How Many Types Of Foundation Cracks There Are And What Causes Them?

How Many Types Of Foundation Cracks There Are And What Causes Them?

Foundation problems at your home are one of the most serious issues that can arise around your house. This is why they should in no case be left out to deal with later, in which case they might grow to give you some serious damages and expensive repairs. Improper preparation of the soil for the construction, weak drainage, plumbing leaks, too much water or too little water around the foundation soil, are all among the wide sea of reasons that lead up to the damage of your foundation, and once your foundation has been damaged, you are to immediately seek out the help of wall & basement cracks repairs in Bedford Hills NY.

Types Of Cracks
It is not hard to find the warning signs prior to having major foundation structure repair due in the house. Not only the drywall cracks play the role of being the warning sign but walls starting to lean, gaps appearing where floor meets the wall, nails popping out of drywall, uneven or bouncy floors, windows or doors that stick, or cabinets that swing open by themselves, are all the warning signs of being subject to serious structural damage in the future. Although it is quite ordinary to observe cracks in the walls outside your house, as they are usually not very severe.

The most commonly observed cracks in the walls around your house are vertical cracks, now many people would even panic by sighting these. However, they remain unaware that these are probably the most harmless cracks that just indicates the settling of soil, the settling of soil even occurs in newly constructed houses. Another type of cracks that you may notice around the house is diagonal cracks which are caused by different types of settling of the soil.

Diagonal cracks appear when one side of a house’s foundation has settled quite a bit lower than the rest and isn’t pretty serious either. The type of cracks you should be on the lookout for are the horizontal cracks, these are the most serious type of foundation cracks. These are the indications of much more serious problems like the rise in the concentration of water in the soil around the foundation walls or even just the soil pressure itself. They are also very much prone to happen depending upon the place you are residing in, it is most likely to happen in places with excess of heat, rain, floods, droughts or even snow.

Now that the types of cracks and their severity has been understood, we can move towards what causes them before you contact the best foundation cracks repairs services. Two of the major causes of foundation cracks are as follows.

Drainage Issues

The leading cause for all types of foundation issues has always been improper drainage. Excess of water causes the soil to erode. Once water has reached the surroundings of your foundation walls, it is almost inevitable that you are going to have some serious foundation problems if you do not immediately tend to it. It can be prevented if it is made sure that the soil around the foundation is tilted away and the gutters installed are properly operational.

Type Of Soil

The type of soil that is around the foundation walls of your house plays a major role in foundation damages. As an example, clay soil is a very dense type of soil that retains water and swells afterward. The clay soil in return also is problem in absence of water as it shrinks back when it loses water. This contraction and swelling around the foundation wall exert additional pressure on it cause it to bend and develop cracks.

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