Your foundation is essential to the structural integrity of your home. After all, the average US home weighs 50 tons and is supported by a foundation that weighs about seven tons. All of that weight needs to be securely held up. However, sometimes your foundation will begin to settle. If this happens, you might need to bring in someone to do foundation settlement repair before it causes any damage. Look out for these three factors that can cause your foundation to settle.
Poorly Compacted Soil
When your house was built, the construction crew likely brought in soil from another location to fill in any gaps and create a smooth surface for the foundation. This soil should then have been compacted with heavy machinery. If this step was skipped or only done partway, the foundation was then built on soil that could shift underneath it. If this is the case, you’ll need to bring in a foundation settlement repair crew to fix it as soon as you can.
Dry Soil
Even if the soil was compacted correctly before your foundation was built, it is still vulnerable to changes in climate and weather. During hot months, evaporation will cause changes to the soil’s structure. Some types of soil will lose their firmness, becoming looser under the foundation. If your area’s soil contains a lot of clay, the heat will also cause the molecules to constrict, creating gaps that might cause your foundation to settle.
Vibrations
Heavy vibrations that travel into the soil below your home can cause your foundation to settle. These could be somewhat short-term projects like construction nearby. The vibrations from the equipment rattle the ground beneath your home, quickly making it less stable. Or it can be a long-term issue with something like regular trains passing by. Over time, the vibrations will make your foundation less stable and it might begin to settle.
If your foundation settles, it can cause your house to become less stable. This can eventually lead to serious damage. Because of this, it is essential that you bring in a foundation settlement repair company to fix the problem as soon as you can. They can address both the foundation itself and the soil on which the foundation is built.