Frost Heave and How It Can Affect Your House Basement
January 2nd, 2024
Winter has already arrived and will make you feel cozy in your house. But will your house feel equally better in this cold weather?
Probably not!
Wet Basement Repair Barrie
Cold weather can affect our homes and their structural integrity. This is especially true for the basement and foundation. If you haven’t chosen wet basement waterproofing solutions, cold weather can rapidly affect the health of your house. One major factor affecting the health of your basement and foundation is frost heave.
Frost Heave: What is it?
During cold weather, cold air settles on the soil. This cold air can freeze the moisture in the soil. As soon as the moisture freezes, the soil will start swelling up. This will lift the soil along with any structures around.
How does frost heave affect the basement and foundation?
As mentioned above, frost heave will affect the basement and foundation of your house. Here’s how.
- As mentioned above, frost heave will swell the soil. So, any soil below your house basement and foundation will swell too. This will cause the floor of your basement to rise unevenly.
- Frost heave will also swell the foundation and, thus, the sides of your basement. This will swell the basement walls. So, your walls will bow inside.
- Since the soil is swelling up, the expansion will cause pressure on the basement and foundation structures. This can cause cracks in the walls and floor.
The same effects will be seen in your crawl space system.
Does frost heave happen everywhere?
Well, no! Frost heave happens in certain types of soils, such as clay, fine sands, and slits. So, if your region has clay soil, the chances of frost heave are high.
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Moreover, if you have a basement drainage system, frost heave might not affect your house as much as it would a house without an efficient drainage system. Lastly, loss of soil heat will also determine if the soil will heave or not. Heat loss in soil depends on solar radiation, wind, snow cover, and air temperature. So, even if it’s cold outside, it doesn’t mean the soil will heave. However, if you suspect frost heave and swelling of soil in your basement and foundation, call us at Ontario Wet Basement Solution Inc. We offer wet basement waterproofing solutions, foundation waterproofing, foundation repair, crack repair, and more.
Contact our team now to learn more about our services.
