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What You Don’t Know About Your Foundation

Owning your own home is a huge milestone and a major investment. Every day you come home and get to know more and more of its own personal quirks and characteristics and you fix it up with a little TLC. When it comes down to the basement however, it can be all too easy for you to ignore things. In fact, there are probably quite a few things you don’t know about your basement or crawl space foundation.

1. Your Foundation Was Built To Leak

This one tends to confuse most people. You would assume that everything was poured in one shot. However, concrete is actually poured into 3 separate sections with each section being given enough time to dry before the next one is poured. This is key because a concrete-concrete seam is not water resistant. Basically, your foundation was made to eventually leak. This is why it is so important to have a basic drainage system to help delay the intrusion of water into your home.

2. Cracks Will Occur More Frequently In The Winter Months

Several homeowners have experienced hairline cracks in the foundation all year round. However, due to a phenomenon known as frost heave, this cracking can occur during and immediately following the cold winter months. Typically, the frost heave will happen because after sections of water saturated soil around your home freezes and thus expands and squeezes the soil against your home’s foundation. This inward pressure can cause your foundation to shift and move. Then once the ice and snow melts, the soil can relax again and your foundation settles back into its original placement causing there to be cracks in its foundation.

3. Excess Moisture Inside The Foundation Can Cause Immediate Mold Growth

Preventing the growth of harmful mold is one of the best reasons why you should do everything in your power to keep your basement moisture free. Excess moisture, defined as humidity of 60 percent or higher, can cause mold spores to colonize in as little as 48 hours. When was the last time you even went down into your basement?

Whether you need the foundation repaired, your basement waterproofed or need help remediating the mold that has already grown, AAA Waterproofing is here for you. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how you can keep your basement moisture free for a long time.

This entry was posted in Foundation Repair on August, 06, 2016