Retaining walls are used in many areas to stabilize a slope or hill when a portion of it has been cut away. Cutting into the hill makes the slope unstable, so the retaining wall is constructed to hold the soil back, but it can begin to fail over time and require retaining wall repair to save it.
Bulging Walls
You should monitor any retaining wall on your property over time to ensure it is still strong and holding the soil behind it in place. If any wall section begins to lean out or bulge, it is essential to get a retaining wall repair contractor to inspect it right away.
Bulging sections of the wall are an indication that the structure is failing, and if it is not repaired, it will eventually collapse, allowing the soil to slide down over the collapsed wall. The most common time for a retaining wall to fail is in heavy rain, but a leaning wall is already showing movement and is likely to let go and collapse at any time.
Repairing the wall often means taking it down and building a new wall with additional support, but if it has just started to move, and the movement is limited to one area, the retaining wall repair contractor may be able to fix that section and check the rest of the wall to ensure the problem is not going to spread over time.
Cracked Walls
Inspecting the retaining wall on your property for cracks or breaks in the concrete or bricks is essential. If the wall begins to crack, it can weaken, and the retaining wall can fail behind the crack. A retaining wall repair contractor can check the damage for you to determine how extensive it is. In some cases, they can repair the cracks by adding additional concrete to the wall, or if the wall is brick, they may be able to remove the damaged bricks and replace them with new ones.
Often retaining walls begin to shift because the drainage behind the wall is not working correctly or is not sufficient for the area. A retaining wall repair contractor can excavate behind the wall, add additional drainage and then rebuild the wall to ensure the problem does not occur again. While rebuilding the wall is expensive, if the wall comes down, it could allow a large amount of soil and other materials to come down the hill and into your yard.
If the retaining wall borders the house, the material could slide down against the house's foundation and damage it significantly. If you suspect a problem with the rating wall, have it inspected right away to head off additional damage or issues down the road.
For more information, contact a local company, like Drax Inc.
