Two Major Causes of Wall Cracks

When you see cracks in your wall, sometimes your first reaction is to wonder why? Well, here are two of the primary whys:

Major causes…

  In Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland there isn’t a lot of rocky soil. If you get up into Wilmington or New Castle you might find some, but for the most part its either sand or clay. These are really the 2 biggest causes of foundation cracks.

• Dense soil (such as clay)
• Loose soil (full of sand)
  

  Dense soils will expand a lot when they are full of water, and shrink up when there is a drought. When the soil expands and contracts it moves the foundation walls. This will cause new cracks to form and existing wall cracks to get worse.

  Loose soils that are mostly sand can get very soupy when they are full of water. The problems are similar to the dense soils because the process moves the walls. It is also easier to see a “sinking” action in this kind of soil. This is a big reason why they build houses on the huge telephone pole pilings are the beach. The idea is to reach a more solid soil and rest the house on that. If it sounds a lot like our push piers, that is because the idea is basically the same.

Other reasons…

  While the soil is the most common reason, foundation cracks can also form due to:

• Vibration (like those from an earthquake)
• The roots of a tree pushing on the outside of the wall
• Improper drainage (landscaping problems)

 While exploring why is important, the follow-up to that question is what to do now. The answer to that is simple. 

Call 1-302-684-5034 today and get advice from one of our foundation specialists.