Landscape Maintenance - Retaining Wall Drainage
About Retaining Wall Drainage
Overview
| Retaining walls are predominately used throughout landscaping nowadays either to tame a hill side or simply as decorative purposes. Retaining walls can be built out of many materials which include; brick, concrete and stone. They can also be built up high or small depending on your wants and needs. They are the perfect addition and they offer enhancing characteristics to residential properties. |
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80% of residential retaining walls fail because of poor drainage issues. Retaining wall drainage is the most important part of the walls' structure. If water or soil gets caught inside the retaining wall it will cause havoc and the pressure of the water and soil will cause the wall to crumble. Retaining wall drainage should be discussed extensively with a professional to ensure that homeowners receive the best out of the wall itself. |
The Importance of Retaining Wall Drainage
| Majority of retaining walls will face difficulty because of pressure against the wall caused by water and soil moisture build up behind the wall. Drainage is important because it will help keep the wall free of these problems and it also creates a long lasting attribute for the wall. All retaining wall drainage should provide water to flow freely against the back of the wall and down into a connected drainage system taking the water completely away from the wall itself. Gravel backfill, drainage blankets and drainage piping are also important to the overall structure of the retaining wall. |
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It is also important to remember that retaining walls need small weep holes to ensure that water is able to reach the drainage pipes, stone or blankets. If there are no weep holes then the trapped water will not be able to reach the retaining wall drainage and problems will begin to occur.
Types of Drainage
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There are all sorts of retaining wall drainage systems which can be utilized into the overall construction. But the most commonly and preferred type is drainage piping. Drainage piping allows water which gets caught in the retaining wall to flow freely through to the existing drainage system. Retaining wall drainage piping should be installed in front of the wall; it should be underneath the wall also. This is so that all the water and dirt which gets caught goes straight into the drainage piping and releases through to outdoor drainage systems. |
| Whether the retaining wall is small or large a drainage systems should be put in place. Another type of retaining wall drainage is drainage stone and rock. Drainage stone should be used on smaller retaining walls such as ones which are used around garden beds. The drainage stone will catch the water and dirt which floods the retaining wall and it will soak it in and move it away form the wall itself. Drainage stone should be installed into the middle of all retaining wall units to prevent the wall from failing. |
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It is important to consider all aspects of the retaining wall and its drainage because if there is not enough drainage piping or weep holes or even backfill the wall will fail and crumble due to the pressure. If you are unsure about your retaining wall drainage then you should seek professional help immediately.
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