All American homes are built upon a foundation, and Texan homes younger than 50 years are built on slab foundations in particular, which may give them some advantages over other foundations types. All the same, one of the first steps to constructing a house is to lay down the foundation, and of course, a good quality foundation will need only minimal foundation repair or foundation repair services, but a faulty one that was built poorly or damaged in an earthquake may suffer foundation failure, or leaking water may cause an issue if a basement is poorly drained. A poorly drained basement will accumulate a lot of standing water, and this can be a real problem as long as the basement remains poorly drained. And even without water issues, a bad foundation will have cracks and other faults that may allow deadly radon gas to emit from the ground underneath. A concerned homeowner can conduct an online search such as “Austin foundation repair” for residents of Austin, Texas, for example, or “contractors or my poorly drained basement Dallas TX.”
The Issues
Water or radon can be a real problem for a poorly drained or faulty foundation and basement, and they can lead to expensive repairs. What can water do, and where does it come from? A faulty basement and foundation may allow a lot of rainwater to leak into the basement, and this is especially true for a home in flash flood-prone areas, where a lot of water can leak into the home in a matter of hours. The house itself may be the problem, if leaking pipes are dripping water constantly. Standing water can add a lot of moisture to the basement, and this will foster mold growth all over the place, and homeowners across the United States know what a problem mold can be. Molds will release harmful spores and other biological agents into the air, which may set off allergies or asthma in the people or pets in a home. What is more, standing water can erode the walls or floor of a basement over time, and this water can also damage items in the basement such as cardboard boxes or couches. If a basement is poorly drained, that water may stay there for a long time, and leaking pipes can build up a lot of standing water in this case.
Radon gas is another issue to consider. This is an odorless, invisible, tasteless gas that is radioactive, and some homeowners may not realize how common it is for this deadly gas to leak into the home. Radon is found naturally in the soil, and it will leak upwards as a gas, but if a home has a faulty foundation, this dangerous gas has even more ingress into the home. Once this gas starts building up in concentration, it can cause symptoms such as chest pain or nausea, and once the concentration climbs even higher, this gas can even cause lung cancer when breathed enough. Unfortunately, thousands of Americans perish every year due to exposure to this deadly gas, and the EPA has regulations about what is considered an unsafe level, since it can pose a radioactive threat to people and pets.
Solutions
A faulty basement can be fixed, even a poorly drained one. Plumbers can be called to fix leaking pipes or clear out the distressed drain, so that water stops leaking and water can drain away. Meanwhile, foundation crews can be found and hired after some searching, and once the right crew is brought to the home, they can help seal it against rainwater leaking into the basement during rain and floods. They might also install a sump pump, which collects loose water, draws it up, and deposits it outside the home to control flooding. A faulty foundation can also have its cracks sealed so that radon does not leak so easily, and a homeowner can visit a hardware store and buy a radon testing kit for the home’s air. If the results show a dangerous level of this gas, a homeowner can cycle out the home’s air and refresh it with outdoor air so that the radon levels drop back below the danger level. This can even save lives.