What is a high water table?
The term “water table” is used to describe the level at which the soil and gravel are completely saturated. The water table height can fluctuate due to a range of environmental, geographical and seasonal causes, and is particularly noticeable in low-lying areas. Factors such as high tide and extended periods of rain can affect how much water is in the ground at any point in time. Areas such as South Brighton, Merivale, Parklands and Shirley are particularly prone to this.
How does a high water table impact house foundations?
Christchurch has varying soil types, and with the low lying geographical nature of many areas of this city, you don’t have to dig down far to reach water. Many house foundations sit just above or below the water table. As the soil absorbs more water and the water table rises, immense pressure is applied to the walls and underside of house foundations, a condition known as ‘hydrostatic pressure’. Over time, this pressure can permeate solid concrete causing cracking and lifting of foundations, as well as moving foundation walls, fencing and decks.
How can SmartLift help with your high water table foundation repairs?
At SmartLift we have developed methods and procedures to enable us to conduct high water table foundation repairs. It involves pumping water into trucks, using water blasters and giant vacuum pumps to extract liquid soil but concrete can still be poured and the chemical nature of it allows it to harden and cure. Thanks to this method, we are able to get our jacking pads installed and successfully level homes.
Some home owners use this opportunity to raise their foundations another 100- 200 mm and get it above any flood threat that might exist or as a precautionary procedure. This is a perfect time to consider this as an option. Your concerns can be discussed with us when we make our site visit and we can have our engineers look over your floor levels and geotech report and offer you advice on the best way to proceed.
Regardless of how messy the actual job is, we still take pride in leaving your property in a neat, clean and tidy state – it’s almost like we weren’t there. Your builder or project manager will have no trouble finishing off the repair work when we leave. Even in challenging conditions we can successfully level most homes within 15 working days.