Water Damage Restoration And The Structural Problems After A Flood That Could Affect Your Home
If your home has recently been damaged due to flooding, you are now concentrating on cleaning up the mess. Once you have most of the water and debris out of your home, it is time to start looking at the repairs that need to be done and materials that need to be replaced. One thing that you do not want to overlook when doing restorations is the possibility that flooding has caused structural damage. The following information will help you decide if there is structural damage that needs to be repaired during the water damage restoration.
Moving Flood Waters That Move Load Bearing Structural Points and Replacing Them
One of the problems with the damage that flooding causes are that there are currents that can be dangerous during flooding and cause serious damage to your home. Flood currents can move homes off there foundation or move load-bearing structural points. Inspect the structure of your home for movement and replace any support members that have been moved or damaged during the flooding.
Problems with Water Pressure Building Up in Soil and Causing Damage to Foundation Walls
If you have foundation walls for basements, crawl spaces, or finished space that is below the soil elevation outside, flooding can cause serious damage. The over-saturated soil causes excessive static water pressure against foundation walls that can lead to cracks and failure of waterproofing systems. These problems will require repairs to the damage of the foundation as well as to the waterproofing and drainage systems that may have been damaged too.
Waterlogged Soils That Cannot Support Structural Loads and Cause Footing Beams and Pilings to Fail
The most common type of footings used for homes is concrete footings that are dug just a few feet deep. This can be a problem with soils become waterlogged and weakened in floodwaters. This problem can cause your home to sink in the softer soil. To solve this type of structural damage, footings and pilings need to be installed to a depth where there is solid soil or bedrock to support the structure. Methods like pier jacking can be used to add additional support that is needed to prevent severe structural damage to your home.
Wood Structural Framing That Fails Under the Pressure of Flood Waters and Excessive Structural Loads
Many homes are made of wood framing that sits on top of concrete or masonry foundations. This wood framing is vulnerable to damage due to the floodwaters that make the wood weaker and increase structural loads due to the water that is absorbed by the wood during flooding. Sometimes, structural supports of the wood framing can fail after flooding and will need to be replaced when repairs are being done.
While a lot of the damage from flooding is due to water and contamination, floodwaters can also cause problems with structural damage that will also need to be repaired. For help with cleaning, repairs, and restoration of your home after a flood, contact a water damage restoration service to ensure all these problems are taken care of before you move back in.
