Watering Your Foundation in a Drought

Why do Tyler foundations need water in a drought?

Many Tyler lots have sandy topsoil over red clay, and that clay shrinks as it dries. Under a slab, the soil at the edges dries out faster than the soil in the middle, which is shaded and covered. When the edges shrink, the slab edge can drop while the center stays put.

Tyler's summers are when this happens. July averages only 2.10 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service's July records for Tyler. In 2011, the city got 24.97 inches of rain for the entire year, 20.82 inches below normal, per the Weather Service in Shreveport. Long dry stretches like that are when uneven shrinking does the most damage.

How should you water around a foundation?

The goal is even moisture on every side of the house, not wet soil. The Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers' repair guidelines say maintaining near-uniform soil moisture around all sides may help, and they caution against excessive watering.

• Use a soaker hose on a timer. Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, citing Texas A&M AgriLife, recommends a soaker hose on a timer at the outdoor faucet if you don't have an irrigation zone for the foundation.
• Lay it a little away from the slab, not right against the concrete, so water soaks into the soil around the foundation instead of running down the edge.
• Water every side, including the shady side and the side behind shrubs, not just the side by the faucet.
• Water early in the morning, when less evaporates.
• Watch the soil, not the calendar. If it's pulling away from the slab edge, it's too dry. If water stands or the ground squishes, it's too wet.
• Mulch the beds next to the house to slow drying.

What about trees near the house?

Large trees pull a lot of water from the clay on their side of the house, which is one reason one corner often drops before the rest. Texas Farm Bureau Insurance recommends watering trees deeply twice a month in a drought, soaking the soil along the dripline.

Removing a big tree isn't a simple fix. The Texas ASCE guidelines note that taking out trees or large shrubs can stop shrinkage but can also cause the soil to swell back up, so a waiting period may be recommended. Root barriers are an option, and the guidelines suggest consulting an experienced arborist first.

When is watering not enough?

• The slab has already dropped enough to crack the structure or jam doors
• Water is getting in from the wrong place, like a downspout at the wall or a plumbing leak under the slab
• The crawl space stays wet on a pier and beam house, where the problem is too much water, not too little

In those cases, the fix is drainage, a plumbing repair, or slab repair, with watering to protect the work afterward.

Should rental homes be watered too?

Yes, and they're often the ones that suffer. Texas Farm Bureau Insurance notes that investment properties tend to see the most damage, because owners aren't on site and tenants may not want to run up the water bill. Put foundation watering in the lease or set up a timer you control.