Adam Preble wrote:
tom wrote:
Why? Tom


I'm trying to get a few more years out of the slab before I have to
resort to piers. It gets very dry and hot in Austin over the summer.
From what I read, putting in the soaker hoses with the proper distance
and depth at least won't hurt--screwing that up *could* have problems.
It won't reverse any gradients that has happened, but the house was
within safe bounds when I inspected it before buying.

That and I was planning on running the hose around in a few places to
provide some water for gardening.
What we are talking about here are the very HEAVY clay soils that exist
in some parts of southeast texas. In such areas, swimming pools MUST
stay full ALL the time as they will literally POP up out of the ground.

Most houses in these areas are have a concrete slab on a sand base. The
sand is moist when the slab is poured, and acts as a buffer to the
expansion/contraction of the soil underneath as its water content rises
and falls (this expansion/contraction will CRUSH concrete)

Adding drip irrigation to the perimeter of the home helps restore the
moisture to the sand under the first several inches from the edge of the
slab, in theory, reducing the stress on the slab. Slabs will crack,
windows won't open, doors won't close, cracks develop in the sheetrock
inside and I have seen cracks in the exterior masonry walls.