Over the years, as melting snow and rain soak into the earth below your concrete it will be absorbed and drained. As this soil shifts and settles, voids can be created. The concrete can sink into these holes and ultimately form cracks in slabs or spaces between slabs.
There are many reasons and conditions that can facilitate the settling of concrete slabs. These include drastic changes in the soil's moisture level from rainy weather or a longer period of dry weather that could cause the soil to become depleted of water and contract.
The moisture content in the soil will change through the years, it can cause the concrete slab on top of that soil to become uneven. If the soil becomes saturated due to poor drainage, this water will cause the soil to become saturated and no longer be able to support the structure.
If the temperature is hot and no rain falls for extended periods of time, it will cause soil to shrink. As the soil dries out, it will cause voids to form under the slab. Over time, these spaces prevent proper support put stress on the concrete slab, and will eventually cause it to fail.
During construction, the soil is removed and replaced. After this is completed it is very important that it is replaced to the original density as when it was taken out. If the soil is not appropriately compacted, it can rapidly speed up the forming of spaces under the concrete poured above. These holes will put unnecessary weight on the slab and can cause settling over time.
Any place there is earth below your concrete, there is a danger of requiring concrete lifting. These are the most problematic locations that we've seen both commercial and residential property owners needing our services.
The best alternative to tearing out and replacing your cracked or sinking concrete is polyjacking.
A relatively new advancement that makes use of expanding polyurethane foam to lift and repair these sinking slabs back to their intended position. Historically a process called mudjacking has been used to perform this same procedure. The advantage that polyjacking has over mudjacking is the polyurethane foam quickly expands to fill the void and harden to permanently restore the concrete in position.
If you're in need of permanent concrete slab leveling and raising, contact us today for an estimate.