Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > House
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
 
Old 05-27-2012, 06:12 PM
 
53 posts, read 474,001 times
Reputation: 22

Advertisements

I have a neighbor whose house developed cracks in the foundation.

We live near a rail road and every time the train comes the house shakes.

My other neighbors also said their house shakes as the train goes by.

The trains traffic is quite busy. About one train goes by every 30 mins.

Is it possible by the constant shaking the foundation can develop cracks?

My family is really worried hearing this news about my neighbor.

And if a foundation develops a crack are there possible fixes?

My dad says even if the cracks repair he says it might be possible the crack reappears.
Your input is appreciated.

I've broke down sentences soviets easier to read incase anyone is wondering. Lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-27-2012, 11:55 PM
 
Location: On the Rails in Northern NJ
12,380 posts, read 26,746,347 times
Reputation: 4580
How old is the House and which town is it in?
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 02:01 AM
 
Location: Not far from Fairbanks, AK
20,243 posts, read 36,884,312 times
Reputation: 16373
Well, I would think that in an area that shakes because of trains running nearby, home and other building foundations would be properly designed to resist cracking from the ground movement. You may want to check into the building codes relating to foundations in your area.

How about old homes in your area? Are the foundations of these older homes cracking?
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 11:20 AM
 
53 posts, read 474,001 times
Reputation: 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by RayinAK View Post
Well, I would think that in an area that shakes because of trains running nearby, home and other building foundations would be properly designed to resist cracking from the ground movement. You may want to check into the building codes relating to foundations in your area.

How about old homes in your area? Are the foundations of these older homes cracking?
The homes in my area are quite new. The home of my neighbor is only but 6 year old. And my house was made in november of 06. So there aren't really any old homes.

Also do any of you people water the foundation?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 12:42 PM
 
Location: Johns Creek, GA
17,403 posts, read 65,528,173 times
Reputation: 23515
"Where, oh where are you tonight?"
It might help- really!
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 07:29 PM
 
53 posts, read 474,001 times
Reputation: 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr View Post
"Where, oh where are you tonight?"
It might help- really!
I live in a Richmond/Rosenberg TX 77471
How would the location help? Just curious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 09:36 PM
 
Location: Johns Creek, GA
17,403 posts, read 65,528,173 times
Reputation: 23515
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2.7t View Post
How would the location help? Just curious.
Soils!
Fort Bend county has alluvial soils. Thanks to a few 100 thousand years of the Brazos River.
Not exactly the best soil for foundations. And if you happen to be sitting on a patch of that "famous" black clay all of east Texas is known for- that ain't good for foundations either. Is your slab a PTC (Post-Tension Cable)?

Anyway, getting back to the alluvial soils- rocky/sandy but not compacted or hard. I think it could be very possible for the vibration of trains to "move" the already loose soils. Check with the extension service for Fort Bend and ask if they are aware of any possible anomalies with the soils in your area.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-29-2012, 07:00 AM
 
53 posts, read 474,001 times
Reputation: 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr View Post
your slab a PTC (Post-Tension Cable)?

Anyway, getting back to the alluvial soils- rocky/sandy but not compacted or hard. I think it could be very possible for the vibration of trains to "move" the already loose soils. Check with the extension service for Fort Bend and ask if they are aware of any possible anomalies with the soils in your area.
I have no idea what kind of slab I have. Would a picture help?

And Is watering the foundation in this type of soil a good idea?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-29-2012, 12:11 PM
 
48,505 posts, read 96,476,720 times
Reputation: 18300
I'd say with Clay soil its more likely the recent drught if the slab had no watering system that caused the problems. I'd egt a foudation enginerr to evaulate the problem as it bcan cause sewer rpobelms i time if not stable.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-29-2012, 01:35 PM
 
Location: Johns Creek, GA
17,403 posts, read 65,528,173 times
Reputation: 23515
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2.7t View Post
I have no idea what kind of slab I have. Would a picture help?
Identifying PTC slabs is quite easy if you know what to look for. At the exposed vertical perimeter of the slab you will see what might appear as evenly spaced patches of concrete; there may also be a couple of rust spots on each side of said patches.
The other thing to look for is a plaque on the floor of the garage that states something to the effect about house slab being a post-tension slab.
And Is watering the foundation in this type of soil a good idea?
For alluvial type soils I don't see much of an advantage for watering the perimeter of the foundation- but for that "black gold" clay that's in east Texas- most definitely! That clay is very expansive as texdav lamented too. Extreme draught can cause excessive shrinkage of clay soils. Then, when the rains return it expands. And I'm not talking about a 3-5% expansion- I'm talking 10-20%+.

Again, talk to an agent at the extension service for Fort Bend. They are your best source of information that is relevant for your exact area.
Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


 
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:
Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > House
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top