Thermal Expansion
You must have heard of this term at least once in the last few years. If you have gotten your house inspected, or if you go through a property evaluation report of some sort, you are sure to have at least come across it. The issue however is that the term by itself has seen a lot of wrong usage. People as well as contractors may at times be completely confused about thermal expansion and its resulting foundation cracks which may either originate from walls, or end up leading to them.
It is a fact that bricks grow in size, especially when there is a bit of moisture in the surroundings. They are like sponges and retain a fair amount of water. Thermal expansion, on the other hand is the expansion caused by heat. When a brick is baked and dried out, it will reach a final size, this is normally a few days or weeks right after their manufacture.
Wall Movement
Wall movement or even foundation cracks can be simply caused by heat. If your region is one that experiences a lot of heat. Long dry summers and humid wet winters, it more than likely to affect your structures. There are houses with featureless walls, large structures that run the entire length, breadth, and height of the structure, an external wall such as this, if facing the south, for example, can trap heat through the day. All of this heat can later cause expansion. Just like underground movement of soil, thermal expansion is not something that can be noted day after day. It takes time and several years of continued sun exposure. As the weather gets worse every year, the summers are getting hotter and longer, so even that might factor into the expansion.
To prevent or combat this, many engineers make use of expansion joints at regular intervals. They are used to accommodate the expanding walls and keep its shape over the years. If not done, there can be large horizontal or step shaped cracks running the entire length of the structure seen.
If this movement becomes too much to bear, it can lead to foundation cracks. So if you have a brick wall of some sort that is long, tall, and featureless, it can be vulnerable to foundation cracks. Get a surveyor or contractor to come look for its signs so that you can fix or even counter the effects of thermal expansion.
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