Had a whole brick wall start to bow on a job in Tacoma two weeks ago

We were about three quarters done with a garden wall when I noticed the middle section pushing out by almost an inch. The footing was solid, but the ground behind it had gotten soaked from a busted sprinkler line. I had to tear down that entire section, let the soil dry, and rebuild it with a proper drainage layer. Has anyone else had a wall fail because of hidden water like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

shane_wilson2d ago

Ugh, water pressure is a silent killer. I've seen it blow out brand new block walls from underground springs nobody knew about. It doesn't even take a big leak, just constant damp soil pushing with crazy force. That drainage layer you added is the only real fix. It's a brutal lesson to learn the hard way.

rose_grant782d ago

Oh man, water is the worst! (It always finds a way, doesn't it?) That reminds me of a neighbor's retaining wall that looked fine until we got a huge rain. The whole thing slumped over like a tired horse because the backfill was basically clay soup. It wasn't even a leak, just terrible dirt that held every drop. You fixing that footing must have been a huge pain.

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