Protecting your foundation – from the bottom up

Drainage problems and unwanted water are more than just an aggravation. If left unattended, poor drainage can lead to foundation damage. Water on the basement floor is one clue that some damage is occurring and may get worse over time.

Continually saturated soils below the footing, which support foundation walls, can lose strength over time. With poor support of the footing, the foundation wall on top of the footing can begin to move in response to changes in soil conditions. Soil types (sand, silt, clay) are the major barometer on the bearing capacity of the soil at a certain moisture content.

Commercial construction of a foundation is usually inspected, which includes the footing excavation, soil type, concrete integrity and footing drainage system. A footing drain collects water with a gravel bed and PVC perforated pipe. (The gravel holds the water and the pipe allows it to flow). The water is

discharged with an interior sump-pump, or depending on the finished grade or slope of the site, can flow to the surface by gravity. The foundation and footing drain for residential construction is usually not inspected by the County or City, so there may or may not be a functional drainage system in place.

If minor foundation damage has occurred, such as small amounts of water leaking into the basement from vertical cracks or up from the floor, then the leakage should be corrected with drainage improvements on the outside of the home before more costly damage occurs. Preventative maintenance with positive drainage improvements is far less expensive than foundation structural repairs.

When significant damage has occurred or is in the process, then in most cases the results will begin to carry from the foundation to the wood framing of the home. At this point, a Foundation Engineer or a foundation piering company should be contacted for professional consulting.

Make it a habit to inspect your basement walls after periods of unusually wet or dry weather. Look for vertical and horizontal cracks or signs of movement in the wall. Continually saturated soil against the foundation exerts tremendous weight and pressure against it. And more so with expansive clayey soil that swells. In addition, take the time to inspect the exterior drainage conditions. Look for settled soil or a negative grade along the foundation, downspout and sump-pump discharge locations, overflowing gutters, or excess storm water entering your property from another source. In most cases, the root cause for water problems in the basement will be found along the exterior of the home. Just patching a crack may solve a wet floor but does nothing for saturated soil at the footing and along the foundation walls.

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