Frost heave around Broomfield
the ground crosses freezing and back on about 132 days a year; Nunn soil, 31% clay, lep=4.3, which is moderate shrink-swell.
the ground crosses freezing and back on about 132 days a year
Nunn soil, 31% clay, lep=4.3, which is moderate shrink-swell
only 440 mm of rain a year, so a long dry spell shrinks the clay hard
Soil sampled near Broomfield runs 31 percent clay with a linear extensibility of 4.3, which is the standard measure of how much that ground changes volume with moisture.
Why this matters for a footing
A footing is designed for a soil that stays roughly the same size. When the ground beneath one part of the house changes volume and the ground beneath another part does not, the house is asked to bridge the difference, and concrete is not good at that.
Broomfield records about 132 days a year where the temperature crosses freezing between night and day, and each of those cycles works existing cracks a little wider.
What you can do without spending much
- Get roof water away from the wall - extensions on downspouts are the cheapest intervention there is
- Keep the soil moisture around the perimeter even rather than swinging wet to bone dry
- Watch tree roots close to the footing, which draw moisture out of one side only
- Mark and date crack ends, then photograph them each season
The median home in Broomfield was built in 2002, which sets what the footing is likely to be and how deep it sits.
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