Knowing when to lift concrete isn’t that difficult; there’s no telling when or if concrete will shift and it may never move, but if it does it’ll need to be lifted. The most important rule about concrete is that it’s only as good as the material underneath it.
Knowing when to lift concrete and the common causes of concrete damage.
House Settling
When new homes are being built, there are a number of underground excavations, especially for laying pipes. When an excavator is backfilling the water and sewer trenches around the foundation, it is important that he uses the right amount of water and compaction, bringing it up in lifts so that it is tight going back into the trench. This will prevent it from settling into voids in the future. A house will typically settle for about the first 10 years, beyond that, settling problems will be few and far between.
Water Damage
If water saturates the ground beneath a concrete slab, the dirt will lose its tension and start to wash away. Unfortunately, this is usually invisible from the surface, because it’s almost always caused by one of the previously mentioned pipes breaking, under a concrete slab. Slabs that are settling or sinking into the ground need to be lifted back into their original position before they become trip hazards and cause injuries, or start to crack and break apart.
At Landmark Lifting, we know when to lift concrete slabs and how. We can quickly get your ground firmly back beneath your feet.
