"Why Do My Walls Crack and Bow?" DryZone has your answer.
Many people do not realize that the soil around their home puts a lot of pressure on their foundation walls. The amount of pressure can vary. This will all depend on the type of soil around the home, the amount of moisture in the soil and how deep the foundation is under the ground. When the pressure from outside the basement wall is greater than what the walls can handle, the walls begin to crack, bow or push inward. Hydrostatic pressure, expensive clays and even frost can create too much pressure and stress on the walls, causing them to push inward and even collapse.
Some of the inward pressures are caused by:
- Expensive Clay Soil: Clay expands and contracts as the amount of moisture in the ground increases and decreases. Have you ever looked at a dirt baseball field during a dry spell and noticed cracks in the dirt? This happens because clay soil shrinks when it dries. When the clay gets wet, it expands.
- Hydrostatic Pressure: This is is the pressure exerted by a fluid due to the force of gravity.
- Frost: With cold winter climates, frost can cause pressure on a wall and cause it to fail, especially when the basement is unheated. Frost pressures can be extremely powerful and can even lift shallow foundations up and out of the ground, causing significant damage to the home.
DryZone has the expertise to examine and inspect the problem your basement walls might be experiencing. Our structural specialists will diagnose the problem and suggest the right-fit solution for your home. We work around the Eastern Shore of MD and all of Delaware include: New Castle, Kent and Sussex county even up to the Bay Bridge.
We look foward to hearing from you!