My father works with many structural engineers in the Tulsa area, and has for years. the fact is the ground is constantly moving, the forces that are causing the move can be and are different in every house. I know we do not advise purposely trying to wet the pad under the house, to the extent that our flower gardens right next to the house have a barrier we dug down and installed so watering the plants would add as little extra moisture under the house as possible. Naturally i and my father are not the engineers, and cannot say for or against this idea, but i can say with something that is a large an investment as your home, we would certainly not rely on a guess, or a hearsay to take action that could do nothing, or could actually do more harm than good; in short, if you are concerned with your homes settlement, contact a structural engineer; naturally its going to cost you money, but its best to have someone who knows how these things work, to come look at your individual circumstances and talk about what if anything needs to be done to preserve the structural foundation of your home.
again i am no professional, but i have seen horror stories of house settlement that your could not even begin to imagine, i know that introducing water to the prepared foundation of a home can lead to tons of problems. and i have never herd of anyone purposely watering the foundation. again, i urge you to consult a real structural engineer who looks at your individual circumstances before taking this into your own hands. also consult your insurance to see what they will and wont cover in these circumstances.
on the note, i have also never herd of anyone being advised to purposely introduce water to their pad, in fact i have herd of and there are tons of measures taken to avoid allowing water to be introduced to the foundation of a home, think french drains, and gutters. and even breaks in the drainage system if left unchecked over time can cause soil erosion, washout, and water to undermine any piers in place. its possible in some cases maybe the do want to soften the soil, but even then i would assume its a very delicate and precise process, not something that would be self diagnosed and attempted.
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my father just got home, so i inquired if he had ever herd of people introducing water to counter rising settlement of dry conditions; he has, but he confirmed what i was saying, its not something that a person wants to undergo alone, these are isolated situations and should be done only under the guidance of a structural engineer and followed up by that same engineer. its as simple as that, an average person cannot look at their home and tell what parts rising and what parts falling, and determine how much is too much and to what area, and can easily do harm thinking they are helping. your home is truly one of the largest, if not the largest investment in your life, and the foundation is an often forgotten part of the home as far as maintenance, if you are finding cracks or growing gaps, and door issues, and are legitimately worried about your structure, seek out console with a licensed structural engineer. i realize the engineer is not free, and probably not cheap, but if you choose to take action your self and end up doing damage or aiding in the settlement of your home, you could find that not giving in and having it handled by a professional could turn around and bite you.
again i am no professional, but i have seen horror stories of house settlement that your could not even begin to imagine, i know that introducing water to the prepared foundation of a home can lead to tons of problems. and i have never herd of anyone purposely watering the foundation. again, i urge you to consult a real structural engineer who looks at your individual circumstances before taking this into your own hands. also consult your insurance to see what they will and wont cover in these circumstances.
on the note, i have also never herd of anyone being advised to purposely introduce water to their pad, in fact i have herd of and there are tons of measures taken to avoid allowing water to be introduced to the foundation of a home, think french drains, and gutters. and even breaks in the drainage system if left unchecked over time can cause soil erosion, washout, and water to undermine any piers in place. its possible in some cases maybe the do want to soften the soil, but even then i would assume its a very delicate and precise process, not something that would be self diagnosed and attempted.
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my father just got home, so i inquired if he had ever herd of people introducing water to counter rising settlement of dry conditions; he has, but he confirmed what i was saying, its not something that a person wants to undergo alone, these are isolated situations and should be done only under the guidance of a structural engineer and followed up by that same engineer. its as simple as that, an average person cannot look at their home and tell what parts rising and what parts falling, and determine how much is too much and to what area, and can easily do harm thinking they are helping. your home is truly one of the largest, if not the largest investment in your life, and the foundation is an often forgotten part of the home as far as maintenance, if you are finding cracks or growing gaps, and door issues, and are legitimately worried about your structure, seek out console with a licensed structural engineer. i realize the engineer is not free, and probably not cheap, but if you choose to take action your self and end up doing damage or aiding in the settlement of your home, you could find that not giving in and having it handled by a professional could turn around and bite you.
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