SW-RP1 – Rock Solid Seawall Repair Material

Rock Solid Seawall Repair

In the blog post What is SW-RP1? Why Do You Need It for Seawall & Bulkhead Repair?, we posted the following info about SW-RP1…

The hallmark of the Seawall Repair Network is our proprietary SW-RP1 repair permeation solution. Simply put – it is the best product on the market for seawall soil stabilization.

• SW-RP1 is essential for sealing your seawall’s panel cracks, filling voids and defects behind your seawall, and perhaps most importantly, proving soil stabilization for your seawall.
• SW-RP1 transforms the surrounding soil of your seawall into a water-tight impermeable mass, which blocks the transference of energy and lateral stress caused by the typical build-up of hydrostatic pressure behind the seawall.
• SW-RP1 is environmentally safe and is certified to NSF (61-5) standards for contact with drinking water.

Repairing a Seawall with High-Strength Material

One detail that cannot be emphasized enough, however, is the strength of the material. Once SW-RP1 cures, it is stronger than crystalline bedrock. Watch the brief video below for demonstrations of the injection process and the strength of SW-RP1 in cured form.

See SW-RP1 Bulkhead Sealer in Action

The Disadvantages of Filling Seawall Voids with Cement (or How to Repair a Seawall)

Many Contractors Still Do Not Know How to Repair a Seawall

Before the advent of advanced seawall repair materials such as SW-RP1, contractors often attempted to fill voids behind seawalls with cement (which cures into concrete). Unfortunately, there are still inexperienced contractors out there who are using this outdated method.

The Disadvantages of Filling Seawall Voids with Cement

Concrete Puts Unnecessary Pressure on the Seawall and Surrounding Soil: Concrete weighs a lot. Filling a void behind a seawall with cement creates additional lateral load pressure on the seawall. The heavy concrete also further destabilizes the soil over time.

Concrete Displaces Supporting Soil and Breaks Apart Over Time: Unlike our SW-RP1 seawall repair material, cement does not permeate and stabilize loose soil surrounding a void. Instead, cement just displaces the surrounding soil. This leaves open the possibility of further erosion and void formations below and around the cured concrete. Once the surrounding soil begins to give way, the concrete will often break into pieces over time (see the featured photo in this blog post for an example).

Concrete in the Soil Impedes Advanced Seawall Repair Methods: Since void-fill with cement is not a lasting solution for seawall-supporting soil, proper repair with advanced materials such as SW-RP1 will eventually be required. Unfortunately, concrete in the soil surrounding the wall just makes this process slower and more expensive. Concrete in the soil obstructs advanced seawall stabilization methods such as installing repair material via injection rods and installing an anchoring system. In a case like this, additional time and resources would be required to excavate and dump the old void-fill concrete, then replace it with fresh fill soil before beginning the repair process.

So consider yourself warned if a contractor proposes filling the voids behind your seawall with cement. What once (long ago) may have seemed like a common-sense solution has been repeatedly proven to make the situation worse over time.

Seawall Repair in the Northeast: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia

Many seawalls along the northeastern United States are in a state of disrepair, for a wide variety of reasons. Rising water levels, corrosion, seasonal freeze/thaw cycles, storms, and extreme weather events all contribute to seawall deterioration over time. Properly built seawalls include a drainage system to handle the daily influx and outflow of water from rain, tides, and waves. Over time, these drainage systems can sometimes become clogged. Seawalls without an effective built-in drainage system face a unique problem in that the water has no way to escape except to force its way down and out from underneath the base of the wall. When this occurs, sinkholes will appear alongside the wall.

Seawall Repair Options

Property owners facing seawall deterioration have a few options:

• Do Nothing: The problem with this option is obvious – the longer you wait, the more expensive the eventual repair.
• Replace the Seawall: Rebuilding a seawall (or even a section of a seawall) can be messy, time-consuming, and expensive.
• Repair with Cement Grout: Cement grout seawall repair requires heavy equipment, large drill holes, and the use of weighty cement grout which may sink over time.
• Repair with Seawall Repair Network: Seawall Repair Network’s repair process is accomplished with small mobile equipment, proprietary SW-RP1 durable repair material that doesn’t sink, and small drill holes. This procedure is less messy and more efficient than replacing the seawall or repairing it with cement grout.

Seawall Repair Network’s SW-RP1 is stronger than crystalline bedrock. Combined with proper drainage, seawall repair with SW-RP1 can greatly extend the life of the structure.

Environmentally Safe Seawall Repair in the Northeast

Seawall Repair Network’s SW-RP1 has received the official NSF seal of approval for contact with drinking water (this also protects water-dwelling wildlife as well). This designation ensures compliance with the Safe Water Drinking Act (SDWA) and guarantees peace of mind for property owners and propery managers.