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Home’s Foundation Structural or Non-Structural Cracks

By Leon Foundation Repair

Home’s Foundation Structural or Non-Structural Cracks

05/24/2017 Cracks are a popular topic in the waterproofing industry, and when property owners notice them they could be worrisome. Because they lead to water damage and jeopardize the stability of the foundation, hire a professional to assess your cracks to determine if they are structural or non-structural. However, not all cracks cause structural damage. Some cracks are just a natural sign of aging, but they should never be ignored. Since water follows the path of the least resistance, water can flow through these cracks creating a perfect habitat for mold, mildew and insects. Soil gases such as radon can also enter through

If you have cracks in the Foundation Repair Houston, Texas area., they can get worse over time. They can start off as non-cracks, polluting the air in your home.structural, allowing water to enter through the crack. If left alone, the water eventually deteriorates the inside of the concrete causing cracks to widen. These cracks can easily be fixed by hiring a foundation repair specialist to apply concrete crack injections into the affected concrete. If water seeps through the crack, polyurethane can seal the leak. For moving cracks, a more rigid epoxy material is used to seal the concrete and hold the crack in place.
I can help locate a qualified repair specialist to evaluate cracks in your home.
Causes of Structural Cracks
Structural cracks have a number of causes including poor construction, design mistakes, overloading, and soil movement. In expansive clay soil regions, the primary cause of foundation problems is soil movement. Expansive clay soil is affected by moisture in much the same way as a sponge. It expands when it absorbs moisture and shrinks when it dries out.
If it has been raining very hard where you live and the area around your home has poor drainage, your foundation can be damaged from the heaving effects of the soil as it expands. During a prolonged drought, damage occurs from soil shrinking away from your foundation. It's the uneven movement of the soil that stresses and cracks your foundation.
Appearance of Structural Cracks
Structural cracks tend to be wider than 1/8 inch. The edges of the crack are either off-set or flush. Sometimes they are wider at one end than the other. One common pattern is the stair-step crack. This occurs in foundation walls made from concrete blocks and mortar. Because the mortar is weaker than the blocks, the crack follows the mortar in a diagonal stair case pattern.
In poured concrete, the cracks can be vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. They also occur in patterns such as diagonal cracks starting at the four corners of a wall and intersecting at a horizontal crack. If a horizontal crack is low on the wall near or below ground level such as inside a crawl space, it's a sign that external soil pressure is causing the wall to buckle inward. If this buckling process continues, the wall eventually collapses.
If you see structural foundation crack like the ones described above, the rest of your house is probably affected. Examples of this include uneven floors, sticking doors and windows, cracks on interior and exterior walls, and cracks between sections of your house such as between your chimney and the wall.
If you see evidence of structural cracks, get it resolved quickly because the damage gets progressively worse with time. If you have any questions or concerns about your foundation, I recommend to contact Foundation Repair Houston Free Estimate

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Leon Foundation Repair

Leon Foundation Repair

Foundation Repair Houston | Leon Foundation Repair Houston provides structural and foundation repair services that will ensure your home will be stronger than the day it was built. Our team of foundation repair experts will ensure that you understand the process of foundation repair Houston; They wi…

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