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Where is the Water Going?

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Improper water management is a leading cause of wall failures. To help mitigate this potential problem, proper water management is critical throughout the life of your retaining wall. In February, Danelle touched upon the planning that must be done in order to direct water away from your retaining wall using swales, berms, and other grading.

Water Management

Water Management

In addition to Danelle’s suggestions, the secondary line of defense is the minimum 1 ft (0.3 m) of clean stone behind the wall. This drainage column allows incidental water to migrate downward to the base of the wall. Once the water makes it to the base of the wall, it enters the drain pipe. The water is then expelled to daylight through a vent. As noted on the Water Management page of the Allan Block website, the details require a toe drain for walls over 4 feet (1.2 m) tall.

Once the wall is built correctly with proper drainage, the owner must assume responsibility for the water management for the life of the structure. If future site improvements involve grading the site differently, keep in mind how water may flow and ensure that it does not flow directly toward the wall. If new gutters are put on the house, or a new sprinkler system is installed, avoid having this water pool near the top of the wall. Taking care to avoid water management issues will prolong the life of the retaining wall and keep it maintenance free.

Tom

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Don’t let Drafting and CAD Work Slow You Down

Monday, March 16th, 2009

I got a call from an engineer who was in a panic because his drafting expert was unexpectedly out of the office and this engineer had to meet a deadline with a set of construction drawings. He had performed the structural design of an Allan Block retaining wall, and now was the time to put something together for the contractor. Fortunately, Allan Block has solutions that streamline the drafting process.

The Allan Block engineering team has created a library of design details that are available for the design community. These details are available in .dwg, .pdf and .jpg format and cover a variety of applications including:

Geogrid Typical

Geogrid Reinforcement

  • Typical Retaining Wall Details
  • Drainage Details
  • Fence-Above-Wall Details
  • Water Applications
  • And more…

Beyond the details that are shown on the website, the Allan Block’s expert engineering assistance is available to assist with the more unconventional details. They may have your specific detail in their archive, or if you need help creating a unique detail, they are happy to lend a hand.

To tie these details to your specific project, Allan Block has created a program within the AB Walls 2007 Design Software called the AutoCAD Macro. This application can be used to quickly import scaled and layered details into AutoCAD from your specific project.

With all of these tools, the engineer on the phone breathed a sigh of relief, and he was able to get his project completed on time. Let Allan Block’s CAD tools help make your next retaining wall drafting project a breeze!

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Don’t Let a Rainy Day Spoil Your Project

Friday, February 6th, 2009

Water Management

Water Management

Building a retaining wall can be easy. Just a few simple steps and some thoughtful planning can make just about any wall design a reality. A common step in the planning process that is often overlooked is managing the water on the site. The success of your wall project can depend on how well this is done. So where does the water go?

The idea is to keep the water that flows on the site to travel away from or around the retaining wall – not through or behind the wall. This causes extra pressure and weight on the wall and could potentially cause the wall to fail. To avoid this type of scenario simply plan an appropriate path for this water to travel.

When designing your wall, take a look at the layout of your entire site. Where does the water flow? Once the wall is in, where will that water go? You may need to incorporate swales or berms to deter the water from heading toward the wall. The Allan Block Landscape Walls Guide has some good information on this. Click here to check it out.

Aside from where the water goes after the wall is built, you may also want to take some time to think about water while building and staging your materials. If you get a heavy down pour during construction, you definitely want to make sure that water travels away from your wall.

With the water on your project managed properly you can rest easy knowing that your wall will stand tall and stay dry for a long time to come.

-Danelle

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