Is your retaining wall beginning to show signs of wear and tear?
This means disaster! But no worries, you don’t need to spend a lot of money building a new foundation. Retaining wall repair and maintenance is the answer, because even the best built buildings need proper maintenance to be productive and achieve their maximum working life.
Signs of Retaining Walls at Risk
But how do you know your wall starts to deteriorate? There are a number of telling signs that can indicate if your wall is at risk of collapsing. We’ve put together a list of the most common signs to help you determine if your retaining wall needs to be repaired or replaced. So, take note of these warning flags.
Fractures in the retaining wall
Cracking, bulging, and buckling are the common signs of retaining wall failure. Minor cracks are usually not a serious threat, but major cracks should be evaluated by an engineer. Retaining wall fractures may prevent the structure from retaining the soil. It’s possible that the wall has a higher load behind it or that it wasn’t properly built or designed to support the weight. With weak limbs, no wall can last forever, so if you see any fractures in yours, it’s on the verge of collapsing. In this case, it’s better to call a professional retaining wall contractor.
Retaining Walls are leaning or bowing
Whether your walls move when pushed on or lean a significant amount, it can be a safety risk that needs to be addressed. Bowing or leaning signs indicate that your wall is bearing more weight than it was designed to hold. This may occur if the wall is not properly reinforced or the footing is weak. Water can seep into the soil behind a retaining wall if the land behind it does not drain correctly, making the soil heavier and putting more strain on the wall. This added pressure might lead the wall to collapse.
Water leaking through retaining walls
If you see water leaking through your retaining wall, you have a drainage problem. You should take care of it before it becomes any worse. It’s important to keep the water from flowing into and through the retaining wall because this prevents the structural strength from deteriorating further. With proper drainage, when water gets into the retaining wall, it does not get clogged in the soil and instead flows down to the drains or weep holes.
A section of the retaining wall starts to separate
When a section of your wall separates from the main structure or begins to tilt, it’s a warning sign that it’s about to collapse. The continuous eroding or sliding of the soil, as well as water build up and other causes, may put a lot of pressure on the walls. If your retaining wall has more than one side, one of them may begin to separate from the other adjacent part because of a poor construction.
Reasons for Retaining Wall Failure
Since you already know about the warning signs that you need to check every time you do regular maintenance, let’s talk about why retaining walls fail? Even though they’re made from high quality materials, they can’t last forever.
- Soil saturation behind the wall due to inadequate drainage
- Unexpected load without considering the increasing pressure
- Shallow footing has a lower capacity to withstand lateral soil pressure
- Improper design calculation or a lack of reinforcement
- A retaining wall has reached the end of its working life due to age
Failures of retaining walls may cause significant damage to property and services, as well as serious injury. To achieve a safe, efficient, and cost effective retaining wall solution, it’s typically best to have a retaining wall designed by an engineer and built by a licensed retaining wall contractor.
If you notice any of the above listed concerns with your retaining walls, don’t ignore them and message Busselton Retaining Wall Services through our contact page. The retaining wall products and systems are engineer designed, tested and manufactured in accordance with Australian Standard 4678.
I hope you find this blog helpful, don’t forget to check our next blog. Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below. I would really like to read them!
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