I dont seen anyone watering the foundation of their houses (Plano: foreclosure, buy) - Dallas - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

Robzherenow · 06-28-2009, 02:19 PM

I moved to Texas and brought a house in Murphy (east Plano border)2007. I hear and read all these forums about how home owners should water the foundation of their house.

However, I have not done it yet and I dont see any of my neighbors doing it either! I read about getting a soaker hose and all but I cant even seem to find one in stores. I have yet to see soaker hoses on anyone's property in my area.

The last person I spoke to said that since my house was built in 2004, I dont have to worry about foundation problems. Then I read somewhere that newer homes are more likely to have foundation problems.

Can someone shed some light on this. Does age of house matter? Does location (Plano vs. another area) matter?

MurphyPl1 · 06-28-2009, 02:26 PM

Are you running your lawn sprinklers regularly? We've found that is pretty much enough during years we're getting rainfall. A few years ago when we had the severe drought we did water directly near the foundation as well.

I will say there are some foreclosure homes from that time period that I would be questioning. Knowing that they went thru a major drought AND weren't running their sprinklers at all would make me question the integrity of the foundation.

FalconheadWest · 06-28-2009, 02:44 PM

If you're in a newer home, you probably have a sprinkler system. However, if you're on water restrictions, which is about the time of year the area goes on them, you will not be able to run your sprinklers as often as your foundation would like you to.

Soaker hoses can be found in every single Lowes and Home Depot. They're black and spongey. There is another kind that is usually green and flat, but the black ones have become more popular.

And just because your neighbors aren't doing it doesn't mean you shouldn't. It just means they haven't figured it out yet, but they'll learn as they get settling cracks in and around their homes.

Robzherenow · 06-28-2009, 05:18 PM

I do have a sprinkler system which I run 3 times a week (15 min. durations).
However, the sprinklers are arranged to spray the lawn (away from the house foundation), and thus I dont know how effective it would be in watering the foundation of the house.

As for the soaker hoses, I have a 3500 sq. ft house so would I need 200 ft. soaker hose to wrap around the entire house? Is that how it is placed?

bookworm2768 · 06-28-2009, 05:28 PM

I don't know what it's like in Murphy but down in Carrollton we are already seeing the earth drying up and shrinking away from the foundation. Take a walk around your house and see if there are any signs of this. It is VERY obvious if it is happening.
As to soaker hoses - Lowes, Home Depot, Wal mart, Sams club and Costco carry them. they look like regular hoses but have a rougher surface.
Watering the foundation is a horrible waste of water but that seems to be what is needed to prevent expensive foundation issues in the future.

FalconheadWest · 06-28-2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robzherenow

I do have a sprinkler system which I run 3 times a week (15 min. durations).
However, the sprinklers are arranged to spray the lawn (away from the house foundation), and thus I dont know how effective it would be in watering the foundation of the house.

As for the soaker hoses, I have a 3500 sq. ft house so would I need 200 ft. soaker hose to wrap around the entire house? Is that how it is placed?

Watering the foundation is different than actually having hoses at your foundation. If you got soaker hoses, you would want them 12-18" away from the actual slab. With that, the watering from your sprinklers should be ok as they're water the lawn at the 12-18" mark from your foundation.

If you put water directly up against your foundation, you could see heeving, and that's just as bad as sinking. Pretty soon, you're going to be going to a 1-2 day a week water restriction as it's happened every year for the last few years. At that point, you will not be able to water 3 times a week, and the soaker hoses come in handy because you are allowed to water with those whenever you want.

As for the amount, telling me the size of your house means nothing because it's the size of the foot print that matters. Buy a couple of hoses, and it they're not enough, get another one. There's no exact science unless you go out and measure from your spickets.

5stones · 06-29-2009, 08:13 AM

most sprinkle systems have the system set up to "water the foundation" all those heads around your house, yes they spray out toward the lawn but are designed to keep the soil (clay)soft etc... That is what your are watering not the actual concrete foundation but the soil. Clay dries out and will constrict AWAY from your foundation and thus leaving room for "settlement" in your slab.

The reason you may not "see" your neighbors watering is because of time restrictions and THE best time to water is very early mroning 5am-6am.

If you are running your sprinklers you are fine. My lawn guy recommeds during hte heat of summer 3x per week at 20-30 minutes at each station. Spring and fall 2x per week at 20minutes. winter 1x per week at 15minutes.

momof2dfw · 06-29-2009, 08:54 AM

Everyone has posted some very good tips about watering your foundation. As said, your not actually watering THE foundation but rather the soil AROUND IT.

1. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER water your yard in the heat of the day. One you waste a lot of water due to evaporation and second it CAN burn your grass. This is why you may not see your neighbors watering.

2. Best time to water is from 3am onward till no later than about 7am.

3. Water restrictions - it is always best to practice good water usage even before they are put into place. Some cities don't even put them in place IF the residents are not over using water to start with. What happens is the city/municipal district is told by their water source how many gallons they are using and what they are allowed to use if water starts to get too low in the lake they use for water. If the city is below that mark then everything is fine and they might not put in water restrictions. This only happens if the residents are practicing good water habits to start with. Those people watering every day are NOT helping nor are those that water in the middle of the day. If water restrictions are put into place you can water your foundation w/ no penalty.

4. It is not a waste of resources to water your foundation. Around here it is a MUST. The yard itself can crumble to pieces and "heal" back to "normal" but your house can not. Thus the need to "water your foundation".

5. Soaker hoses can be bought at even the local dollar stores during the summer season. Lowe's, Home Depot, garden stores, Target and even some grocery stores all have them. Place them about 16"-18" from the foundation. You can even dig a small "trench" to place them and then bury them if you don't want to have to roll them out every time and put them up to mow. But if you have an automatic sprinkler system you don't really need soaker hoses. Just use those zones closes to the house to water your foundation. Putting the water right ON the foundation is not good as someone else said. This causes heaving and you do not want that either. You want a "happy medium" when it comes to the soil around your foundation.

6. Watering your yard. Your doing fine on the water times and times per week. You do not want to over water either. Those people that water every single day and over water are creating lawns that develop short shallow roots and are suspectible to dying in the winter if we should get a bad freeze. In the summer their grass requires MORE water as the roots are not digging down deep looking for a water source either nor are they able to retain the moisture being that close to the surface. The deeper the roots the better your grass will survive a long hot and dry summer and a freezing cold winter. Mulch is your friend in your flower beds to help retain water/moisture in those areas and keep them from drying out.

Gkhadivi · 08-03-2016, 07:49 PM

Hello,
How often should I water the foundation with soaker hoses and how long each time? I am new to Texas and just bought a house and found out I have to water the foundation.
Thank you

DitsyD · 08-04-2016, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robzherenow

I do have a sprinkler system which I run 3 times a week (15 min. durations).
However, the sprinklers are arranged to spray the lawn (away from the house foundation), and thus I dont know how effective it would be in watering the foundation of the house.

As for the soaker hoses, I have a 3500 sq. ft house so would I need 200 ft. soaker hose to wrap around the entire house? Is that how it is placed?

You are violating the city's water restrictions. You are limited to watering a maximum of TWO times per week.

"Water Restrictions
Spring and Summer Watering Guidelines in Effect April 1 - October 31
Beginning April 1, Murphy residents and businesses are asked to only water a maximum of twice per week. Sprinkler use is not allowed between the hours of 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Just because you're able to water doesn't mean you need to water."
Water Restrictions | Murphy, TX - Official Website