Watering Foundation Myth In Texas
*updated 6-27-2024
Don’t believe in myths. The watering foundation myth is simply wrong. In real life, watering a foundation is the hidden hero against the evils of persistent hot dry weather to prevent property damage. By watering a foundation in Texas to keep surrounding soil moist and surface damp, you quickly dispel the myth become the house foundation hero of your family during our classic Texas summer heat spells that can wreak havoc on soil moisture content.
Texas is known for its expansive and diverse landscapes, but also long stretches of extreme hot weather. These conditions can put strain on home foundations as shrinking clay soil compromises structural integrity and there is no myth to these basic simple facts about Texas soil and foundation problems.
Understanding the importance of watering a foundation to prevent problems during borderline drought like conditions of summer months in Texas is the key first step. This basic understanding of how voids form in a susceptible foundation helps protect your biggest investment to keep soil moisture in the foundation constant. This along with a sprinkler system or soaker hoses, sufficient planning for any poor drainage, and maybe even a moisture meter to keep check will help to prevent the high cost of foundation repair down the road – getting a regular foundation inspection is imperative for both old and a new home alike.
Prevent Foundation Problems: Keep Texas Clay Soil Moist
Texas is notorious for its too dry and hot climate. Now, mix in the clay soil expansion common in the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) area, and you have a recipe for potential foundation problems.
While not all homes will suffer damage, consistent year long care is important, as we discuss further in this article, foundation repair can become an immediate necessity if you ignore the soil conditions.
Our DFW Experience: Watering Foundation Myth?
We know from experience how missing a watering program for keeping soil temperature in check can do substantial damage to a home’s foundation. The idea of a watering a foundation a myth is false.
Clay soil, prevalent in North Texas from Plano to Arlington, is known for shrinking more than 15% when dry, not allowing movement in your foundation correctly, creating differential settlement from soil contraction and causing structural damage.
This soil shrinkage can exacerbate foundation issues, leading to uneven settling and eventually to even more foundation repair. In our experience handling over 2500 real estate transactions we have seen our fair share of property and home foundation maintenance nightmares like tree root systems invading where foundation watering myths lead to a high cost home maintenance reality.
We add a cautionary note on specific locations and DFW cities for our readers here to not take in the watering foundation myth. We are extra careful in Mesquite and Garland TX where anything but a watering foundation myth is true as the clay soil we have found in these DFW neighborhoods are especially vulnerable during summer months in creating foundation movements from dry soil.
Foundation Repair Methods: How To Water Foundation In Texas
In simple terms, a house foundation watering system like drip irrigation maintains the moisture level in the soil surrounding your house foundation, providing the required support to your concrete slab foundation and foundation health of your property investment.
Moist soil with sufficient moisture content counteracts the hazards of the dry months and prevents the house foundation from sinking and the dreaded uneven floors, thereby reducing the stress on your concrete foundation and structure and potentially reducing the need of future foundation concerns and to hiring foundation repair contractors.
Choose the Right Foundation Watering System: Foundation Drip Line
Manual hand watering, though feasible, is not the most efficient way to keep your soil moist and hydrated. Drip irrigation systems like a foundation drip line or a simple soaker hose for foundation are a far better option. The watering system or soaker hose for foundation should be placed around 1 to 2 feet away from your concrete house base and connected to your outdoor faucet. These types of foundation drip line irrigation systems deliver water slowly and directly to the soil, minimizing wasteful runoff and a lack of rainwater.
How Long To Run A Soaker Hose For Foundation
Should I water my foundation? Yes! Set an automatic timer to ensure consistent watering, especially during the hottest months. Aim for watering sessions in the early morning or evening when evaporation is lower.
An automatic timer can help you ensure that your house foundation gets watered consistently. Consistency in watering could be the difference between a strong home foundation and one that needs frequent and costly foundation repair.
How Often To Water Foundation Texas?
The frequency of watering your house foundation in Texas depends on several factors, including soil type, when was the last time rainfall came, and the age of your house foundation. Are there cooler temperatures? Has the soil had too much water applied? Enough water? Over watering? Know how the soil dries and absorbs water?
In general, during the hottest summer months, it’s recommended watering your foundation daily using a soaker hose or drip irrigation watering schedule.
Target 15-20 minutes of watering, ensuring the soil remains moist but not saturated. For clay soils that is common in many parts of Texas like the Dallas Fort Worth area, more frequent watering might be necessary, potentially every other day. Again, the foundation watering myth should not be believed and homeowners must take care of the home investment during hot summer months.
Seasonal considerations are also important with drastic intra day swings often from winter like temperatures to scorching hot summer days. Watering system schedules should be adjusted to reflect milder dry seasons and to avoid overwatering which has its own set of foundation issues. Monitor the soil around your foundation almost like taking the temperature when you are feeling sick – if it’s becoming dry and soil pulling away from foundation and the main house structure, it’s time for foundation watering system and to protect your home investment!
How To Use Plants To Protect A Home Foundation From Poor Drainage
If you don’t already have large trees around your house, Texas homeowners need to consider how soil absorbs water from rain to prevent foundation movement as soil dries. Planting shrubs and flowers around your home foundation isn’t just for aesthetics. It actually serves a practical purpose by providing shade and helping to increase soil moisture and reduce erosion as soil dries.
Also, addressing poor drainage system with adequate precautions like installing gutters or a french drain, or simply just cleaning your gutters regularly ensures that you’re not turning your property into a muddy mess while trying to protect the home foundation. Proper drainage will also prevent hydrostatic pressure buildup against the foundation wall and crawl space creates not only beautiful home scenery, but a beneficial environment for maintaining your foundation.
Myth Buster: Refuting Watering Foundation Myth
Be proactive against the watering foundation myth in managing your home foundation. Don’t wait until things get really cracked up to realize the watering foundation myth is not like a mythical creature that will fade away like a bad dream!
Look out for these common signs of foundation trouble on the ground so you don’t end up with a water damaged house or condemned house where the watering foundation myth becomes an all too costly real estate sad story.
Insider Insight On Foundation Problems
Here are our top tips to look for:
- Cracks in your interior or foundation wall including outside brick or stucco (especially stair-step cracks like in the photos)
- Doors and windows that now stick or won’t shut properly
- Uneven floors that feel slanted or walk strangely. You might even feel like you are on a boat in the ocean.
- Pooling rainwater after a storm (creates a wet environment and lateral pressure against the house)
These signs demonstrate when the myth is becoming reality. If you notice any of these problem cues, it doesn’t necessarily mean disaster, but you will know to not believe the myth. This is the mandatory time to breakaway from the watering foundation myth and maintain your house and bring in a home services expert for an evaluation.
The earlier you squash the myth and catch potential problems, the better your chances of preventing costly foundation repairs. Of course, newer homes on slab foundations may be less affected by dry spells than older homes with pier and beam foundations with a crawl space.
Foundation Repair: Before And After Photos
Pest And Insect Prevention From Watering Foundation In Texas
As an additional homeowner bonus, by creating a repeatable foundation watering system to protect your homebase, proper watering plays a crucial role in deterring unwanted pests and insects. Overly dry soil creates an ideal environment for insects like termites, ants, and roaches. These pests and insects can cause significant damage to your home’s structure, especially wooden components. This is a great way on how to prevent termites around a house for sure!
Overly dry foundations can even attract scorpions, so consistent foundation watering is key in areas where they’re common like the Austin TX area! By maintaining consistent moisture levels around your foundation, you make the area less hospitable to these destructive insects, protecting your property from a foundation crack that attracts insect infestation.
Importance Of Foundation Watering In Texas
If there is one things we want to burn into every Texas homeowner’s mind is this simple saying. Foundation watering in Texas is important and will save you money in the long run.
Still unsure if foundation watering myth is true? See this Reddit forum about foundation watering for a broad based consensus of how to think about it and why to water foundation in Texas.
In plain dollars and cents, watering your foundation in Texas, especially during hot weather and create a watering schedule with professionally installed sprinkler system (or buy a soaker hose) to prevent uneven watering will save you money and increase the value of your biggest investment.
Got foundation watering systems? Or do you have foundation watering problems?
***If you’ve noticed those signs of foundation cracks and trouble we discussed and want peace of mind against the myth, getting a professional home foundation assessment instead of offering seller credit or making a prayer for troubles to go away is always prudent and wise. For Texas homeowners from Fort Worth to Dallas, minor foundation repairs and preventative care can eliminate the myth, major headaches and expenses later.
However, if the concrete foundation damage is severe, selling your house as-is condition can be a valid option. Companies like Bright Bid Homes specialize in buying houses quickly, giving you a no obligation free estimate for an instant cash offer saving you the time and stress of immediate repair.
Let us help you turn your house into a bright opportunity!