Banner - Does Your Seawall Need an Intervention

Does Your Dysfunctional Seawall Need an Intervention?

Body - Does Your Seawall Need an InterventionSeawall Damage Symptoms and Solutions

Has your seawall become unstable over time? When supporting soil on the landward side begins to erode, your once-reliable waterfront barrier may begin to show indications of dysfunction and distress. Watch for these signs of seawall failure:

  • Soil Depressions Near the Seawall
  • Rust Stains on the Surface
  • Movement or Shifting of the Seawall
  • Cracks in the Concrete

Fortunately, supporting soil can be stabilized, cracks and leaks can be sealed, and the damage repaired in most cases. Seawall Repair Network® contractors trained in proprietary stabilization and preservation methods are standing by to provide you with a free estimate for a professional intervention!

Watch the Dysfunctional Seawall four-part mini-series below!

Don’t Let Your Property Sink Into Chaos

Your Seawall May Need an Intervention

SW-RP1 Is The Answer

Restoring Stability

Water is Relentless!

Water is Relentless - Body

Water is relentless. This is a key fact that all waterfront property owners should thoroughly understand. The price of enjoying an oceanfront, riverfront, or lakeside view from the comfort of your own home is the inherent risk that comes with living right next to a large body of water.

Four Critical Warning Signs of Seawall Failure

If your residence is protected by a seawall, you should familiarize yourself with the four critical warning signs of seawall failure:

  1. Soil Depressions Near the Seawall
  2. Rust Stains on the Surface
  3. Movement or Shifting of the Seawall
  4. Cracks in the Concrete

Excessive rainwater or floodwater build-up on the landward side of the wall (usually resulting from an inadequate or clogged weep hole system within the wall itself) will put untenable hydrostatic pressure on the structure. This pressure can cause parts of the wall to move and/or crack. Once the concrete is broken, landward side water will pull soil from your property through the wall and into the water on the other side, causing depressions or small sinkholes near the structure. In addition, steel rebar or mesh inside the wall is exposed to rust, resulting in rust stains appearing on the surface.

Four Options for Dealing with Seawall Damage

Once aware of these problems, you’re faced with four options:

  1. Ignore the Problem and Do Nothing
    (If you go this route, the problem gets worse – and more expensive to repair – over time.)
  2. Replace the Seawall
    (This option is typically a lot more expensive than a repair, requires heavy equipment, and involves messy disruptive excavation.)
  3. Repair with Inferior Methods
    (Inferior repair materials such as hydraulic cement, slurry, and sodium silicate do not provide a permanent, long-term solution.)
  4. Repair with proven Seawall Repair Network® methods.
    (More on this in the next section.)

You can read more about these four options on the Seawall & Bulkhead Replacement vs Repair page. Needless to say, any of the four critical warning signs should warrant a checkup from a qualified seawall repair contractor. Most contractors offer free professional assessments and repair estimates.

Fortunately, there are many effective methods at your disposal in the battle against water’s relentless onslaught. Seawall Repair Network® preferred marine contractors provide two major types of repair – seawall stabilization and seawall preservation.

Seawall Stabilization

Stabilizing a cracked or shifting seawall is accomplished via these four methods:

  1. Stabilizing Soil and Sealing Leaks with SW-RP1
    (SW-RP1 repair material is stronger than crystalline bedrock and safe for the environment.)
  2. Installing a Hydrostatic Pressure Control System
    (Creation of pressure release channels with filters that allow water to move back and forth, maintaining an equilibrium of hydrostatic pressure. These filters also prevent soil migration and void formation on the landward side.)
  3. Repairing Cracks in Seawall Caps
    (Repairing the seawall caps with high-strength epoxy.)
  4. Installing a Seawall Anchoring System – If Necessary
    (When needed, steel tie-backs are installed to prevent future movement of the seawall.)

You can learn more about these methods on the Seawall Stabilization page.

Seawall Preservation

Treating the concrete with preservation solutions provides additional long-term protection. Preservation is accomplished via these three methods:

  1. Inhibiting Corrosion with SW-Prevent
    (SW-Prevent creates an insulating layer on the surface of any steel rebar or mesh inside the wall.)
  2. Strengthening Surface Concrete with SW-Power
    (SW-Power renders concrete surfaces resistant to air or water-born chemical damage.)
  3. Protecting  Surface Concrete with SW-Protect
    (SW-Protect inhibits water penetration.)

You can learn more about these methods on the Seawall Preservation page.

Water is Relentless – But YOU Can Be Too!

There is no reason to be intimidated by water’s relentless onslaught. All you have to do is memorize the four critical warning signs, and then enlist a qualified seawall repair contractor when needed. With the proper stabilization and preservation support, your seawall can safely protect that beautiful waterfront view for generations to come.

Banner - Four Critical Warning Signs of Seawall Failure

Four Critical Warning Signs of Seawall Failure

Body - Four Critical Warning Signs of Seawall FailureCorrosion, tides, boat wakes, tropical storms, and hurricanes can all contribute to seawall damage and, ultimately, failure. Additional causes undermine the structure on the landward side. Rainfall creates more hydrostatic pressure than rising and falling tides. Every time it rains or the irrigation system runs (and every time the tide goes out) all of the groundwater above the waterline needs a place to go. Massive pressure can build up if that water is trapped on the landward side, putting immense stress on the structure. (Read more in the article, How Soil Instability Causes Seawall Damage.) That is a recipe for seawall failure that can be avoided if you know the signs.

Soil Depressions Near the Seawall

Soil depressions appear due to the loss of soil near the structure. Water is seeping through or underneath the seawall, weakening the structure and contributing to soil erosion. Strong surrounding soil is critical to a healthy seawall.

Rust Stains on the Surface

Rust stains are a sign of corroded rebar inside the concrete. Corroded rebar expands, cracking and destabilizing the structure.

Movement or Shifting of the Seawall

Hydrostatic pressure and/or lack of supporting soil around the structure can cause sections of the wall to move or shift over time.

Cracks in the Concrete

Cracks in the concrete can be caused by spalling due to rebar corrosion, or movement due to hydrostatic pressure and unstable soil.

Additional Signs of Seawall Failure

  • Blocked or clogged weep holes (vents that are used for draining landward side water build-up to relieve hydrostatic pressure).
  • Sand or soil deposits at the bottom of the wall panel joints on the water side. This indicates sediment seeping through the joints from the landward side.
  • Damage to structures up to 100 feet away. Water infiltration on the landward side can expand a great distance when proper venting/drainage is not occurring.  Look for sinkholes, depressions, and/or sunken concrete in the general area surrounding the seawall.

Seawall Repair Network’s Proprietary Repair Process

Let’s review the proprietary repair process used by Seawall Repair Network’s preferred marine contractors. First, crews perform deep injections of SW-RP1 repair material directly behind each panel joint in the seawall. This process fills all the voids while permeating and strengthening the soil. The permeated soil becomes as hard as crystalline bedrock. Next, a new pressure relief system is created by coring through weep hole channels and the layer of resin that has been installed behind them. These new channels extend through the permeated soil and into the soil on the landward side. Proprietary pressure release technology is then installed to regulate the release of hydrostatic pressure from any new water that may form behind the wall in the future. Because pressure release technology also stops landward-side soil from passing through the dewatering channels, it prevents new erosion and void formations. If needed, seawall preservation treatments can also be applied to the concrete. The support of high-strength SW-RP1 repair material, combined with the regulation of hydrostatic pressure and concrete preservation treatment protects the seawall from subsequent movement, damage, or failure.

Banner - Seawall Repair Network's Patent-Pending Process

Seawall Repair Network’s Patent-Pending Process

Body - Seawall Repair Process Seawall Stabilization What Causes Seawall Failure

Mother Nature’s oceans, lakes, and rivers can be so beautiful and calm. But over time, her natural forces will cause damage and eventual failure of your seawall. Seawalls are complicated structures made up of a variety of essential components. If one component fails, the entire seawall is at risk. In traditionally constructed seawalls, weep holes with a geotextile fabric filter allow water to flow from the landward side back into the ocean to prevent pressure build-up.

What Causes Seawall Failure?

What causes your seawall to fail? Over time, as the filter fabric fails, soil migration creates voids behind the wall, which causes structural instability. As the voids behind the wall fill up with water, hydrostatic pressure behind the seawall causes the wall panels to shift over time. The shifting panels damage the seawall cap, which holds the entire structure together. When this happens, failure of the seawall is imminent. If ignored, these problems only get worse.

Seawall Stabilization Repair Process

Water is RELENTLESS. But YOU can be too! Professionally trained contractors, armed with Seawall Repair Network’s patent-pending repair process, are ready to guide you to victory in this battle!

Watch the video below for a complete explanation of Seawall Repair Networks seawall stabilization process.

Banner - Seawall Repair on Lakefront Properties

Seawall Repair on Lakefront Properties

Body - Lakefront Seawall Repair Lake Bulkhead Repair Signs of Seawall DistressSigns of Seawall Distress

Do you own or manage lakefront property? If so, you may have issues with your seawalls. Check for the following danger signs:

  • Settled soil near the wall (a sign of water leaking through the wall and eroding the soil on the land side).
  • Soil deposits near the seams on the waterside of the wall (a sign of water leaks bringing soil through the seams into the lake).
  • Visible rust-colored cracks or stains in the wall (a sign of water leaking through cracks in the wall and rusting the rebar inside).

SW-RP1 for Lakefront Seawall Repair

High-strength SW-RP1 repair material can be injected through pipes directly into voids and loose soil around your distressed seawall. Seawall Repair Network contractors use material that reacts with moisture in the ground and expands to fill voids while also permeating the soil to form a solid, strong, watertight mass.

Since SW-RP1 is impermeable to water once in place, the likelihood of future erosion is vastly diminished versus refilling the void with other material. This technology has one of the strongest histories of success in the field.

Efficient seawall repair with this material prevents the need for remediation processes that can be harmful to the environment, such as a complete wall replacement or the excavating of all loose soil. SW-RP1 is approved for contact with drinking water once cured in place. So you don’t have to worry any long-term negative environmental impact.

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