Apparently the drought is causing very serious foundation problems in some areas. I don't think this is twisted father in law trying to prove his son in law is extremely gullible.

I've heard the reports of the problems. Didn't think of water the foundation.

 

[ConCretin]

Technically you should cure foundation concrete the same way you cure slabs - maintaining moist conditions for at least seven days.

The reality is that most don't. If you leave the forms in place for 48 hours, you'll probably be fine.

Not saying it's right but the demands placed on a 4" slab are significantly higher than on an 8" foundation wall.

 

[awdblazer]

no my father in law is guillable

 

[brownbagg]

no, its true, if its a sandy material, we always wet the sand before placement because the sand will **** the moisture out of the concrete creating cracking, this is why vapor barrier is so important. also for foundation already installed, if you have a swelling clay. in drought the water table will lower causing the clay to dry out and this will move a concrete foundation, I have seen up to six inches. so by keeping the clay moist it will stabilize the clay. pop in law is not crazy

 

[crazytrain]

http://fox2now.com/2012/07/19/drought-causing-home-foundations-to-crack/


http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/tips-on-how-to-protect-your-homes-foundation-in-the-heat

 

[lotsoftools]

A lot of people around here water their foundations now, due to the drought. I can see why, the dirt around mine has receded a couple of inches. I think my foundation is deep enough that it isn't effecting the slab at all. I am going to dig back a little and pack in some more dirt anyways.

 

[awdblazer]

definitely isnt sandy here

 

[Big-Foot]

A lot of people around here water their foundations now, due to the drought. I can see why, the dirt around mine has receded a couple of inches. I think my foundation is deep enough that it isn't effecting the slab at all. I am going to dig back a little and pack in some more dirt anyways.

When I lived in TX, my house was built on a post tension slab. The ground there was a black clay and would shrink up the hotter it got outside. I was told that I needed to water the ground around the slab to keep the ground from shrinking and therefore not supporting the footings of the slab. The ground did recede a little from the slab enough where I could stuff in a long soaker hose and then backfill with dirt and wood chips. I ran the hose daily for a couple hours for 2 weeks and then only weekly for a couple hours after that. My neighbor thought I was nuts. He did nothing. Both homes were built at the same time (Fox and Jacobs development). His slab on the south side sagged and the brick veneer mortar started cracking and he got cracks in the walls inside (according to his wife - she had told him to water the slab too).
Long story short - I think it depends on the type of foundation you have and the soil around you.

 

[Canoman]

It's commonly suggested to water your foundation in Texas. Drought conditions cause the soil to shrink and pull away from the foundation. Many people run soaker hoses around the foundation on a timer so that it regularly waters in order to prevent this soil shrinkage.

From http://www.profengineering.com/foundationwateringsystem,

For many of the residents of the Houston area, watering your foundation is critical to its health. The expansive soil which exists to some extent throughout the greater Houston area shrinks as it dries and causes differential settlement which results in the cracks in the brick, sheetrock, and damage to the structure which often leads to the need for foundation repair. Often preventing such damage is as simple as watering your foundation.

Same goes for D/FW area.

 

[Rosco]

I lived in Texas for many years and was told about keeping the soil moist aroung the house by a home inspector. He had inspected many that the slabs had such severe cracks due to dry/pulled away soil.

I now live in Georgia and run my sprinklers all year round. Only once a week in the winter, but seems to really help the soil during the summer months. My yard comes in fast and stays green longer during the 100 plus degree months.

 

[Jack T.]

never heard of this before
father in law said i should be watering my foundation cause he said the dryness will cause cracks in my foundation?
thanks

See if you can find the USA Today from last Thursday or Friday. There was an extensive article about the effects of the drought, and foundation repair due to the surrounding soil drying up and pulling away was one of them. It said homeowners would sometimes hear what sounded like a gunshot when it cracked. And the fix can be quite $$$$$.

 

[Falcon67]

Yes, we water around the foundation. I've also been watering around the shop foundation. The ground moves here because we have expansive soils. One of the sprinkler heads doesn't reach an area near the back porch and the ground pulled away far enough you could stick your hand down in it. We got two days of pretty good rain with some hard down pours - still have cracks in the yard you can stand a 1x2 up in. The ground changed enough after the rain that the man door opening on the shop changed by about 1/16" and it rubs on the deadbolt strike. Easy fix, but a little rain moved around 68,000 lbs of concrete and maybe 15,000 lbs of building. So it's no BS.

>Fox and Jacobs development
Oh, do I remember those developers. The Harbor Freight of home builders.