Winter weather in the Boston area can be harsh on both people and their homes. Elements like snow, ice, and sleet can be very hard on your roof and siding, but they can wreak havoc with your foundation too. Cracks in your foundation can impact the structural integrity of your home and allow water to get in where it shouldn’t be. In Boston, MA, you need to be sure you get crack repair as soon as you start to notice cracks. Repair protects your foundation from more harm.
Common Causes of Winter Foundation Damage
Several things happen in the winter that could cause cracks and other issues to occur with your foundation. Here are a few common culprits.
Frost Heave
If your soil gets frost and freezes a lot, this will likely affect your foundation. Boston can certainly get some cold winters. When the frozen ground starts to penetrate below the surface, it causes the ground to shift. That shifting beneath your foundation will lead to expansion that pushes up against the floor and could cause cracks.
Vertical Ground Shift
A vertical ground shift is similar to a frost heave in some ways. It’s the freezing and thawing of the ground that cause it to expand and contract, shifting in the process. The shifting applies pressure to your foundation.
Frozen Pipes
More than 250,000 homes in the US experience frozen pipes every year. Pipes that are not insulated can easily freeze and burst, leading to huge amounts of water invading the space in a very short time.
Frozen Discharge Line (Sump Pump)
If the sump pump line is frozen, it simply can’t work as it’s supposed to. The discharge line can’t push water out, potentially bringing it back into the home and flooding your basement.
Leaks and Seepage
Snow and ice melt causes a lot of moisture to penetrate the soil surrounding your foundation. The saturation will look for any weakness to enter the basement and put your foundation at risk.
Ice Dams
Ice dams occur when there is excessive snow and ice build-up on the roof and it can’t all melt away consistently. What happens is some of it starts to melt and run off, but then reaches colder areas and starts to re-freeze and pile up, creating no place for moisture to move and damming the water on your roof.
Foundation Settlement
The ground shifts and moves, and so does your foundation. This happens from the ground expanding and contracting from natural movement and moisture in the soil. This can lead to cracks from the shifting.
Signs Your Foundation is Damaged
So how can you tell if the foundation is damaged? The most obvious sign is when cracks start to appear on your floors or on the walls in the basement. However, you might also notice things like a door that jams or won’t open and close properly, or windows that stick and are hard to maneuver.
How to Protect Your Home to Prevent Needing Crack Repair
There are things that you can do to be proactive to protect your home in Boston:
- Keep gutters and downspouts clean and maintained
- Watch your landscaping for shifting and changes
- Protect your structures
- Prevent pipes from bursting
- Insulate your home properly
- Fix cracks as they happen, without major delays
Crack Repair in Boston, MA: Get a Free Quote from Drycrete Waterproofing
Drycrete Waterproofing offers high-quality solutions for your waterproofing needs, including foundation crack repair. Our teams have been in the industry for more than 30 years, learning what works best for every situation.
Give us a call today to get a free quote and learn more about your options.