Do you know that your house is attached to the foundation? Bolting is a type of seismic retrofit that provides backfilling of drilling mud to its concrete base. Dirt is horizontal wood that is on top of the foundation. This is the bottom of the outer wall that connects the frame of the house with the base.
Ridges that are not connected to the foundation (or poorly connected) will begin to move during an earthquake along with the walls to which they are attached. This movement can lead to the rupture of gas pipelines and the ejection of electrical wires. Floors may also be damaged. If shaking is severe, the entire building may fall.
When the mud solution is properly attached to the concrete, it prevails at home from slipping and sliding during seismic activity.
Fixing the house to its foundation became a requirement of the Unified Building Code in 1949. However, it took almost 10 years to implement this code. Consequently, most houses built before 1960 were not attached to their bases. Without a bolt, an earthquake can shake a house from its base.
You can check whether your mud stove of your house was locked by entering your walk-around space or basement and looking for thick bolts on the top of the sill. You should see bolts every 4-6 feet. There should also be steel anchor plates connecting the edge of the sill to the side of the base.
If you find rusty bolts, they will need to be replaced. Dissolved bolts are more commonly found in wet areas.
Also note the recessed bolts. When the foundation is loved, and the bolts do not stick high enough, the dirt around the bolt must be turned to put on the nut. This can make it difficult to tighten the nuts and possibly the inability to install any anchor plates. Recessed bolts should be replaced.
An important point in boltting is the depth of penetration into concrete. Minimum and standard depth requirements depend on the type of anchor bolt used. The contractor can determine if the bolts are at the proper depth.
Replacing bolts can be difficult due to limited space. The foundation repair specialist will know which bolts need to be replaced in addition to all the tools you need to work properly.
Bolting is only one part of the retrofit process. Even bolted houses can be badly hit by an earthquake if the walls of a cripple were not properly fixed. A cripple wall is a short wall between the ground floor and the foundation. Cripple walls need fittings with durable materials such as plywood. Plaster and wood siding do not provide sufficient support for the walls.
The best way to find out if your house is properly installed is to contact the founder, a specialist in this area and ask for a free check. Getting help from a foundation repair specialist will save you time, money, and potential damage from the next big earthquake.
