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Foundation Repair is all too often necessary after a period of extreme drought. The main cause of Foundation Failure is the expanding and contracting of the soil on which your home’s foundation rests. In times of severe drought, soil dries out and contracts. This leaves a considerable void which gravity attempts to fill with your home’s foundation.
To further complicate matters, each tree in your yard consumes vast amounts of water and moisture on a daily basis. A full grown Live Oak Tree can easily rob your yard’s soil of 700-800 gallons per day. With root systems that reach depths equal to the height of the tree and sometimes running linearally up to and beneath your home’s foundation, it’s easy to see how even one tree can cause settlement problems in your concrete slab. Multiply the number of trees in your yard and you multiply the number of potential problem.
Many Foundation problems can easily be avoided by consistently watering your lawn. While a fully automated sprinkler system is your best bet, even a sprinkler water hose attachment or two will help immensely. Equally important is when you water your lawn. Watering in the heat of a hot summer day can have adverse affects and defeat your purpose. First, a significant amount of the water will simply evaporate and you will have wasted your money when it’s time to pay the water bill. Secondly, whatever amount of water manages to stay on the grass will heat up in the sun, having the effect of pouring hot water on your grass.
A split watering schedule is preferrable. Watering in the morning prepares your lawn for the hot day ahead. Watering in the evening replentishes what was lost through the heat of the day. While this may sound time consuming and expensive, it will almost guarantee that your lawn and your foundation will get ample moisture.
So, how long should you leave the sprinklers on? For the most part, it will depend on the condition of your soil. Once your yard is holding moisture, the length of time shortens considerably. In most cases, it is reasonable to expect to run sprinklers 20-30 minutes if you have an automated system. If you must manually water or use a hose attachment, it would be 20-30 minutes per area. A good rule of thumb is to water until your soil refuses to accept more water. When you see standing water or water running off, you will know your objective has been reached.
A little consistency and water go a long way to maintaining a healthy concrete slab foundation.
Written by Greg Vornkahl and Bret Walton, copyright 2011
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