What You Should Know About Sinkholes that Cause Foundation Wall Cracks
Have you encountered foundation wall cracks? While these can be a cosmetic problem, they are often a sign of a much bigger problem that ought to be dealt with as soon as possible. In fact, these cracks may be a sign that your home’s foundation is being affected by sinkhole activity.
What is a Sinkhole?
A sinkhole can be defined as a depression that occurs in the ground, and that doesn’t have natural external surface drainage. This means that when it rains, the runoff water will accumulate inside the sinkhole. This is dangerous as the water drains into the ground and causes the subsurface rock to wear away. This results in the sinkhole growing deeper and wider. This is possible because sinkholes occur where the subsurface rock consists of salt beds, limestone, gypsum, or some other type of carbonate rock.
Sinkholes therefore never resolve on their own. They only continue to grow larger and deeper. They can even turn into small lakes or ponds if the situation is not remedied. Therefore if your home has foundation wall cracks that have been caused by sinkhole activity, you will need to invest in foundation repair to protect your home.
Types of Sinkholes
Understanding the type of sinkhole you’re dealing with will help you find a long term solution for the repair of your foundation.
- Dissolution or solution sinkholes
These occur in areas where there is little vegetation or soil covering the bedrock. They form slowly and cover a large area. The water seeps through holes in the bedrock. It circulates through the rock and forms a depression in the ground.
- Cover collapse sinkholes
These occur in areas where the bedrock is buried under a deep layer of soil. When the bedrock is eroded, and weak points have formed in it, the bedrock will no longer be able to support the weight of the earth above it, and the cover soil collapses suddenly to create a large depression.
- Subsidence sinkholes
In this case the bedrock is covered by lose soil such as sand or clay. When the bedrock erodes the soil begins to permeate through the cracks and settle in the spaces. This results in a cavity forming on the soil surface.
- Man-made sinkholes
These are a result of human activity. For example they can be the result of burst water pipes or sewers or abandoned mines.
If you’ve noticed foundation wall cracks ensure that you contact a foundation repair expert to determine the root cause and apply a lasting solution.
Contact the Professionals at StablWall Today! (866) 782-5955