Watering your house foundation????

[adluginb]

Talking with a friend yesterday and he said he was watering his foundation. My house has a post-tensioned foundation and his was as well. I was under the assumption that with a post-tensioned foundation you don't need to do this as the foundation should float to prevent cracks. Now if you have an older house built before say around 2001 it probably has a foundation with rebar in it and as far as I know you are suppose to water them to prevent cracks.

Any structural engineers on the boards hear that know the facts? Im not trying to prove my buddy wrong as I am sure he will read this, I just want to know if I should also be doing this. I have some cracks in the back yard that are over 1" wide in the yard.

 

[itzkwik]

I've been doing it for the last 3 weeks,door started to not shut so easy

 

[adluginb]

I've been doing it for the last 3 weeks,door started to not shut so easy

So do you know what type of foundation you have? I am not noticing any movement in door frames, etc but again I have a post-tensioned slab. I guess it could start happening though?

 

[BadgeBunny]

No cracking here either but we're watering just in case. I have enough problems without the house starting to fall down around my ears ...

 

[EFsDad]

There was a foundation repair company on a radio interview about a week ago saying that you shouldn't because water could pool underneath your slab, FWIW. Of course he is in the business to make money, I would assume.

 

[vicious]

Woah...can someone elaborate on this? I've never heard of it, but I am having door issues and some tile in the kitchen looks like it may have moved. My house was built in the 80's. Is it screwed?

 

[cjjtulsa]

My wife was supposed to pick up soaker hoses last night and forgot - I'll get 'em tonight. Soil has moved up to ¾" away from the house in some places. Time to start watering.

 

[itzkwik]

If youcan see a gap between the ground and your stem wall(slab) you most definetely need to water around your foundation. The ground is contracting due to loss of water or lack there of rain. I just put the hose about a foot away from the house until the ground is saturated them move it to a different spot,your just making the ground swell back up.

 

[itzkwik]

There was a foundation repair company on a radio interview about a week ago saying that you shouldn't because water could pool underneath your slab, FWIW. Of course he is in the business to make money, I would assume.

How long did they leave the water on,I would think as dry as the ground is,it would suck it up like a sponge,that's what it appears to be doing in my yard at least,lol.

 

[bpfeiff]

Watering the foundation can be good and bad.....watering helps the hydration process regardless of slab type. If you water too much with a floating slab you in theory could washout the pad underneath. On the other hand with out moisture ALL concrete can and will crack at somepoint....i'm not a structural engineer but i am engineer