What Can Cause Basement Walls to Bow In?

Problem signs often signify damage that has already been done. The most an average homeowner can do after spotting them is to call foundation experts like Innovative Basement Authority to repair these issues. Identifying what causes your walls to tilt or bow in the first place is key to the prevention of further damage. 

• Hydrostatic Pressure 

If you live in a humid or wet climate like Minnesota, North Dakota, and eastern Montana, you may find the soil around your home constantly taking on a lot of water. Severe storms, humidity, and melted snow all contribute to this huge influx of moisture both in the air and condensing around your home. The more water your soil attempts to absorb, the heavier it gets. This can put immense pressure against your foundation, which in turn will cause it to shift or even crack. This is known as hydrostatic pressure. 

Hydrostatic pressure can also crack your foundation from within as well. Moisture might become trapped within your concrete basement walls or foundation. This moisture will freeze in the winter, causing the ice to expand and thus break your foundation. 

• Clay Bowl Effect 

The fault may not even lie with poor foundation maintenance, but a defect that comes from how foundations are constructed. Contractors will dig a large hole in the ground where they plan to lay your home’s foundation and basement. Once these pieces are installed, they will then backfill some of the soil around the remaining space left.  

Unfortunately, this makes the soil much looser than before. This makes it much easier for a heavy storm to wash that soil away. Your foundation will either shift from its original position or settle and crack altogether.