Foundation frost heaving

[rlund3]

Love it!!

[Gorm4n23]

helped alot with my homework/assignment! thankyou :)

[Waffles783]

Couldn't you just make the hole into a cylinder, it does not seem like that would result in frost heaving. And, it would be possible to accomplish by hand.

[mississauga0909]

nice explanation, i always thought that freezing would contract the soil, but it actually expands it and pushes the foundation up, like squeezing a watermelon seed

[ootsam]

Matthiaswandel for Pres!

[jjlwis]

very good video and Explanation!

[whosaiducaneatmario]

you are going to help me SOO much when i get older with these videos. so that i cant do home improvement properly like you. :D

[Matthiaswandel]

Not exactly "proper" how I fixed it, but it will hold for five years, and then I'll think about it again.

[whosaiducaneatmario]

@Matthiaswandel oh one question, what would happen if you were to anchor the soil like some sort of upside down T shape as a foundation?

[ttk1opc]

Wouldn't all these problems be avoided by building it properly with the foundations and footings below the frost line?

[Matthiaswandel]

Yes. Now tell me how to go back 25 years in time and tell my dad to do that.

[ttk1opc]

@Matthiaswandel Well that would be a problem, I was just referring to the issue in general, wasn't aware of your particular problem. 

[TsmnnDvl5]

@Matthiaswandel This would be simple provided one wants to do the work. Dig out one side at a time, build a square form around the original pillar, pour new concrete with the addition of rebar added to the original pillar. A lot of work but, doable. You could even add a concrete tube large enough to fit over the existing pillar, again making sure that rebar is added to the original pillar, otherwise, just wasting time. Concrete won't stick to itself.

[Meckospeckos]

@Matthiaswandel Here in Sweden we mainly use straight papertubes that we dig down and fill with concrete. Usually works very good ;-)

Love your videos, keep them coming!

[sikkepossu]

Proper foundations therefore needs insulation on near the ground surface so that the soil can not freeze.

[ktekx]

With the reverse tapering of the foundation, is there any chance of it doing the opposite and sinking the foundation w/ the freezing?

[jasonlajoie]

@ktekx Not with undisturbed solid soil underneath. Just making vertical sides to a foundation is good enough. It's well known among foundation builders that one cannot just dig a trench and pour a foundation in places that freeze. I've never heard of anyone going to the trouble of making tapered sides though.

[Demoman42]

useful! thanks! ;]

[Morkvonork]

Why dont you put a layer of gravel between foundation and soil? Then the ground will only shift the position of the gravel instead of the foundation itself.

[Azndragon732]

Ahh! I'm falling! Lolololololol

[pwnslayerss]

And suddenly, you feel a sudden 5 foot drop while sipping on hot chocolate in your house.

[Taliemanco]

haha, i have a boathouse at my cottage build like this and the deck is at SO much of an angle right now, it's been pushed up for about 45+ years. now i know how to fix it! thanks! but it will be alot of work

[moomasterq]

i have absolutley no idea what your talking about but your genius of how you speak and how smart you are about this makes me watch it

[miiror13]

were i live we cant make foundations inside the ground at all exept basments you have to put about 1-2 feet of gravel sand dirt on the original ground then put a slab of concreate on that and build what ever it is ontop of that other wise this will happen

[Dave209]

So that explains why the doors at my house get stiff then loose trough out the year!

Brilliant explanation!

[collolup1]

@Dave209 i pretty sure thats just seasonal changes in the timber timber frams and stuff , lik everything expandes in summber and shrinks in winter

[Matthiaswandel]

Umm... Try watching the video again and actually listening to what I say.

[ICUC007]

@collolup1 I'm pretty sure you got that Backwards. Moisture evaporates in heat of summer, so wood and soil shrinks. Moisture in winter expands wood, soil and gosh knows what else.

[Doomside]

My dad actually had a problem like this with a concrete base laid out just outside of his company in order to make the ground smoother. The base got lifted to the point that the door became impossible to open for the remainder of the winter, though fortunately there's an equally big side door that could be used instead if less conveniently.

This had never happened before despite the block having been there since the place was renovated years ago so I guess the ground had indeed shifted. 

[piratecheese13]

epic

[PsychoticSnake]

So, in theory, foundations could be lifted right out the ground?

[Matthiaswandel]

Well, not entirely out, but I have seen foundations work their way out of the ground.

[EuroPowa]

@Matthiaswandel The house was occupied, the reason the foundations sag and move is just because of the loose earth under them.

This is why we vibrate soil before we poor concreet.

[Gh0sty1]

@PsychoticSnake not just by frost there is no way it would ever push the house completely out but itll make it lean on its side and be unbalanced

[jasonlajoie]

@PsychoticSnake Given enough time with improperly shaped sides, yes. Stones are heaving up in pasture lands here in the Alps every spring. There are centuries old piles of stones that dairy farmers in this region have added to over a millennium.

[Slynas]

why do i find your videos so entertaining?

[xXZarlachXx]

@Slynas

I find it relaxing to watch this while i have no idea what he is talking about

[whosaiducaneatmario]

@Slynas because he explains it so awesomely and interestingly!

[iAMsoBEAST1]

I love wood! oh wait, that's not what i meant...

[pisymph]

Matthias. Your clear approach to all sorts of physical phenomena always confirms my opinion of you great intellect. Thanks for this. I am planning to build soon, and will be using 2" insulation down to the footings. Smooth and slightly trapezoidal, as the concrete will push out laterally the deeper it is.

[HardcoreJeroen]

Coowl, dude your smart :D