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Peak Basement Systems Receives Two Sales Awards at Annual Convention

added on 2010/08/26 12:16:40pm

What is Foundation Piering and How Does it Work?

added on 2010/08/13 9:24:04am

How Important is Positive Drainage For My House? Part 3 of 3

added on 2010/08/13 9:22:30am

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Heat's Impact on Soil and Your Foundation

As summer comes into full bloom in Colorado, temperatures rise.  Most of us have realized this as we swelter in our cars, or toss and turn at night.  Have you noticed how much more often you have to water your plants and flowers?  Obviously, the heat keeps the ground dry, but most of us don't realize what dry heat really does to the soil and how that affects our homes -- especially under our foundations.

Dry vs. Wet: How Soil Changes with the Weather

Most soil in the Front Range can be classified as a swelling soil.  This means that the soil contains a high percentage of certain types of clay that absorb vast quantities of water.  This can cause the soil to expand 10% or more as moisture enters it, usually during winter snow melt and spring run off.  The soil can then exert pressures of 20,000 psi or greater on foundations, slabs, and other structures.   Now, this soil also contracts when the moisture evaporates during our hot summer months, causing extreme differences in the pressure being generated on your foundation, driveway, or patios.

The way that our soil dries also important to understand.  In Colorado, we have 255 days of sun on average, which tends to dry out the top layers of soil.  With clay, the top layers will become hard and impermeable and the bottom layers will remain moist.  This can explain why you might have a moist, musty basement, but be having trouble keeping your lawn from burning.  It's also one of the reasons why we experience flash flooding in Colorado Springs.

Worse than Wet? Dry Soil Characteristics

Moisture is an essential element to soil -- it's a lubricant that traps air and allows soil particles to slide together.  Too much moisture and the ground becomes muddy and unable to bear weight.  Too little moisture and the soil breaks into its individual particles and blows away.

Dry soil also decreases the depth of plant roots because the plants spread out shallow roots in an attempt to absorb as much moisture as possible.  This means that our yards are more delicate, our trees start to wither and provide less shade, and many of our plants produce less.  All of these factors cause our yards and homes to feel hotter and our allergies to act up more frequently.  We also start noticing burned patches in our grass and brittle leaves on our plants.  In an effort to counteract these issues, we water more.  For some reason, this doesn't seem to help.  That's because most of us are also battling a layer of hardened clay underneath the grass, which is literally siphoning the water to the nearest permeable soil.  Unfortunately, the end result can be that the water intended for your grass is being forced into the ground beneath your foundation -- this is called the "clay bowl effect".

Tired of Fighting the Clay Bowl Effect?

If you're noticing that your basement is moist, musty, or dank, while your yard is burning up, there are many solutions available to you.  Peak Basement Systems Specialists would be happy to sit down and go through your options with you.  Many times, a solution can be as simple sprinkler positioning or grading.  We're here to help you resolve these problems, so please contact us today for a no obligation consultation and estimate.

Be on the lookout for my next post, where we'll be discussing the Clay Bowl Effect and indoor air quality!

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Foundation Repair and Basement Waterproofing in greater Colorado Springs. See Full Service Area