Frost or freezing or water damage to new or recently-placed concrete foundations, slabs, or floors: How to Identify & Evaluate Freezing & Water Damage to New Concrete Slabs or Foundations.

This article series describes how to recognize and diagnose various types of foundation failure or damage, such as foundation cracks, masonry foundation crack patterns, and moving, leaning, bulging, or bowing building foundation walls.

Types of foundation cracks, crack patterns, differences in the meaning of cracks in different foundation materials, site conditions, building history, and other evidence of building movement and damage are described to assist in recognizing foundation defects and to help the inspector separate cosmetic or low-risk conditions from those likely to be important and potentially costly to repair.

Freezing or Water Damage in Poured Concrete Slabs or Foundations

Discussed here: How to Identify & Evaluate Freezing Water & Other Damage to New Concrete Slabs or Foundations. What are the trouble signs of freezing damage: flaking, cracking, heaving, in new concrete foundation walls, floors, slabs, footings? When is concrete foundation damage severe enough to need repairs?

Foundation question about winter exposure: we have a new home being built and so far only the foundation has been poured and the bottom floor has been laid down. we are from Ontario Canada and it has been a bad winter with a lot of snow and ice.

Our floor has been exposed to an abundance of snow, ice and rain for at least 3 months. The snow and ice has melted and then re froze. Our builder says that this is ok and it will cause no damage. Is this true? Is it ok to have the floor exposed for the whole winter?

Foundation answer: If the concrete was mixed and handled properly for a cold weather pour (some suppliers use special additives to prevent freezing damage during concrete curing) and if the site was prepared and protected properly during the critical early period of curing of the concrete (protect from rain, flooding, freezing), your new foundation is probably just fine.

However since things can and do go wrong in construction and in life, below we describe how to take a look at your new foundation to see if there are any early signs of trouble. Certainly if there were serious damage to a new foundation, it would be far less costly to repair it before, rather than after, framing and other subsequent steps in building construction.

While concrete continues to cure and harden for weeks or months after it has been poured, the new pour is most vulnerable to rain, frost, or water damage when the pour is very new - from the time right after the pour has been completed, for perhaps 24 to 48 hours. After that time, rain and water themselves are unlikely to damage the exposed concrete. Flaking and spalling are the two most common freezing or concrete mix (or finishing process) problems likely when a concrete poured wall or floor are brand new.

However both new or even older concrete in a poured building foundation slab or foundation walls might be damaged by water and frost from other mechanisms such as frost heaves caused by freezing wet soils which can push or even adhere-to and lift below-ground and on-ground structural components, and also settlement caused by soil subsidence due to compression (water causes compression of inadequately-compacted soil below a concrete footing or slab) or erosion (loss of soil washed out from below a concrete wall or floor).

Signs of trouble in a newly poured foundation wall, slab, or floor in cold, wet, or freezing weather

• Concrete surface flaking -
  
  is a most common visible sign of inadequate cold-weather protection of concrete during a pour. If the surface of the new pour freezes, flakes of water/concrete may pop off; if the flaking is severe, repair or replacement may be needed. If flaking is trivial/superficial only, then this is probably only a cosmetic item.
• Frost Heaves in Concrete Footings, Slabs, Floors, or Walls -
  
  cracks and/or movement in the foundation can occur due to failure to protect the new pour from freezing, combined with poor site drainage or incomplete site preparation. Either frost heave (frozen water expanding and pushing on the foundation) or settlement can occur in a new foundation, exacerbated if these conditions occur during particularly wet conditions followed by freezing weather.
• Shrinkage Cracks in Concrete Walls, Floors, Slabs -
  
  some shrinkage cracks are typical in concrete regardless of the time of year of the concrete pour, especially if control joints were omitted, but large cracks (more than 1/8" wide) or cracks which include dislocation of the concrete (one side of the crack is more than 1/8" "out" or "above" the other in a wall or floor) may deserve further evaluation.
  
  If there are many and severe shrinkage cracks in poured concrete we suspect that either the mix was improperly prepared or the pour was improperly cured. Too-rapid "drying" of concrete can increase the risk of shrinkage cracks occurring as there may be insufficient water to support the chemical curing process, hydration. So shrinkage cracks are not specifically a winter, cold weather, or rain-exposure problem in concrete.
• Concrete Surface Spalling -
  
  at any time of year, but perhaps worse when exposed to rain, if the concrete were poorly mixed in general, or lacked proper additives for cold weather use, you may see spalling (chipping off of surface areas, or soft crumbly surface areas) - spalling and bad mix can occur in any weather
• Cold pour joints in concrete walls -
  
  these are not usually a problem but might, in extreme cases, result in foundation wall leaks

The direct link to our foundation diagnosis and repair article is FOUNDATION DAMAGE REPAIR GUIDE - an article that may help you recognize what's going on with your foundation.

In sum, if a month or two after a new concrete slab or wall has been poured, you don't see flaking, shrinkage cracks or movement-related cracking, then the new pour has not been damaged by freezing or wet condition. But remember that other defects: cracks, settlement, spalling, can occur later in the life of the building.

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2022-11-03 by InspectApedia (Editor) - were the footings compromised with the water frozen next to them

@Kim,

You'll know if the footings have been compromised because the ice or Frost would have caused movement such as heaving that would have cracked foundation wall. If you don't see that and now the backfill is in place then what remains is to be sure you keep water away from the building by having a working roof Gutter and downspout system.

On 2022-11-03 by Kim

@InspectApedia (Editor), No water coming in now, but the mold was significant and the builder claims it was an act of God. We had to pay to remediate it. The builder would not even talk about cleaning it. He told us to get a lawyer.

We ended up cleaning it. Since then the relationship has broken down and he has made this a living hell for us. Which he promised to do if we made him mad. Now he owes us money and won’t pay unless we sign a mutual release.

But my question was, do you feel the footings were possibly compromised with the water frozen next to them, or there was a potential for them to be compromised influencing the builder to want to get that ice thawed.

On 2022-10-19 by InspectApedia (Editor) - river of ice around the perimeter of the basement

@Kim,

When a foundation is completely open to the elements because no more structure has been completed it would be no surprise to find that it contains water following rain or snow. Of course that area needs to be dried out before the building is enclosed else there's a risk of mold growth. Another significant question is whether or not there's water entry now that the building has been completed.

On 2022-10-19 by Kim

Our footings and walls report in November. The basement filled with 3 foot of water and we were charge to have it pumped out. Framing started in December. By February we were able to get down into the basement and found a river of ice around the perimeter of the basement touching the footings and our plumbing pipes were frozen in it.

Is this a problem? Our builder stated no however he had us bring in a propane tank and said he needed to pour the basement cement so he plays the pod heater down there and sealed it in which ended up causing mold. My thoughts are, he was trying to hide some thing and caused us a more serious problem.

On 2022-01-04 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator

@Darlene Puckey,

We need some diagnosis.

Is the concrete heaving and cracking ?

Is the ice cracking or buckling?

Is the perimeter that holds water flexible?

On 2022-01-04 by Darlene Puckey

we had recently had our rink surface cemented ( october)we have tried to flood it recently and the ice just keep cracking and will not hold the multiple floods for ice surface. what are we doing wrong

On 2021-03-09 by danjoefriedman (mod) - foundation/footings had crumbling residue

@Byron,

I'm sure you will understand that no one can perform a damage assessment from a text about foundation damage due to rain after the concrete was placed,however In general it is necessary to protect newly placed concrete from rain or other adverse weather conditions.

If the damage is more than superficial indeed there is a risk that some of that work may need to be redone. Do you need an on-site expert whom you trust.

On 2021-03-09 by Byron

New home construction. Foundation poured and about 6 hours later heavy rain, cleared and then more rain the next day. One week later. checked the foundation to find the columns (not sure of the term) of the foundation/footings had crumbling and a sand like residue on top of several of the columns (the foundation that supports the floors, etc., sorry, not well versed in building.

Builder is reputable, but a production builder and rushing to keep on schedule. Just concerned if this will compromise and affect the integrity of the foundation and the long term health and strength of the house. Thank you very much.

On 2021-02-17 by danjoefriedman (mod) - concrete freeze damage signs

Thank you for the concrete freeze damage signs question Sharon.

In the article above please see the damage signs listed under the paragraph titled

Signs of trouble in a newly poured foundation wall, slab, or floor in cold, wet, or freezing weather

That article also talks about the severity of damage and the timing of damage. I'll be grateful if you take a look and then let me know if any questions remain and I'll be glad to do further research and writing as needed.

On 2021-02-17 by Sharon

My slab was poured when temp was in upper 20s and never higher than 34. First 24 hours temp went down to 19z if concrete is damaged whst signs will I see and when will I see them

On 2018-05-14 by danjoefriedman (mod) - piles or piers are often used to fix and stabilize foundations

Olaf you ask a perfectly reasonable question but not one that can be assessed from an e-text. Your onsite engineer will consider the soils, the design of the existing foundation, and the structure that it has to support. I can say in general that piles or piers or helical piers are often used to fix and stabilize foundations that are otherwise in trouble, and properly specified they work perfectly well.

On 2018-05-14 by Olaf Tomiuk

My builder poured my foundation in December when the temperatures had been well below freezing for consecutive days. They began the dig on the morning of December 18th and finally poured the footings on the evening of the 21st.

They never covered the ground after starting the dig and only covered the footings 3-4 hours after pouring them even though it was snowing and -5 degrees Celsius. It was as cold as -14 Celsius between the time they started digging to the time they poured.

Surprise, surprise... Springtime rolls around and the back of my house sinks 2 inches. The builder has hired an engineering firm to come up with a solution and will likely use some sort of hexpile but I can't help but wonder if the concrete footings are not strong enough to support my house.

How concerned should I be? Is there a way to remediate a footing issue? I took some pictures of the footings the day after they were poured. There definitely appears to be damage as a result of freezing. If anyone knows about this stuff I'd really appreciate your feedback

On 2018-04-24 by danjoefriedman (mod) - will cold weather wreck my newly poured concrete?

Not necessarily if the Builder took steps to protect the slab particularly from the rain before the concrete was adequately set

On 2018-04-17 by Ryan

I had my driveway poured on thursday, it was in the 50s, friday it was in the 40s and rained all day, saturday dropped down to the low 30s high 20s and started to snow. Been cold ever since and my drive way is under 5in of snow. And i totally screwed?

 

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Continue reading at FROST HEAVE / EXPANSIVE SOIL CRACKS in SLABS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

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• CONCRETE DIY SMALL JOB PROCEDURE
• CONCRETE DELIVERY & MIXING
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  • FREEZING & WATER DAMAGED SLABS
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  • SETTLEMENT CRACKS in SLABS
  • SETTLEMENT vs. FROST HEAVE CRACKS
  • SETTLEMENT vs. SHRINKAGE CRACKS
  • SHRINKAGE CRACKS in SLABS
  • SHRINKAGE CRACKS at FOUNDATION WALLS
  • TEMPERATURE EFFECT on CONCRETE POUR
• CONCRETE SLAB CRACK REPAIR
• FOUNDATION DAMAGE by MATERIAL or INCLUSIONS

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FREEZING & WATER DAMAGED SLABS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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