How To Tell If Your Concrete Slab Is Damaged And How Concrete Foundations Are Repaired
A concrete slab is a common type of foundation for a house or commercial building. Concrete is a strong and durable building material. It can support the weight of your home for many years. However, foundation damage is still possible for a variety of reasons. Here's when to suspect your concrete slab is damaged, what can cause damage to concrete foundations, and repairs that can help a cracked slab.
Signs Of Slab Damage
There are three types of concrete foundations. Homes can have crawlspaces, basements, or slabs. It's often easier to spot damage in basements and crawlspaces since the concrete is visible. A slab is usually covered with some type of flooring, so cracks that develop may not be noticed right away.
However, there are signs of trouble with a slab foundation. These include doors and windows that get stuck, cracks in walls, cabinets that separate from the wall, walls that bow, and floors that sag. These are all signs you need to call a concrete foundation contractor to have your home evaluated.
In some cases, foundation damage can be serious and your home could be in danger of collapsing, so you don't want to live with signs of an obvious foundation problem unless you have it checked to make sure the structure of your home isn't in danger.
Causes Of Foundation Damage
A concrete slab might crack and sink or crack and heave. This could be caused by tree roots, but a common reason for foundation damage is soil shifting under the slab. This could happen when a void opens due to a drought or when the soil is washed away due to excessive rain or flooding.
A plumbing leak can also lead to foundation problems. Plumbing pipes are buried underneath a slab foundation, so leaks can sometimes go undetected while they cause damage. Poor drainage from gutters that overflow or an improperly sloped yard can also cause water to damage the slab.
Ways To Repair Concrete Foundations
Concrete foundations can be repaired like any other concrete slab, such as a driveway. Cracks can be sealed by injecting epoxy in them as long as the sides of the cracks are even. When a large crack has one side higher than the other, that is usually a sign of a void that allows the slab to sink on one side. This type of damage can be repaired with slab jacking.
When slab jacking is done, the contractor pumps polyurethane foam or a cement slurry under the sunken area to raise it and create a solid base that holds up the sunken portion of the slab. Slabs can also be lifted by inserting piers under the slab for the foundation to rest on. This work might be done inside the house by drilling holes through the floor to install the piers.