Don’t Turn Off Your Sprinklers in the Winter!

Have you ever wondered if turning off your sprinkler is actually causing more harm than good? We at Foundation Check are here to tell you that, yes, turning off your sprinkler in winter really could cause harm to your home’s foundation. Every year people turn off their sprinkler before the winter holidays and don’t turn them back on until their first barbecue in the spring.

When you turn off the sprinkler around your home the expansive soil around the house dries up, shrinks and causes the home’s foundation to move. Because of this, we are called out to dozens of homes in the springtime to assess foundation damage. Since we are based in Houston, Texas we tell our clients to water at least once or twice a week during the winter months. The trees are still pulling out water all year long. Evaporation of water from the soil is also going on. Continued watering around the perimeter of the foundation will prevent the soil from drying out, contracting and contributing to foundation issues.

You’ve worked hard to prevent your soil from drying out in the summer, so there is no reason to turn the sprinklers off and leave them off and risk permanent foundation damage. The couple days that the temperature does fall below freezing, turn off the sprinkler system and drain the lines but turn them back on when it gets back above freezing.

Here in this part of Texas it is important to keep the moisture content of the soil around the perimeter of the house as consistent as possible. Remember, there’s no need to turn off of your sprinklers in the winter. Watering just a few times a month can prevent serious foundation problems in the future.