A good soaking, by hose or rainfall, is the solution for houses with contrary doors and windows, as well as gaping cracks next to foundations.
Those are outcomes of hot, dry weather, said Shonda Jefferis, Iola’s new code enforcement officer.
“Movement of the soil from it drying out and contracting is what has caused problems,” Jefferis said, of reports of houses shifting slightly, making opening and closing doors and windows difficult from frames twisted a bit, and cracks developing along foundations.
It’s called differential pressure on foundations, she said, and often is compounded by a homeowner having a large tree, maybe several, on one of a house and none on the other. That results in soil on the heavier vegetated side drying out more quickly, as trees draw moisture to maintain themselves.
The only way to reverse the process is to wet the soil, which takes time and more than a few gallons of water.
A soaker hose would be the ideal way to artificially wet the soil. Steady rain over several days would be better.
While wetting soil with a soaker hose would work, it isn’t an approach recommended by the city.
Water concerns have reached the second of three levels, which means watering outdoors is restricted to after 9 p.m. and before 10 a.m. Also, restrictions limit residents to watering on alternating days, those with even-numbered addresses on even-numbered days, odd-numbered addresses on odd-numbered days.
Structural shift from drought conditions shouldn’t cause any permanent construction problems, other than in some extreme cases walls might move enough to develop cracks in plaster, she said. Newer homes generally have walls covered with sheets of drywall material.
JEFFERIS said her new position with Iola made for better family life.
She came to the job July 30 with a firm foundation herself in construction principles, having graduated in 2000 from Pittsburg State University with a degree in construction engineering technology.
She also had 12 years experience in construction inspections, with an emphasis on concrete highways and bridges, first with Kansas Department and Transportation and then Transystems Corporation, Wichita.
Her most recent assignment with Transystems, before taking the code enforcement position, involved day-long inspections of a project in Manhattan, more than a leisurely commute from her home south of Moran.
Adjusting to city code enforcement with Iola hasn’t been a substantial change in responsibilities.
“It’s just a different set of codes and having to spend less time on-site,” she said.
