Has anyone ever told you to water your house? Or have you seen someone watering their house and thought why are they doing that? During a drought we are all about saving and conserving water, right? Well, your drywall, door and window frames, foundation walls and your wallet will thank you for watering along your foundation walls during a drought! Here’s why –
During a drought the soil around your foundation shrinks and pulls away from the foundation wall. This will leave a space or gap that opens the door for sinking and/or shifting foundations. Once this gap has opened the pressure of your home and lack of soil for it to push against can allow sinking/shifting to take place. But the big kicker is that first big rain after a drought. The rain water will flood into that new gap and washout (erode) the soil under your house causing it to sink.
Watering your foundation is one thing you can control when it comes to preventing foundation repairs. So how is it done? A soaker hose. Once in a drought, in the evening hours, place the soaker hose about 2-3 ft from the foundation wall and move it every 30 minutes until you have gone around your whole house. It is important not to water the actual foundation wall or too close to it. As mentioned above during a drought the soil will pull away and if you water too closely you will cause water to enter the basement that normally would not enter. So, the next time you hear the word drought or see someone watering around their foundation wall make sure you are watering too!