What's The Deal With Water And Foundations?

Many of us have heard the term "water damage" thrown around concerning homes, but it's easy to brush those worries aside when you've never dealt with them. How can water damage a house's foundation when homes are so sturdily built? 

While we don't typically think of water as a destructive substance, it can be destructive to the foundation of your home in large enough quantities. Read on as we examine how water creates foundation problems, how you can identify the signs of water damage, and what you can do to avoid costly foundation repair.

How Water Damages a Foundation

When water builds up inside or around the perimeter of your home, it begins to seep into the walls, floor, and ceiling. Once the water has saturated the surfaces, it significantly weakens those previously sturdy structures and lowers their load-bearing capacity. 

One of the most common types of water damage is hydrostatic pressure. This damage happens when enough water collects in the soil outside your home and presses up against the foundation. Between the pressure from the soil and the weakening of the walls, your foundation will be unable to hold and start to crack, letting even more water in. 

Hydrostatic damage isn't the only way water can destroy your home's foundation, either. For example, heavy rainstorms can wash away the soil supporting your home's foundation, which can cause the floors and walls to sink and eventually crack. 

Floods and large pools of water are the biggest threat to the structural integrity of your home, even to surfaces as durable as a concrete foundation. While water damage in small quantities is often unavoidable, you can easily prevent it from causing irreparable problems.

Signs of Water Damage

Foundation cracks and indoor water pools are two unmistakable signs of a water-damaged foundation. However, the clues won't always be as apparent as ankle-deep water. To catch water damage before it progresses, you first need to know where to look.

Water damage commonly occurs in rooms with frequent plumbing fixture usage and proximity to weather elements. For example, bathrooms and basement walls are prime water damage victims since many have plumbing appliances. At the same time, an area like a crawl space constantly pressed against outdoor soil is also prone to water's effects.

Routinely scanning these rooms for water damage will allow you to take action to prevent foundation damage before it happens. The following are common signs of water damage: 

• Uneven floors or bowing walls
• Mold growing on the foundation
• A musty mildew smell
• Leaks or small puddles
• Fading paint
• Unusually high humidity

How to Prevent Significant Water Damage

Not all hope is lost during the early stages of water damage. If you take quick action and follow a few key steps, you can ensure that water won't damage your foundation past the point of no return.

Waterproof Your Foundation

Water will only damage your foundation if you allow it to collect in large enough pools. Luckily, you can install systems in and around your home to keep large water buildups at bay. With longer downspouts, perfectly cleaned gutters, and a sump pump to drain excess water, you will prevent water from collecting in destructive quantities.

Repair Cracks Quickly

Foundation cracks are massive water damage magnets, but you can avoid costly foundation repair if you patch them up quickly. If you leave a crack unattended, you allow more water to get into your home and soak the foundation from the inside and out. Additionally, replacing damaged or missing floor tiles will block water access into your home.

Call a Professional

Can water damage the foundation of your home? Unfortunately, yes, but with help from DRYOUTpro PLUS, INC. in Stuart, Florida, it's never too late to repair whatever problems it has caused.

Our water damage restoration team can have your walls and floors rid of damage—and every drop of water out of your house—in a matter of hours. No job is too big or small for our restoration technicians!

Call our team at DRYOUTpro PLUS, INC. today at (772) 288-4222 to schedule a restoration service or to get a free estimate.