Harsh winters are all too common for people who live in Michigan. The cold, snow, ice, rain and wind isn’t just challenging to deal with as people, but also causes all sorts of challenges to our homes.
When temperatures drop below freezing, different aspects of our homes can get affected. One thing that can do damage to outdoor structures such as brick patios, steps and driveways is called frost heave.
This is defined by the outward or upward movement of the ground surface that is caused when ice forms in soil. When the soil freezes, it can expand by almost 10%, which puts pressure on the surrounding soil and structures that are built on top of it.
It’s wonder why frost heave can cause significant damage to brick patios, steps and driveways, and the risk of this happening is much greater in colder climates like Michigan.
It’s important to understand how frost heave works, including how to identity the basic elements that can lead to it happening, so you can prevent damage from occurring in the first place.
Here are some ways in which you can do so.
Causes and Factors
As mentioned before, frost heave happens when ice builds up in a freezing zone. When this occurs and the soil expands, it can result in vertical displacement as well as damage to structures.
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot that you can do to prevent frost heave from happening. If you live in a cold climate, the water that’s present in soil will simply freeze and make frost heave more likely.
Soils that are more susceptible to frost actually draw water from deep down below through capillary action, and bring it up higher into the freezing zone. How susceptible your structures are to frost heave damage depends on the freezing temperatures that your region experiences, the type of soil you have as well as its moisture levels.
While it’s unlikely that you can prevent frost heave from happening, what you can do is prevent damage from occurring as a result of frost heave. This is most commonly done by designing structures that are able to withstand the forces of frost heave.
We’ll dive into some of the steps of doing this below.
Signs and Symptoms
First, though, it’s important to understand some of the most common signs and symptoms of frost heave. This will help you fully grasp the seriousness of frost heave and how crucial it is to prevent damage from happening.
Frost heave can commonly lead to cracking happening throughout the interior walls of homes and other structures such as commercial properties. As the soil expands upward, it can also cause cracking on the exterior of structures, as well as unevenness in patio pavers, and shifting in driveways and sidewalks.
One common sign that frost heave has occurred is that walls could be bowing. This could be an indication that the expanding soil is putting pressure around the foundation, which might cause the walls to begin to push inward.
Brick patios, steps and driveways are particularly susceptible to significant frost heave damage, especially in cold climates.
Prevention and Mitigation Strategies
With a full understanding of how significant frost heave damage can be, you’re probably asking yourself what can be done to prevent this damage from occurring. Luckily, there are steps that you can take to protect your structures from some of the negative effects described above.
First, it’s very important to ensure that basements and engineering slabs are properly insulated and are installed on grade foundations. This will help prevent cracking from happening in the foundation, while also reducing energy consumption.
There are frost-resistant materials that can be used in foundation construction, including frost-protected shallow foundations (FPSFs) and insulated concrete forms (ICFs). It’s always a good idea to opt for these types of materials if you’re building in a colder climate where temperatures often dip below freezing.
It’s also a good idea to insulate floors, walls and footings, which will help to mitigate heat loss and minimize potential temperature differences.
Other simple steps you can take to prevent damage from frost heave is to use crushed stone or gravel as a base for brick patios, steps and driveways. Since this material doesn’t hold moisture, it isn’t susceptible to frost heave since it won’t freeze.
You can also help moderate the temperature of your soil and reduce the risk of the root system heaving by mulching with organic material. Things such as pine needles, straw, ground leaves and compost all act as insulation for the soil, which raises its temperature and makes it less susceptible to freezing in the first place.
Regular Maintenance and Inspections
Just like other aspects of your home, it’s important to conduct regular maintenance and inspections of your structures and brick installations to prevent frost heave damage.
A good first step is to monitor the moisture levels in your soil, which will help guide you on the appropriate actions you should take to prevent damage from happening.
Drainage systems require ongoing maintenance and inspection to ensure that they are working properly, since their main job is to prevent water from accumulating around your home’s foundation and around other structures.
You should also inspect the exterior walls of your home for cracks or other signs of water intrusion, and check your brick patios, steps and driveways for similar cracks or signs that frost heave damage might have occurred.
The Impact of Frost Heaving on Properties
Remember, frost heave can significantly affect building foundations as well as other structures on your property by causing the soil underneath them to shift. Structural damage can easily occur if this were to happen.
Over time, damage such as cracks in your foundation wall could result in the loss of your home or business — or at least significant damage that is extremely messy, time consuming and expensive to repair.
On a smaller scale, frost heave can result in patios, steps, driveways and sidewalks becoming uneven, which poses a serious danger to pedestrians and others who may be walking on them.
How to Address Frost Heave Damage
So, if you observe frost heave damage, what can you do? Again, a common sign that frost heave has taken over your foundation is if you visibly notice that there are cracks on the exterior or interior walls of your structure.
Frost heave damage can be quite complex and involved to fix. Addressing this damage requires a comprehensive approach that includes not just repairing the damage that has occurred but also other things such as improving drainage and preventing frost heave from happening in the future.
In most cases, this is a job that’s best left to a professional basement repair or foundation repair company. They will be able to do a full assessment of your structures and property if frost heave damage has occurred.
Act Now to Prevent Frost Heave Damage from Happening
Unfortunately, frost heave damage is a common issue that people in cold climates face. It can cause significant damage to houses and businesses as well as brick patios, steps and driveways.
Understanding what the root causes and factors of frost heave are, as well as implementing an in-depth prevention and mitigation strategy, can help prevent the damage from occurring.
It’s also essential to conduct regular maintenance and inspection on your property and structures to prevent this damage and to immediately address any damage that may occur.
At All Brick, our team has been mastering the art of masonry for more than 10 years now. We are experienced in all types of brick installations, and can not only design and build beautiful new structures, but can assess and repair damaged ones as well.For more information on how we can help you, or to receive a free quote, please contact us today.
