When you see something out of the ordinary in your house, like a crack or gap in the wall, you’ll likely suspect foundation problems. But that’s not always the case! Here at Permatech, we’ve dealt with so many cracks through the years, and we’ve discovered that not all of them are caused by foundation issues.
Here’s a little rocket science—our homes are supported by clay underneath that have varying characteristics. What you experience can be unique from another homeowner in a different area. Some locations face very unique problems, especially in Texas.
During this week’s project, we had a concerned homeowner contact us about what they thought was a foundation issue as he had discovered hairline cracks in his walls. We understand how great a concern like this is, especially since he had just remodeled his home recently. Upon closer inspection, his foundation had no problems at all! Keeping reading to find out the real cause behind the cracks.
Installing a Foundation Dripline System to Battle Clay Moisture and Movement in McKinney, Texas
When your newly remodeled home starts showing cracks and hairlines, it’s normal to get worried, which was exactly how our McKinney client felt. He was very upset as not only was the beauty of his home ruined, but he was also concerned whether or not this was an early sign of danger that can affect him and his family’s safety and comfort in the long run.
They did the right thing by contacting experts in this situation—PermaTech Foundation Repair! We immediately conducted a thorough inspection. The culprit turned out to be something not many homeowners are familiar with—the moisture of the supporting clays underneath their home.
All clays around this metroplex expand when they are wet or moist and contract once dry. And because of seasonal changes, the wet and dry clays around the house move up and down more than the clays under the middle of the house. Pretty weird, right? Due to this variance, the house moves which causes cracks to appear. Too much movement will lead to more serious problems that we want to avoid.
We’ve fixed so many problems like this that we were able to come up with a unique solution: the foundation dripline system! This system will help control the moisture and movement of clay so that homeowners end up with less damage throughout the seasons. This system may be a relatively new service, but it is a must for many homes in Texas. What it does is it soaks the supporting clays of the foundation, which in turn controls the shrink/swell capacity of those clays even as the seasons change.
For this system, our team installed a hard and durable plastic tubing that ran around the entire perimeter of the McKinney home’s foundation. We buried it around 6 inches deep in the ground, roughly 12 to 18 inches away from the foundation.
There are holes or drip emitters along the span of the tubing. When waters through the tubing, the water slowly but continuously drips out and soaks the clay. The clay then stays swelled up (if you used correctly), which will prevent the house to come down during the summer when clays typically get super dry.
For this dripline, we connected the system valve to the existing sprinkler system, which was controlled by a smart controller the homeowner already had. Using the controller, our client will be able to control the amount of water needed without too much input from him.
After half a day, our team was done installing this set-and-forget foundation system. And of course, we were able to complete the project with minimal disturbance to the surrounding landscape. No mess left behind! The client was more than happy with the newly installed system. He can now easily set it according to his needs and go about the rest of the days without having to worry about cracks showing up.
Choose Professional and Effective Solutions to Your Home Problems
You might be considering a DIY version to save a little. We’re not stopping your creativity, but it’s important to take note that using your existing irrigation system or a regular soaker hose will cost you more and won’t last in the long run compared to the foundation dripline systems we install. With this, you get to protect your home for a lifetime and save thousands in possible repairs.
Make your home living worry-free by getting a foundation dripline system installed today! Contact us and we’ll get the job done for you, 100% customer satisfaction guaranteed.
