The Texan Newspaper (Bellaire and Houston, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 19, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 16, 1990 Page: 6 of 12
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Texan Newspaper
May 16, 1990
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What Really Causes
Foundation Problems
-And What Really Repairs Them
Did you know that American fami-
lies will spend 5.0 BILLION DOL-
LARS repairing cracks in their homes’
walls and foundations this year. Un-
fortunately, almost 70% of those foun-
dation repairs are unnecessary or inef-
fective.
In the late 60’s the University of
Texas at Arlington’s Department of
Civil Engineering was awarded
$500,000 to determine the causes of
residential foundation problems and
make recommendations on repair pro-
cedures. In 1970, Dr. Arthur Poor,
PhD, P.E. published his finding based
on that research. In this report he iden-
tified the primary cause of foundation
problems as the type of soil that we
have in this area. This is a clay soil that
absorbs water and swells and then
when dry, will contract. The weather
that wc have in the Houston area
changes rapidly and often from dry
and hot to wet, wet, wet. This fluctua-
tion in weather means that the soil
under your home shrinks and swells
repeatedly. Remember, your founda-
tion is sitting on top of this soil. The
result is your foundation is moved up
and down over and over again and
finally it will crack just like a credit
card being bent back and forth repeat-
edly.
What can you do to stop this? Con-
crete piers and pilings are not the an-
swer, in fact they may even compound
the problem. The expansion and con-
traction of the soil will move the piers
up and down, just like it moves the
foundation up and down. Also, most
piers are installed when the weather is
hot and dry when foundation problems
arc more evident because the soils are
dry and contracted. When the rains
come, the soil swells and pushes up on
the piers the foundation with unequal
force. Your foundation can end up
looking like a wave. Sound incredible?
Well, the soil in this area can swell to
four times its size when saturated with
water. ONE CUBIC FOOT of this
saturated soil can LIFT 50 TONS of
material TWO INCHES. Of course, it
can move your house up and down.,
WHETHER PIERS ARE THERE OR
NOT.
So what is the answer? Make the soil
stop swelling and contracting. The
report published by Dr. Poor slates
“The moisture content in the entire
area covered by the house should be as
consistent and uniform as possible at
all times...If you do not stabilize the
soil before making repairs your time
and money is wasted because they will
not be permanent.
The owner of the Foundation Watcr
Company, Inc., Gary Anderson, was
working for a concrete company when
he read that report. Realizing the futil-
ity of piers and now having a solution
to the true cause of foundation prob-
lems, he pioneered the field of mois-
ture content stabilization and devel-
oped AQUALIFT. AQUALIFT con
trols the moisture content of the soil so
it stays swollen uniformly around your
house and gives your foundation true,
consistent support year round. Mr.
Anderson has even been recognized
by the Construction Research Center
at the University of Texas at Arlington
for his developments and is now on the
advisory committee.
Finally, almost 30 years after the
report was published by Dr. Poor, the
pier companies admit that their piers
are not permanent stabilization and are
affected by soil moisture content.
Quoting directly from the contract of a
well known pier company “owner
recognizes that soil conditions in this
area are such that there may be some
future shifting of the soil, particularly
during periods of extended dry
weather, which may result in addi
tional settling” Or, another, “...owner
will correct drainage and tree root
encroachment problems as well as
maintain a consistent watering pro
gram to prevent further damage to the
repaired areas of the foundation. Fail-
ure to do so will invalidate the war
ranty." Do you still think piers are the
answer to foundation problems?
Mr. Anderson found that only by
addressing all of the factors that influ-
ence soil moisture can the moisture
content and the soils and your founda
tion be stabilized. What are the factors
that influence soil moisture? Trees,
vegetation, drainage, and finally faulty
construction.
Do you have trees planted close to
your house? Tree roots will extend out
at least to the edge of the tree canopy,
and perhaps up to 50% further out.
What if the tree canopy hangs over you
roof and shades it? Then that tree’s
roots are under the foundation - and
they are pulling water form the soil at
an incredible rale. A tree in the sum
mer can pull in up to 400 gallons of
water per day. It is being pulled from
your soil - contracting the soil and
Continued on page 7
Know Your Roofing Contractor
From page 5
with the homeowner from making the bid all the way through the job to completion.
This attention assures success in all phases and provides a continuous stream of
business from neighborhoods and friends of satisfied customers.
Whenever your house is in need of re-roofing, please give Rice Roofers a chance
to give you a free estimate and discuss with you all of your opinions. You may need
a repair or an entire new roof, but you cannot get a more honest opinion or a more
complete proposal outlining all details of the job, then you can from Rice Roofers.
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The Texan Newspaper (Bellaire and Houston, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 19, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 16, 1990, newspaper, May 16, 1990; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth641782/m1/6/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bellaire Friends Library & Historical Society.