This year’s winter has put a lot of pressure on the comfort & reliability of homes all across Central Alberta. With temperatures fluctuating, coupled with snowfall, our climate is demanding that we take extra care to prevent frost heaving damage to our homes foundation.
Frost heave is a naturally occurring process which results from snow and ice melting into your soil, and then refreezing, causing the feet of soil that it seeped through to rise and fall according to this freezing/thawing cycle and leading to an unstable, unlevel surface for your home’s foundation to rest on. Professional concrete foundation specialists see this cycle repeating each year especially experiencing cracks and shifts from frost heaving. Fortunately there are a few proven methods to protect your home’s foundation from these damaging effects which, if done before the season comes to an end, could save you a lot of money, stress, and danger.
There are a few proven methods that will tremendously reduce the risk of frost heaving and prevent the very dramatic & very costly repairs!
3 WAYS TO PREVENT FROST HEAVING FROM DAMAGING FOUNDATIONS
1. Soil Choice Matters
Since the underground freezing of melted snow is dependent on soil inundation, one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of frost heave on your property is to have soil which is too coarse and granular to allow too much water to be retained. Concrete foundation contractors advise homeowners to exchange finer-grade soil types like clay and silt for coarse sand or a layer of gravel which are naturally more permeable. However, if you’re hesitant to replace your lawn’s soil entirely adding a layer of mulch can effectively reduce the risk of melting snow from refreezing under your foundation as it serves as an organic form of insulation for the ground below it.
2. Plumbing & Foundation Insulation
It may seem counter intuitive at first but for frost heaving to damage your home the temperature of the ground and air must first go up to allow accumulated snow and ice to melt and seep into the soil. While it’s impossible for you to fully control the effects of warming temperatures and sunlight, homeowners can absolutely have an effect on the temperature of the ground around their home. Hiring professional insulation installers to apply new, more thoroughly covering insulation to your home’s foundation and plumbing can tremendously reduce the risk of heat-loss from your home warming the soil surrounding it enough to cause snow and ice melting.
3. Control Runoff Water
Probably the easiest way to prevent foundation damage from frost heaving is to control the direction of where melting snow and ice can flow. This method, while very achievable by the average homeowner, does require a fair amount of planning in order to properly control where any runoff water travels. Optimally the best way to do this is to keep any heavy snow piles away from your home. In cases where complete removal of snow from the area is impossible, homeowners should take time to dig channels both above and below ground to allow an easy way for melting snow and ice to flow away from the home and its foundation.
