Thursday, July 30, 2009

Controlled Watering Can Save Your Foundation

The Texas summer has settled in and -- at least here in the DFW Metroplex -- we're seeing a drought.

Keep in mind that your home's foundation moves up and down as the soil's moisture content changes. As long as foundation movement isn't much and doesn't damage the house, this up and down movement isn't a problem.

Using a controlled watering program keeps the soil's moisture content constant, thereby minimizing your home's foundation movement.

The simplest and least expensive way to water the soil around and under your foundation is with common soaker hoses. You can bury a soaker hose three inches deep and six inches from the edge of your foundation. By placing the hose so close to the foundation, the water to soak into the soil evenly.

Do not place hose directly against the foundation. When soil is dried and cracked (like what we get during the summer here in Dallas-Fort Worth), water travels along the cracks. This can cause the water to accumulate at the bottom of the grade beam. This water can then can cause the soil to loose some of its load bearing capacity. This will produce its own foundation problems. So, again, do not place the hose directly against the foundation but, rather, a short distance (less than a foot) from the foundation.

Follow these watering tips and you can help protect your foundation.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

7 Signs That You May Have Foundation Problems

Foundation problems can show themselves in many ways. Below are seven common symptoms:

  • Doors stick or do not close all the way.
  • Gaps show between the garage door and the pavement (usually on one side of the garage door or the other).
  • Gaps appear at the corner of fascia trim.
  • Diagonal cracks in the wall at corners of doors and windows.
  • Windows stick or are otherwise difficult to open or close.
  • You can see cracks in the exposed grade beam of the house.
  • You find cracks in bricks and mortar.
If you see any of these things, you should contact a foundation repair professions. As always, get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

What is Epoxy Injection?

Epoxy Injection is for concrete what welding is for steel. Often when a foundation fails, large cracks develop and remain in the flooring or grade beams even after foundation underpinning. These cracks can remain as weak points and/or can allow moisture to seep into the living area.

We repair foundation cracks by injecting a high strength epoxy resin under high pressure into the crack and sealing it. The makers of the resin claim that once the epoxy resin dries, the foundation won't crack in the same place again.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

What are Voidfilling and Mudjacking?

Mudjacking

Mudjacking is an additional foundation repair technique used to fix sinking and shifts in flat concrete areas. The process uses pressurized mud rather than piers. The mud is typically comprised of sandy loam soil, water and some cement for stiffness. The mixture is pumped under the foundation through a hose until the void is filled and creates lift of the desired areas.

Ace Foundation recommends mudjacking only for flat concrete surfaces such as garage floors, driveways, pool and patio decks.

We do not recommend mudjacking for the lifting of structural load bearing foundations/surfaces for the following reasons: The performance depends on the soil beneath. The lifting process may break sewer pipes and quickly fill them with the mud, requiring expensive plumbing repairs. A uniform lift is very difficult due to the different weight and thickness of the slab.

Many foundation repair contractors, as well as structural engineers, like to use piers on the perimeter grade beams to repair failed foundations and to use mudjacking on foundations with interior failure such as sinking or sagging floors.

Mudjacking is a procedure which involves drilling two inch (2") diameter holes through the floor in the affected area, bringing in a hose, about the size of a firehose, with a nozzle that fits in the holes and pumping a thick mud grout under the floor. The grout is typically comprised of sandy loam soil, water and about twelve percent (12%) cement.

The grout is pumped under the foundation with several hundred pounds of pressure until all voids are filled and the back pressure lifts the foundation to where it needs to be.

Mudjacking has been successfully used to lift streets, porches, and driveways at a cost much lower than replacement, but Ace Foundation does not recommend the use of mudjacking on homes or buildings for several reasons.

One big reason we do not recommend mudjacking is that the process cannot be fully controlled by the contractor once the grout leaves the nozzle.

The grout always takes the path of least resistance, which means once it leaves the nozzle the grout can come up through bathtub, leaveouts, shallow areas of concrete flooring, etc. The main danger that the mudjacking process poses is to plumbing under the foundation. As the back pressure increases, the foundation begins to raise and the possibility of plumbing lines separating increases. The moment a sewer line breaks, the grout starts entering the line and the cement can set before a plumber can clean it out. Once the grout sets, the plumbing line has to be broken out and replaced.

Mudjacking also tends to be a temporary method of repair. In order for the grout to hold the foundation in position it depends on the soil beneath it to remain in place. If the soil moves due to loss of moisture then the grout will not be able to hold the load.

Ace Foundation installs STEEL INTERIOR PIERS and accomplishes all lifting with them. We then have a plumber test for leaks in the plumbing lines and the home owner has the opportunity to repair the leaks.

We then fill the void between the floor and the soil with the same process as mudjacking yet with pressure and grout that are safer for the plumbing. This approach allows Ace Foundation to control damage and to provide the home owner with a longer lasting repair.

Voidfilling

If the lift of a foundation creates a void under the slab's interior, then we use a technique called voidfilling. Voidfilling is basically the same procedure as mudjacking but with some key differences.

  • We do not mix cement in our mud for voidfilling.
  • We only use light pressure to pump the mud into the void.
  • The foundation load is carried by our piers and not by the mud.
  • Mudjacking carries no warranty, but our steel piers do.
Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Questions to Ask Any Foundation Contractor

Before have a contractor perform foundation repair, you should ask the following questions.

  • Will the piers be installed to a minimum of 12 feet deep, unless they hit rock first? Will the foundation repair company put that in writing in the contract?
  • If they promise to go "to rock or refusal", can they tell you how deep it is to rock in your area?"
  • Will they put in the foundation repair contract that you and the company will not accept "refusal" that is reached at less than 12 feet deep?
  • How are the piers held together and reinforced?
  • What do other Independent Engineers think of their piers?

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Videos, Videos, and more Videos!

We've prepared a handful of videos to explain common foundation problems and how Ace Foundation tackles them.

View the foundation repair videos here.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

What is a French drain?

A French drain is a trench that is dug higher at one end and lined with filter cloth. Next, a perforated PVC pipe is placed in the trench and covered with gravel. This type of drain works very well for its first few years, but tends to be less effective after 5 years due to clogging.

The best French drains use superior drainage materials (never gravel!) that resist clogging and will provide more years of effective service.

Get more information by visiting our www.AceFoundation.com.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

How do I maintain my foundation?

Following these common sense steps could save you thousands of dollars in foundation repairs.

During the rainy season: Check your drainage around your property. Wait until a hard solid rain (not just a sprinkle), then walk around your house and see if the runoff water is draining away from your foundation without standing or puddling.

If you see puddling that's a problem, the solution is a positive watershed. A positive water shed exists when the dirt is higher at the foundation and slopes away from the house at the minimum rate of one inch per foot and extends past the roofline. If your house has gutters, be sure they are free from obstructions and that the down spouts direct the water away from the house past the roof line.

Do not build a dam around your house with landscape timbers, concrete trim, sidewalks or metal trim, that will prevent proper drainage. Fixing a severe problem could include cutting a depression in the ground to direct the water or installing a drain system. Remember, too much water is just as bad as not watering in the dry season.

During the dry season: The ideal way to maintain a constant moisture level around your foundation is to use an automatic sprinkler system with a rain gauge cut off. You can also use a soaker hose positioned 18 inches from the foundation. Turn on the water until you see it form a standing puddle on the ground.

The expansion of the soil will provide uniform support for the foundation. Watering should be repeated when drying cracks are observed or when soil is clearly too dry. Do not put a hose in big cracks and try to water the foundation. This can cause additional damage. You may find that the south and east sides of the house will require more watering. Remember... the goal is moisture uniformity on all sides.

Trees and shrubs: As a rule of thumb, trees should be planted a distance equal to their mature height from the house. Trees planted too close to the house rob moisture from the soil, allowing the dirt to shrink causing foundation problems.

Get more information by visiting our website, www.AceFoundation.com.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

What are the differences between the different foundation types?

Slab or Slab on Grade is a foundation that is one large piece of concrete reinforced with steel bars or cables. "On grade" simply means the structure is supported by the ground or grade.

A pier and beam foundation keeps the structure lifted off the ground or grade by using a tall perimeter concrete beam and a series of piers which support the floor constructed of wood.

A simple frame foundation is the oldest type of foundation and is similar to a Pier and Beam. A frame foundation does not use a concrete perimeter beam, but has supports around the perimeter that are covered by siding down to the ground.

Get more information by visiting our website, www.AceFoundation.com.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

All About Drainage Systems

Now that summer is upon us -- complete with sizzling temperatures and (for some of us) drought conditions -- enjoy this extra post.

Landscaping maintenance is important for the beauty of homes as most home owners spend great amounts of time and money on their landscaping.

However, proper drainage around the house is of greater importance than just beauty, especially in areas where homes are built over large stratas of clay soil. Clay soil is an expansive soil that shrinks or swells throughout the seasonal changes, thus causing foundation problems.

Root Barriers

The key ingredient which triggers the shrink/swell action is water. As clay soil loses water it shrinks and when it absorbs water it expands. While it is important to keep clay soil wet around your foundation during periods of little rainfall, it is just as important to keep excess water from ponding around your foundation during rainy seasons. If excess of water ponds around a foundation, clay soil will absorb it and expand. The more water there is around the foundation, the more the soil can expand. It is not uncommon for the soil to lift the area above normal grade. Thus, when a dry period sets in, the soil will shrink and allow the foundation to drop more than normal.

There are many things a home owner can do to correct surface drainage problems. The yard around your home should be graded to slope away from your foundation. This slope will drain water away from the house and, thus, the foundation. Once away from the house, the yard should be sloped to allow the water to drain toward the street or alley. Builders, landscapers and home owners often make changes to the landscape that prevent the runoff of excess water.

You need to inspect the landscape around your home for areas that trap water. The best time to do is immediately following rainfall. Look for flower and shrub beds which hold water and make the changes needed to allow the water to drain away.

Make sure your gutter downspouts discharge water away from the foundation rather than dumping it into a plant bed or next to the house. Sometimes all you need to do is extend the downspouts so they discharge at a safe place, and some houses would be better off without gutters.

Many drainage problems are not simple to solve,that is where Ace Foundation comes in.Some homes are built "in a hole" where all of the landscaping slopes toward the foundation. Some homes are built over old creeks, springs, or other underground drainage areas that are not visible, yet they cause damage to the foundation.

Ace Foundation has been fighting drainage problems for a long time, so if you can't engineer your own solution give us a call. We will perform a free on site inspection for you and if we think you can correct the problem yourself we will tell you.

Get more information by visiting www.AceFoundation.com.