How to prevent Frost Heaves at your Cape Cod Home

Written by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder | Wed, Mar 18, 2015

Pot Holes galore! This record-breaking snowfall and never-ending winter has wreaked havoc on our Cape Cod roads, sidewalks, and shallow footings. This might be "shut the barn door after the horse gets out" kind of information, but how do frost heaves work? And how can I protect my home from frost heave damage?

Frost heaves are thought to function due to the formation of an ice lens. Though the surface of the earth reflects the current temperature outside, the temperature of the soil rises the lower it gets underground. When the surface ground freezes, a frost line forms where the temperature in the earth departs from freezing temperatures. At the frost line, groundwater freezes, forming a thin sheet of ice called an ice lens. As water turns to ice, it expands. The expansion of the ice lens causes the surface soil to bulge upward, resulting in a frost heave.

Here is more information to better understand how frost heaves work, and how you can prevent them in the future:

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