Oct. 2, 2017 –  Basement walls crack for a variety of reasons. The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) October 1 Soils Matter blog post explains how they form—and which ones to be wary of.

“Most basement wall cracks can change seasonally, depending on where you live,” says Christina Hebb, a soil scientist with Duraroot. “Water is the threat to the foundation.”

Whether you’re building a new home or if you’re a long time homeowner, there are several questions you may need to ask yourself about your basement foundation:

• How do I know if I need a foundation repair?
• Can I prevent a water issue?
• Do I live in an area where expanding soils occur?
• Does the climate vary significantly from season to season?
• Should I install drain tiles to help deal with excess water around my basement?
• What is the capacity of my sump pump?
• What type of crack am I dealing with?

To read the entire blog post, visit https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/2017/10/01/why-is-my-basement-wall-cracked/

Follow SSSA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SSSA.soils, Twitter at SSSA_Soils. SSSA has soils information on www.soils.org/discover-soils, for teachers at www.soils4teachers.org, and for students through 12^th grade, www.soils4kids.org.