Soil Type and Foundations for Dummies

Soil classification chart

One of the earliest internet memes was (we suspect, at least), "If it's on the internet, it has to be true." Another early one was, "On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog." Around the Antisocial Network, we have a corollary to both. We believe it's our sacred duty to expose those dogs (as dumbasses) and, by doing so, help bring the internet up to speed. With that in mind, let's see what the mother lode of internet stupidification has in store for us today. It's a repeat visitor, three-time DotD Jorina Fontelera, who leveraged her  B. A. in English to explain (we use the term loosely) "Soil Types for Foundations."¹

As with so many eHow.com topics, the "question" at hand is ambiguous. Fontelera apparently decided to interpret it as "what kinds of soils are there and what happens to foundations in these soils"; which, sadly, is about as good as you're gonna get. Let's see what her answer was, in her own words:

"There are various types of soil that serve as part of a building's foundation. Different types can be combined together to form a more stable structure as many soil types fall into the expansive soil category."

Oooh, Jorina! great introduction – NOT! Reason 1: the soil doesn't "serve as part of a building's foundation." Reason 2: no, builders don't "[combine] Different types... together," the soil is already there, you fool. OK, we'll admit that in some cases you have to bring in fill, but where's that giant soil mixer? Jorina also claims that

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides a map of the U.S. that lets builders and home owners know the type of soil foundations will rest on..."

...which is, at best, a misinterpretation: the DOA publishes a (set of) county maps and has a website homeowners can use to determine the general surface soil classification at many sites in the U. S., but not the specific type of soil – not that Jorina would know the difference.

Whatever the case, Fontelera takes her metaphorical ball and runs with it, providing goofy interpretations of a total of three soil types, Some of Jorina's more... interesting... statements include: "Expansive soil swells when water content increases, and recedes when the soil water content decreases." "Sandy loam is a stable soil that is not heavily affected by changes in moisture or temperature. It is also called select fill." "...sand is very stable in terms of moisture but is subject to erosion. It is also susceptible to drifting. Basically, the sand can shift beneath the foundation and seep into cracks underground. This will cause the structure above to move horizontally and drift..."

Unfortunately, Fontelera's main reference is now a Chinese website, but the original didn't say that crap, either:

• It didn't say expanding clays "recede" when dry, it said "contract."
• "Select fill" isn't the same thing as sandy loam, it's merely the best-quality fill dirt available that contains no expanding clay,
• About the only place you'll find pure sand is at a beach or on stabilized dunes.

Whatever, it's apparent that Fontelera was simply rewording text she found in a now-defunct website (we found a copy at archive.org). A researcher more cognizant of soil (and foundations) might have found a better reference and, more to the point, understood it well enough to extract useful information. Jorina neither understood the topic nor researched it well enough. That's why she's the Dumbass of the Day – again.

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   ehow.com/list_5953351_soil-types-foundations.html

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