Seawall Failure Series: Part IV

December 28, 2017 by gibson Leave a Comment

Preventing Seawall Failure Due to a Seawall Pressure Imbalance

This installment, part four, of the seawall failure series focuses on the most common causes of seawall pressure imbalances, what you should keep an eye out for, and what you can do to prevent seawall failure due to a pressure imbalance.

Common Causes of Seawall Pressure Imbalances

The most common causes of seawall pressure imbalances include:

Changes to Water Flow Patterns
Changes to Your Living Space
Landscaping Modifications

Changes to Water Flow Patterns

When a seawall is built, seawall construction experts analyze the water flow patterns of all nearby waterways. This analysis is just one of the many factors that influence a seawall construction project and must be accounted for. If a water flow pattern changes, it could negatively affect your seawall’s pressure balance.

Some items that can affect nearby water flow patterns include:

Changes to Water Drainage Systems

There are a plethora of water drainage solutions on the market and just as many ways a water drainage solution could affect your seawall. When a water drainage issue occurs, or when considering any changes to a system, consult an expert to find out if and how it could affect the pressure balance of your seawall.

Changes to Water Levels

A change to the water level can impact the amount of pressure being exerted onto a seawall. A higher water level can increase the amount of pressure pushing toward your property, while a lower water level can increase the amount of pressure pushing away from your property. Without a proper balance, this pressure can cause damage to your seawall, and over time make it more likely to fail. A seawall construction expert can put a solution in place to compensate for a pressure change.

Keep an eye out for these common things that could indicate a change to the water level has occurred:

New dams, waterways, or retention ponds being built nearby
Canal dredging nearby
Significant increases or decreases to nearby water traffic
Significant increases or decreases to nearby controlled waterways

Many of these water level changes are controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers and any planned changes are usually announced to the public well in advance. By watching out for changes, you can proactively address potential imbalance problems.

Changes to Your Living Space

Making changes to your living space can have an impact on your seawall. When you are planning a renovation to your home, adding living space, or making an upgrade, you might not immediately think about how those changes could affect your seawall, but you should. Consulting a marine construction specialist about your upcoming plans can prevent a seawall impressure balance that could lead to seawall failure and possible damage to your new addition.

Examples of some property changes that could cause a seawall pressure imbalance include:

Expanding Your Living Space with an Addition to Your Home

Additional living space adds additional weight to the land side of your seawall, which could cause a pressure imbalance. A seawall construction specialist can make adjustments to your seawall to compensate for the additional pressure.

Adding New or More Outdoor Structures

Adding a barn, a shed, a garage, or even just a new parking area could lead to a pressure imbalance. Smaller structures may only cause a slight imbalance but over time that imbalance could lead to cracks in the wall, destabilizing it.

Adding or Expanding Outdoor Living Space and/or Amenities

Many people enjoy spending time outdoors, and adding new outdoor features are a great way to be able to increase the enjoyment you can get from your yard. Adding a new patio, a deck, or an outdoor kitchen are all great ideas. So are water features like a fountain, a pond, a waterfall, a hot tub, and a pool. All of these improvements can lead to you being able to enjoy your property more, but just run the plans by a seawall expert first to ensure a pressure imbalance doesn’t cut your enjoyment time short.

Water features, especially those that disrupt the land or soil have the potential to cause a lot of damage, quickly. Not only can they cause a pressure imbalance, they are notorious for destabilizing a seawall unless appropriate measures are taken during the building process. Consulting a seawall construction expert about your plans for an outdoor living area can ensure you are able to enjoy the space safely and for a longer time.

Landscaping Modifications

Changing up the landscaping is a great way to keep your property feeling fresh and updated too and can add value to your property. But before you begin digging, you should run your plans by a marine construction specialist to ensure your fresh new look won’t put any additional pressure on your seawall.

And always consult a seawall construction expert before planting trees. Different trees have different types of root systems. As a tree grows, so does its root system. Seawall construction experts can help you select the best types of trees and guide you on how close those trees can be planted to your seawall without causing damage.

Follow this simple rule. Stand in the exact spot where you would like to plant your tree. If you can see your seawall, then call an expert of a consultation. For the best results, call Gibson Marine Construction. They not only build and maintain seawalls, they have a team of knowledgeable landscaping experts that can create an amazing, fresh, new landscape design that integrates with and protects the stability of your seawall.

Prevent Seawall Failure by Preventing a Pressure Imbalance

If you notice something that could impact the pressure being exerted onto your seawall, or are starting a project that could potentially impact it, call in an expert to consult. Taking a little extra time up front could save you a lot more time and money down the road.

Call Gibson Marine Construction for help. Gibson Marine Construction will send a marine construction specialist out to take a look and advise you on how to prevent your seawall from failing due to a pressure imbalance.

Seawall Failure Series: Part III

December 27, 2017 by gibson Leave a Comment

A Pressure Imbalance Can Lead to Seawall Failure

The third part of our blog series will focus on another common cause of seawall failure, a pressure imbalance. When an imbalance occurs it can affect the stability of a seawall and potentially lead to failure.

Building a Stable Seawall

Building a seawall to help protect your property from encroaching waters is very different from building a decorative landscape feature or putting up a fence. Building a seawall requires marine construction specialists with expert level knowledge and the extensive experience to ensure your seawall is constructed properly to keep you, your family, and your property safe.

The stability of a seawall is dependent upon some key variables such as wall height, wall length and strength, the building materials being used, and more. Each of these factors informs the seawall design and each can affect the seawall pressure balance, a key component of a properly built seawall.

Why is Having Balanced Pressure so Important?

Seawall construction experts must take into account the pressure of the water rushing against the seawall and the pressure exerted by the land and property being protected by the seawall. Excess pressure in one direction can lead to wall damage such as cracks, and over time can attribute to seawall failure. Keeping the pressure on a seawall balanced helps ensure the safety and long-term stability of the wall.

Common Causes of Seawall Pressure Imbalances

The most common causes of seawall pressure imbalances include:

Changes to Water Flow Patterns
Changes to Your Living Space
Landscaping Modifications

Identifying Seawall Pressure Imbalances

Keep reading. Part four of the seawall failure series focuses on the most common causes of seawall pressure imbalances and what you can do to prevent seawall failure due to a pressure imbalance.

Seawall Failure Series: Part II

October 25, 2017 by gibson Leave a Comment

Naturally Occurring Environmental Conditions Can Cause Seawall Failure

Our first post in the series discussing common causes of seawall failure focused on the naturally occurring environmental condition referred to as normal wear and tear. To refresh your memory on normal wear and tear, please revisit the previous post.

Water Depth Changes and Severe Weather Can Be Harmful to the Strength and Stability of a Seawall

In this post, we will discuss two more conditions, natural to the environment, that can cause or contribute to seawall failure. These are:

Significant Changes in Water Depth Along a Seawall
Severe Weather Conditions, such as Tropical Storms or Hurricanes

Significant Changes in Water Depth Along a Seawall Could Result in Seawall Failure

Waterway lock systems, dams, canal dredging, and climate change are just a few ways the water flowing along or crashing against a seawall can be impacted, resulting in a significant change to water depth. Over the long term, significant water depth changes can result in seawall failure.

If water levels have increased since the seawall was constructed, the seawall may no longer be effective at preventing water surges from crashing over the seawall. This can lead to damage of nearby property. Even worse, if the seawall drainage system isn’t working properly, water can build up on the wrong side of the seawall, exerting pressure outwards, and potentially causing the seawall to fail.

If water levels have decreased after seawall construction wrapped, this could lead to an imbalance of the pressure against the seawall, potentially leading to seawall failure. Pressure imbalances will be discussed in more detail in the next section of this article: Changes to the Seawall Pressure Balance.

Keeping an eye out for things happening around you that might impact water levels along your seawall and tracking water levels regularly can help prevent seawall failure caused by a change in water depth.

Impact from Severe Weather Conditions Can Cause Damage to a Seawall

Florida residents have seen more than their fair share of severe weather conditions wreaking havoc throughout the state. Floridians know they need to stay in a state of constant preparedness, as you just never know when the next extreme weather event will come your way.

Being prepared to weather the storm takes more than shuttering windows, setting up the generator and stocking up on supplies. Those are all very important items on the checklist, but there is one more item that will help protect you, your family, and your property. Have your seawall inspected by a professional to ensure it is in the best working condition. A properly maintained seawall can often mean the difference between a water surge hitting the seawall or flooding the first floor of your house. It can also help people stay safe. In some cases, it can mean having a few additional seconds to scramble to higher ground.

Remember to call the seawall experts at Gibson Marine Construction to schedule a professional seawall inspection. They can help you with any seawall repairs you may need before the next severe storm begins its march toward Florida.

Learn More About Seawall Failure

Please stay tuned next month to get more great tips on how to spot the warning signs of seawall failure and how to potentially prevent future seawall failures. The next post will dive further into the topic of seawall failure, focusing on the seawall pressure balance and how an imbalance can lead to seawall failure.

And remember to reach out to the experts at Gibson Marine Construction for help inspecting your seawall and making repairs to seawall damage caused by naturally occurring environmental conditions. Staying on top of regular seawall maintenance and repairs today, can help delay or possibly prevent a future seawall failure.

Seawall Failure Series: Part I

October 23, 2017 by gibson Leave a Comment

Why Do Some Seawalls Fail? How Can I Prevent a Seawall Failure?

If you live along the Florida coast or waterways, you know a seawall can be a vital part of protecting your waterfront property. And although most seawalls are custom builds, uniquely designed for your property, seawalls of all types still have a lot in common. This is especially true when discussing potential causes of seawall failure.

Learning a little about how seawalls work and understanding some of the main reasons why seawall failure occurs can help you identify potential problem areas and take the necessary steps to prevent seawall failure.

Common Causes of Seawall Failure

The most common causes of seawall failure fall under these three main categories:

Naturally Occurring Environmental Conditions
Changes to the Seawall Pressure Balance
Miscellaneous Seawall Issues, Often Attributed to Human Error

A series of posts will follow breaking down each category, providing further details. This first set of posts will take a closer look at what naturally occurring environmental conditions can affect a seawall and how they can contribute to seawall failure.

Naturally Occurring Environmental Conditions Can Contribute to or Cause Seawall Failure

According to Wikipedia, “the natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally,” meaning in this case, that it is caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind. The first of these naturally occurring environmental conditions that can lead to seawall failure can be described as normal wear and tear.

Normal Wear and Tear Can Cause a Seawall to Deteriorate Over Time

As is with most things in life, normal wear and tear refers to the expected decline in the condition of something due to normal everyday use. A seawall or components of a seawall are constantly being exposed to natural elements, such as wind, water and an especially corrosive element found in the ocean, saltwater. Over time, deterioration and corrosion of seawall components by natural elements can lead to seawall failure.

Repair Areas Where Normal Wear and Tear Occurred to Prevent Seawall Failure

Regular seawall inspections by seawall service professionals, such as the experts at Gibson Marine Construction, can identify areas in need of work. Having these areas repaired and/or replaced will help stave off the misfortune of the more costly damage and repairs typically associated with a complete seawall failure.

Learn About More Naturally Occurring Environmental Conditions That Can Cause Seawall Failure

Significant changes to water levels along a seawall and severe weather are two more ways natural environmental conditions can lead to seawall failure. Dive into the details of our next post in this series to learn how these failures can happen and how to prevent them.