One of the biggest issues of being a homeowner in the state of Florida, as well as other areas around the country, is the fear that a sinkhole may develop on your property that can affect your belongings and residence.
While some sinkholes will develop quickly, sometimes seemingly overnight, most of the time a sinkhole is slow growing, and it will have some telling signs that will let homeowners know that there is something wrong with the geology of their property. For example, one of the more common signs that a homeowner might notice with a sinkhole on their property is that they recently developed cracks in walls. Floral City residents should be made aware however that not all cracking inside and outside a home are the result of a sinkhole.
Because of this, many homeowners would like to know what they should be looking for when they see that their home is starting to develop cracks inside and outside the home.
Do Cracks Develop Inside or Outside the Home?
The types of cracks that can be caused by a sinkhole can affect and show up on the walls both inside the home and outside of it as well. While seeing cracks in these areas may have most of us freaking out at the possibility of an active sinkhole, not all the cracks seen are caused by one.
If a homeowner only notices that cracks are on the outside of their home, it is more likely that the issue is not the result of a sinkhole creating the cracks in walls. Floral City residents should know that cracks inside the home are much more likely to be caused by an active sinkhole.
One common scenario that happens a lot is a homeowner will notice a stair shape crack that has developed on the outside of a home. More often than not, these types of cracks are not the result of an active sinkhole, but simply the cause of a home’s foundation settling after many years of being up.
Look for Nonuniform Types of Cracks
While the types of cracks that would be benign may look serious, they are often dismissed because they look too uniform. They look perfect in terms of cracks in walls. Floral City residents should know that real cracks caused by an active sinkhole will often look very sporadic.
They will not look very uniform, and they could be darting in many different directions that would not be in a straight line. Keep in mind that these cracks will also start growing or changing direction quickly over a period of time. The types of cracks that are the result of foundation settling will not seem as though they are growing.
If you are someone who is unsure about if the cracks in your home are harmless or not, it is always best to call a professional that handles sinkhole investigations as they would give you a more definitive answer.
*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of *Sinkhole Titan*
