So why is my concrete patio breaking up?
During the warm months, nothing beats spending time outdoors on a concrete patio, where friends and family can gather for barbecues, games of chalk art, and frosty adult beverages after a long day. BBQ gatherings and leisure time are ruined by patios with cracks in the concrete. What causes the cracks in your concrete patio, anyway?
Why Your Concrete Patio Is Crumbling
A heaved concrete patio will develop cracks.
When compared to settlement, heave is the opposite. Cracks and inconsistencies in the level of a slab can form as a result of heave, which is the upward expansion of expansive soil. In Southern California and Arizona, settlement is typically the more pressing issue, so concrete patio heave is uncommon. However, the force of the heave is so great that it can easily crack a slab of concrete on a patio.
Heave can primarily be addressed through water mitigation. Do what you can to guarantee proper drainage in your house. If you need to, you can use gutters and a French drain.
A Crack in the Concrete Patio A concrete patio may become pitted and cracked if spalling occurs. Spalling occurs when chunks of cement break off the main body of the concrete, usually as a result of weathering or a chemical reaction, leaving behind cracked, compromised concrete.
Patios made of concrete are especially vulnerable to cracking if they suffer from spalling, which weakens their underlying structure. Epoxy and water mitigation are effective treatments for spalling.
Cracks in the Concrete Patio Causes Fractures
When a concrete patio’s slab sinks into naturally expansive soil, it causes cracks in the surface (such as clay or loam). Due to the slab’s uneven settlement, pressure is distributed differently across the slab. Caused by settlement, the patio now has cracks and an uneven slope.
The cracks in the patio slab are unsightly, and the slope can make for an unbalanced deck table and a messy meal. It can be costly to remove an existing concrete slab and replace it with a new one. Fixing the slope with polyurethane foam injection and the cracks with epoxy will be less costly overall.
The Cracks in Your Concrete Patio Are Due to a Bad Mud Mixture.
It’s possible that settlement, heave, or inadequate water mitigation are not to blame for the cracks in the concrete patio slab. They may have resulted from the inferior mud used to construct the slab. It’s more of an art than a science to pour cement. Mud can be ruined by adding too much of any one ingredient.
In the case of cracks caused by an improper mud mixture, epoxy can be a very effective remedy.
Roots cause cracks in the concrete patio.
Cracks in your concrete patio may be caused by the roots of nearby trees. To prevent further damage to your patio and foundation from tree roots, you may need to have any trees in close proximity to your home removed.
If your patio has cracks, it’s possible that your foundation does, too.
Five common reasons for concrete patio cracks have been discussed here: settlement, heave, spalling, poor mud mixture, and roots. You were also provided with a high-level overview of potential solutions to each problem.
Cracks in your concrete patio caused by settlement are an indication that your slab on a grade foundation may also be experiencing this problem. We’ve worked on thousands of foundations between us, so we know what we’re doing. Our foundation repair expert will gladly evaluate your property to see if settlement is a problem. Please contact RLM Retrofit Foundation for all of your Foundation Inspection Big Bear Lake and repair needs.
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