What are soil injections?

Have you heard of soil injections before? No? You should. The Complete Backyard does soil injections on every single project they undertake where the soil is predominately clay.

By injecting the soil with a proprietary organic formula, we change the chemical composition of the soil in your yard and prevent the heavy clay soil from absorbing water. This provides lasting long term advantages for your new outdoor living space. You’ve probably heard from neighbors or family members who have had issues with cracks in their pool or heaving of the pavers or concrete in their outdoor spaces. Soil injections help to prevent those problems from occurring down the road.

Think of it this way. If the soil has a “sickness,” such as clay absorbing water, the symptoms of the sickness show by pavers heaving and shifting. Sure, you can reset the pavers or patch the cracks in your pool, but, because the the underlying conditions have not been treated, the symptoms will keep manifesting as problems you will need to keep treating. The Complete Backyard believes in treating the whole condition, not just the symptoms. We want our clients to have peace of mind and a beautiful space to enjoy for years to come.

The soil stabilization process. What is it?

If you have clay soil in your yard, imagine it as being like a sponge. When the soil is dry, it is compact and hard. However, when water is added, the clay soil, like a sponge, will absorb the water and swell. Just as you wouldn’t build anything on a sponge, you don’t want to build on untreated clay soil because you can imagine what would happen in time. Texas, particularly the area around Dallas, has soils with a tendency to expand.

Soil without treatments can swell (rise) as much as 6” is certain geographical locations. The same soils which have been treated with soil stabilization methods, subject to the same conditions, will swell (rise) only about 1.5″.

The soil stabilization process: How does it work?

The Complete Backyard prefers to treat every project with clay soils using soil injections. We want our clients to have peace of mind with their new project. Typically the process only takes about 24 hours. When building a new pool, we drill into the ground under the bottom of the pool to a depth of 7 feet for the soil injections. We do this every 3 feet to give you the strongest platform for your new project. The soil treatment forces the existing water out of the soil. After doing the injections, we wait 24 hours, then return to the site and pump out the water which has been forced out of the ground. When we are sure all the water is out, then we continue with the construction of the project.

The soil stabilization process: What are the benefits?

This injection process has no effect on the surrounding landscape. Homeowners can landscape right up to the edge of their new pool or decking. Homeowners also have a peace of mind with the process. After having spent thousands of dollars on a new pool or outdoor space, it is a comfort to know the flooring will be just as smooth and level years down the road as it on project completion. For new pools, treating the soil helps to prevent cracking which can lead to leaks in the future.

Soil stabilization is not just for new project constructions. We also do this whenever we remodel an existing pool or backyard space. We want every homeowner we work with to have peace of mind in the quality of the project.

What if my soil isn’t treated before my new pool is installed?

As mentioned earlier, installing a new pool on untreated soil would be like building a pool on sponge. The minute clay particles absorb water and can expand dramatically for their size. If the soil is left untreated, eventually your new pool will move with the soil.

The pool might move out of level, being especially noticeable at the water line
Skimmers might not function properly if the water isn’t flowing into them at the right rate
The pool may develop cracks leading to water leakage and water loss
The pool decking may begin to pull away from the pool itself
If your decking moves with the expanding soil, you will notice concrete cracks or heaved pavers which could cause tripping and falling

While the soil injection process helps to prevent soil movement in your finished backyard space, please know this process will not control or divert underground water. Underground water (deeper than the depth to which we treat the soil) can still cause the soils to swell. At The Complete Backyard, we make sure the final grading of your new outdoor space slopes away from your pool and new decking, preventing water from water from entering the new space.

Is this process safe?

We mentioned earlier about the process changing the chemical composition of the soil. While this may sound alarming, it really is quite safe. The treatments prevent the clay from being able to absorb water, by creating a moisture barrier around the clay particles.