Learn about what to expect if you’re considering concrete leveling as a solution for the water problems around your home.
If you are struggling to control the water around your home, leveling your settled concrete may be a great way to direct it away from your house or retaining walls.
A-1 Concrete Leveling has been lifting settled concrete for over thirty years, and in this time we’ve gotten pretty good at using concrete leveling to send water in the right direction. (Away from your home!)
Although this is true, concrete leveling does not come with a 100% guarantee that water issues will be completely fixed. For this reason, we’ve written this guide to walk you through what to expect as far as concrete leveling for water issues is concerned.
What Can Concrete Leveling Do for Water Issues?
During the concrete leveling process, strategic holes are drilled in the settled concrete slabs, and a leveling compound is pumped into the holes in order to lift the concrete as close to its originally poured position as possible.
If the original slope of the concrete allowed for water to run off, when the concrete is put back with concrete leveling, the water should work away. However, we have to make the assumption that the original slope and design of the concrete allowed for that to occur.
If this is not the case, raising it back up to its original position will not help your water issues, as the original design did not include a proper slope.
Why Concrete Slope Matters
Concrete slope matters because when installed properly, it diverts water away from important and expensive structures, such as home foundations and retaining walls.
Proper slope should always be the goal, as water running toward these structures rather than away from them can cause many problems, like water damage to basement interiors and mold growth, for example.
Pair Concrete Leveling With Caulking
If you’re using concrete leveling as a way to combat water and drainage problems, concrete caulking is a crucial step to remember.
Caulking the expansion joints and breaks in your concrete seals them up, allowing water to continue to flow in the direction that the concrete is sloped, rather than falling into the cracks and running under the slab.
The Reality of Concrete Leveling to Fix Water Issues
While in many cases concrete leveling can fully solve the issues homeowners face with water around their property, we can’t be entirely sure that it will fix the situation in every case due to the widely varying factors across each home.
In every concrete leveling repair, we will always raise the settled slabs back up as close as possible to their original position, but this does not mean the issues with water around your property will be fully resolved.
We have to assume going into a concrete leveling repair that the original concrete was poured with a proper slope away from the foundation, but this is not always the case. When this occurs, it can lead to lingering water issues even after concrete leveling is performed.
In many cases, we can’t tell if water will stop puddling until after the concrete is raised. This photo is an example of brand new concrete that was poured with a slope away from the house, but when the surface was finished, the troweling caused dips to form, and therefore, water puddles on the surface.
In this case, if the concrete was settled, we could lift it right back to its original position, but water will still puddle on its surface because it was originally poured with a dip.
What Concrete Leveling Can’t Do For Water Issues
When concrete has settled against a house, leveling is a good starting point, but sometimes additional waterproofing on the inside of the home is necessary to prevent water damage even after leveling.
Also, concrete leveling cannot remove the dips or divets in your concrete that allow water to puddle or pool. In many cases, these are created during the original concrete pour, and it is possible that even after leveling these dips will still allow water to puddle.
Retaining Walls and Water Issues
Sometimes concrete driveways, sidewalks, or patios are poured up next to a retaining wall, creating a gap where water can get inside or below the retaining wall.
Retaining walls are extremely expensive, and preventing water from pooling around or inside is a vital part of prolonging the life of a retaining wall.
Caulking around the line where the concrete meets the retaining wall and making sure there is a proper slope running away from the wall rather than into it can help achieve this.
Weep holes are also a crucial aspect of retaining walls, as they provide an escape for water that finds its way into the retaining wall. Proper drainage and weep holes help prevent water from puddling and degrading the retaining wall.
Summary
Even if concrete leveling does not completely eliminate the water issues around your home, it will likely greatly improve the situation.
However, based on the nature of concrete leveling and the variables at play in every repair, we can’t make any promises, only our best predictions based on similar past repairs.
Here at A-1 Concrete Leveling, our main goal is to bring you the solutions you’re looking for, but we also want to be realistic and let our customers know what to expect.
If you’re interested in seeing what concrete leveling can do for your home, contact a member of the A-1 Concrete Leveling team with the link below!
Click Here to Receive a Free Estimate >>
While they will not be able to guarantee your water issues will disappear, they will assess your individual situation and give you their best recommendation based on the variables at play on your property.
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