Will a settling foundation cause electrical problems? Foundation settling, easily confused with foundation failure, is a catchall phrase to describe the gradual and natural changes in a building’s foundation over time. These changes involve the house slowly sinking one or two inches into the ground over which it is built.
Foundation settling is nothing to be worried about. SGI Phoenix team warns every house experiences foundation settling to a certain degree. The extent of settling depends on the underlying soil and weather in the location. As long as it is evenly distributed across the structure, foundation settling will not adversely affect your home
Foundation settling becomes a problem when it is extreme or chronic. If there are cracks in the foundation, perhaps the structure is shrinking or expanding, and the issue has gone beyond mere foundation settling. A foundation is also deemed to have problems when foundation settling does not happen evenly across the structure.
This post is about foundation settling, not foundation problems. It will answer the question “Will a settling foundation cause electrical problems?”.
What are the signs of foundation settling?
When foundation settling happens evenly across the entire structure of a building, it is hard to see it. The only way to know for sure if your foundation has settled is to have a structural engineer compare the current state of the foundation to what it was when the house was built.
Can foundation settling (even if it does not affect a building’s structural integrity) pose a threat to other aspects of the structure? For instance, can foundation settling damage a home’s electrical connections?
It is unlikely that electrical problems in your home are the direct result of the foundation settling, but it cannot be ruled out completely. Below, in this post, we explain how foundation settling might affect or appear to affect your home’s electrical systems.
Is foundation settling affecting your home’s wiring?
When there are obvious signs of movement in a building’s foundation, homeowners often fear those changes may result in fires or other electrical problems. This is highly improbable, especially if the house is built of a slab foundation.
For homes built on a slab foundation, the incoming electrical service is mounted on the home’s exterior. But even with pier and beam foundations, although the lines enter from the exterior and sometimes run through the crawlspace, foundation settling will not threaten the wiring.
You can look out for the following problems to determine if foundation settling is interfering with your wiring:
- Broken electrical wires and damaged conduits
In homes with pier and beam foundations, it is not uncommon for electrical wires in the crawlspace to come loose. But the usual cause of the problem is a plumber or other professional working in the space who accidentally clipped a wire. You will know immediately if this happens because the electricity supply to that area of the home will be disrupted. However, it is a good idea to get a professional electrician to look at the problem if there are signs that your home’s foundation is settling, accompanied by strange interruptions to your home’s electricity supply
- Movement of your electric meter
Movements in a building’s foundation can break the wires that connect to the electric meter. Usually due to heaving: when ice or moisture causes the soil beneath a house to expand and exert upward pressure on the foundation. The resulting movement is called lift. It can exert enough tension on the wires in the electrical meter to separate them. Contact the electric company and have them check the meter if this happens. If the meter is old, damaged or disconnected, they should be able to replace or reconnect it at no cost to you.
- Water damage
If your home already suffers from foundation issues due to poor drainage, those same issues can affect the home’s electrical systems.
Because the electrical problems happen alongside the foundation problems, it is easy to assume that the foundation problem are the reason for the home’s electrical issues. But in most cases, it is not just coincidental. Poor drainage can interfere with your home’s electricity supply by exposing underground wires to water. Poor drainage will also create conditions that make your crawlspace attractive to rodents. These rodents can chew on the wiring and damage them.
If you still think the electrical problems in your home are somehow related to the changes in your building’s foundation, contact a licensed electrician to inspect the electrical wiring in your crawlspace to determine the true cause of the problems.
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