It is no secret that if your home is struggling with a foundation shift, it’s probably causing more than just structural damage. And, though a shifting foundation isn’t easy to spot at first, the signs will start to sneak up on you without you realizing the issue.
The ground around your home can move for a number of reasons. The earth naturally shifts, but natural disasters, rapid temperature changes, and even the mineral content can cause dreadful leaks to spring in your foundation’s plumbing. Plus, these movements cause other areas in your home to unravel.
If you suspect your foundation is shifting or uneven, here are a couple of plumbing, HVAC, and electrical issues to keep an eye out for as you fix the problem.
Plumbing Issues
A shifting foundation can stretch, break or bend your pipes, causing them to leak water or even sewage waste. This is called a slab leak. It may be hard to see at first because foundations shift slowly, but it will become apparent over time.
A couple of signs to look for include pooling in your front yard, suspiciously high water bills all of a sudden or extremely green grass near your water meter or on the ground outside your bathroom. You may also smell mold or mildew.
HVAC Issues
If you’ve got cracked or shifting foundations in your home, or sloping floors, this can lead to improper air sealing. Just think about it. If the base of your home is shifting, it’s likely causing your windows and doors to fall out of alignment, resulting in tiny cracks and gaps to form in the windowpanes, doors and floors. Though these gaps are small, you can easily imagine that in the summer, they’re allowing the cooled air to escape your home, rendering your AC’s performance useless.
Your HVAC system is using more power and energy to cool the room as more air escapes the tiny cracks in your home, creating a vicious cycle and hiking up your energy bill.
While rare, a severely shifting foundation can even affect your HVAC System’s duct alignment and connections, once again affecting your AC’s performance and efficiency.
Electrical Issues
Your home’s wiring is a delicate balance, and any shifts to the foundation or cracks in the wall can throw the whole thing off. The wires can only bend and stretch so far, and any major shifts in your home’s foundation can affect the electrical panels and wire connections inside.
Broken wires can cause significant issues, including failed circuit breakers, short circuits or electrical fires as the worst case scenario. Therefore, it’s important to have your home inspected by an electrician after any work is done on your foundation to ensure the electrical system is still working properly.
As you can see, a shifting foundation is not something to take lightly because, over time, it can cause massive issues in your home. If you are experiencing one or more of these foundation concerns, you need a service team with the expertise to help resolve all your plumbing, HVAC and electrical needs. So, give us a call at Bacon Plumbing Heating Air Electric, and we’ll make sure your repairs are completed promptly and correctly.
