Water Drainage Retaining Wall

In other failed walls we ve seen water collect behind the wall.

Water drainage retaining wall. The bed will allow water that seeps down the back side of the wall to drain out through the gravel underneath it. This collected water freezes and expands which pushes on the wall causing it to fall over. This balance can be upset when additional lateral forces act on the wall. Impermeable walls the water is unable to flow through the face of the wall.

Permeable walls the water can flow through the face of the wall. For proper drainage the first 12 inches of space behind a retaining wall should be filled with crushed stone or gravel. 300 mm behind the block. Any reinforced wall or walls over 4 ft.

Improper water management is a leading cause of retaining wall failures. It can be vital in ensuring that the wall remains upright and that too much wet earth doesn t cause it to buckle or even collapse. Start a retaining wall with a good bed of gravel extending about a foot on either side of the wall base. Any reinforced wall or walls over 4 ft.

Sometimes this means a pipe running through the wall from the soil to the other side. The toe drain and the wall rock is designed to remove incidental water from behind the wall and is not meant as primary drainage path for above or below grade water management. Retaining walls also fail because the base layer was not leveled properly. You should aim to properly drain surface water away from the wall.

When designing your wall take a look at the layout of your entire site. The toe drain and the wall rock is designed to remove incidental water from behind the wall and is not meant as primary drainage path for above or below grade water management. 1 2 m in height or with slopes or other surcharges above the wall will need a toe drain. An unlevel base layer allows areas for water to wash away certain sections more than others which creates an unstable wall.

1 2 m in height or with slopes or other surcharges above the wall will need a toe drain. There are two sorts of retaining walls as far as drainage is concerned. Because of the danger of allowing water to accumulate most retaining walls have built in drainage mechanisms. In all cases wall rock is located within the cores of the block and a minimum of 12 in.

Increase the drainage by placing perforated plastic pipe or similar commercial draining systems at the bottom of the wall. Retaining wall drainage is something that should be well thought out and designed. It is important to consider retaining wall drainage in the process of building your wall. Poor drainage is often the cause of retaining walls failing and then it is often too late to put right.

Proper water management is critical throughout the life of your retaining wall. In all cases wall rock is located within the cores of the block and a minimum of 12 in. This is so that when water gets into the space it does not become bogged down in soil but instead can flow down the wall to the drains or weep holes. A retaining wall will make use of the vertical forces from the wall itself and any soil above the wall s footing to resist the lateral forces from the soil being retained.