Concrete jacking may be the perfect solution if your property has cracked or sunken concrete. Also called mudjacking, the repair method works to lift and restore a damaged slab back to its original position.
Concrete jacking is a quick, effective and affordable repair – much more so than slab replacement. But, in northern Utah, it isn’t a year-round fix. In the winter months, professional contractors watch the thermometer to determine when mudjacking is feasible.
Utah doesn’t always see harsh winter weather – most of the snowfall occurs in the mountains, and the temperature, while certainly cold, doesn’t usually reach arctic levels.
When it’s still relatively warm outside for winter, mudjacking may be possible. If northern Utah hasn’t yet seen freezing temperatures and the daily high is at least 32 degrees, professional mudjacking contractors can successfully complete the concrete repair.
The cement slurry used for mudjacking will likely take a little longer to set if you schedule the repair now, but the end result will be the same. The once-damaged slab will be stable and secure, back at its original level.
If the temperature has already dropped below freezing, professional mudjacking contractors will not attempt the concrete repair. This isn’t because they don’t like being out in the cold – there are actually two very good reasons why mudjacking has to wait.
First of all, mudjacking requires the contractor to drill holes through the cracked or sunken concrete and down into the earth to reach the soil voids, or empty spaces within the soil. If the ground is frozen, this can be next to impossible.
The second reason has to do with soil expansion and contraction. In the winter, when the ground freezes, the soil expands. Then, when warmer weather arrives, it thaws and contracts – which changes the structure of the soil voids under a damaged slab.
Professional mudjacking contractors know that if they fill soil voids in frozen ground, the concrete repair will not be complete. After the soil contracts, new voids will likely appear – which means the slab won’t be stable.
If you just discovered a cracked or sunken slab on your property, contact a local contractor to schedule mudjacking right away. You might just be able to get the concrete repair before Jack Frost decides to hit northern Utah. Or, at the very least, you’ll be one of the first in line to have concrete jacking done in the spring.
At Lift Right Concrete, the leading northern Utah concrete jacking company for over a decade, we’ll tell it like it is. If the temperature isn’t right for mudjacking, our professional contractors will let you know that your concrete repair has to wait. We want your business but we never cut corners on workmanship or customer satisfaction.
Lift Right Concrete offers free, no-hassle consultations estimates throughout Salt Lake County and all along the Wasatch Front. To request your customized concrete jacking estimate, contact our West Jordan or Grantsville office today.
