How Does Winter Affect Foam Jacking in Edmonton?

Winter is in full swing here in Alberta. The winter months in the Greater Edmonton area bring frigid temperatures and snow, which can have negative effects on the concrete slabs around your home or business. Winter weather can also affect the concrete levelling process. If you have sunken concrete slabs around your property you get around to having lifted in the summer or fall, you may be thinking, "is it too late for foam jacking?" The experts at LVL Concrete Lifting are here to answer your questions about concrete lifting in the winter! In this blog article, we will go over how the winter weather affects your concrete slabs and how winter affects foam jacking in Edmonton. Keep reading to learn more!

How Does Winter Affect Concrete Slabs?

We all know how cold Edmonton winters can get. This cold weather can create serious issues for concrete slabs. Concrete is made up of a mixture of cement, water and other ingredients. Because of its composition, concrete is very susceptible to cracking and contraction during the winter. Concrete is porous, and when it freezes, it expands because the water trapped inside turns into ice. As concrete freezes, it may be affected by spalling, and cracks may appear in the surface or subsurface of your concrete slabs. Cracks and other damage can happen much more quickly if your slabs are already being affected by sinking or settling. As concrete slabs freezes and thaws during the winter, these cracks can become larger and create safety hazards for people on your property! Other factors, such as the natural freeze/thaw cycle and frost heave, can also cause concrete slabs to sink and settle if they were improperly backfilled during installation. If these problems are not taken care of, it could mean your entire slab will need to be replaced, which can be very costly. 

Edmonton Winters Makes Foam Jacking More Challenging.

The temperature outdoors will factor into the success of your foam jacking project, but other things also come into play in the winter. The extreme cold we experience causes the ground to freeze solid, making polyurethane concrete levelling very challenging. The frozen ground can stick to the bottom of the concrete slab and cause the slab to break during the concrete lifting process. Polyurethane concrete raising is limited by the frigid temperatures but not as much as mudjacking will be. Mudjacking is nearly impossible in the winter because of the frozen ground and the materials used. The polyurethane foam we use combines two liquids that are heated in a temperature-controlled environment, then injected under the slab through a heated hose. Because polyurethane foam isn't as affected by outside temperatures, it can be used to lift concrete effectively in colder weather. 

Foam Jacking Can Be Performed In The Winter.

Even though it can be a challenge, foam jacking can be performed in the winter. It is harder to keep the concrete slab from sinking and settling again than it would be if the weather is warmer, but it can be done. Usually, we can lift and level concrete slabs in temperatures down to 0 degrees Celcius. As a general rule, we recommend waiting for spring for outdoor slab lifting projects. Because the ground may be frozen solid during the winter, your concrete slab may sink or settle again when spring comes due to the freeze/thaw cycle. The good news is we can still lift interior slabs such as basement floors, garage floors and indoor commercial and industrial slabs in the winter.

LVL Concrete Lifting Can Lift Your Sunken Concrete Slabs.

If you have sunken and settled concrete slabs on your property, you may have to wait for spring to have them lifted. But we are still here for all your interior slab lifting needs! At LVL Concrete Lifting, our specialty is lifting sunken and settled concrete slabs with our innovative and environmentally friendly foam jacking process. We have over ten years of experience lifting and levelling concrete, and our team is here to help you with those sunken slabs! If you need an indoor foam jacking project completed, contact us today!