It’s pretty obvious that fixing holes in a foundation is good idea, but why is it especially important to fix stone foundations in the winter? The Crackman explains.
Narrator: It’s time once again for the “Crack Man Podcast” hosted by A1 Foundation Crack Repair. I’m Darren Kincaid here with the Crack Man himself, Rich Comeras. Rich has 30 years’ experience in the construction industry and over 25 years as the president and founder of A1 Foundation Crack Repair. This podcasts provides expert basement waterproofing, concrete repair, and preventative maintenance tips for homeowners and businesses. A1 Foundation’s valuable insight will help avert a disastrous flood within the basement, health problems associated with water infiltration, and protect your biggest investment….your home. The topic of today’s podcast: Why is it a good idea to fix stone foundation issues in the winter?
Narrator: So, Rich, it's pretty obvious that fixing holes in the foundation is a good idea, but why is it especially important to fix stone foundations in the winter?
Rich: Well, I can tell you right now, during the winter we are getting so many people that are very concerned about the holes in the foundation. Here's a good picture, in between the stones, the mortar is broken down, now there's a void there and not only can mice and so forth come in, and they're looking for warmth now also. But the cold air is coming in unbelievably right now and you put your hand there and you'll feel it come in, so that makes the basement colder, which makes your floors colder, which means you have to use more energy, electric gas, oil, and with the price increases in the utilities, people are just knocking down our door wanting us to repoint, which means to build that in as deep as possible with the water to stop the cold air coming in.
Here's a video on the subject for you today:
Not only does it stop the cold air, it stops the water from coming in along with the dusting that happens because the water that was between the stones is breaking down, and when it breaks down you have dusting on the floor, and that continually happens. So, we can take care of those problems, but really, I think one of the most important things is it helps the structural integrity of the foundation because these stones that had mortar in between are starting to shift, so by putting the mortar as deep in as we can, it's going to help it to stop shifting. And with this cold weather, in fact, we're having some cold weather this weekend.
I don't care if you're in Mass., Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut which we service, you are going to have cold air coming in which then causes or can cause frozen pipes in these old houses that have stone foundations. So, we're more than happy to take care of you as we've been doing for 30 years, people in New England with stone foundations.
Narrator: Thanks Rich, for explaining why it's critically important to fix stone foundations in the winter. Narrator: If you have a basement water problem and think you need a professional, or, if you’d like more information on foundation crack repair and basement waterproofing topics, please visit A1FoundationCrackRepair.com or call Rich at (866) 929-3171. Or you can email Rich at info@a1foundationcrackrepair.com. Thanks for listening and keep that basement dry.