Importance of Drainage for Retaining WallsRetaining walls are common features in design that provides a lot more function than looks. These simple additions can create a private space, preventing the loosening of the soil or even making gardening plots for beautiful gardens. As these walls can and will play many roles in your landscapes, it’s important to ensure that they last. One of the best ways to take care of the walls is to make sure they have proper drainage.
First off, what are retaining walls?
Retaining walls are structures that provide extra support for surfaces that have a lot of soil movement or areas that are prone to erosion. However, retaining walls can also be used to make partitions for gardening, steps to scale and gently transition sloping areas, or even just as an accent in certain spaces. In whatever use they are for, it is important that they can resist different environmental changes to maintain the structure’s integrity.
Many landscapers and designers opt to use retaining walls as they, when made and installed well, are very durable and require little to no maintenance to withstand the test of time. This ensures that clients and designers are happy with the smaller costs of installation and upkeep while staying true to the design. Retaining walls are also very versatile, you can buy the same one and utilize these in different ways which are amazing for cohesiveness in texture and continuity of a space.
However, as with all things, retaining walls are not completely invulnerable to the environment. Any structure’s biggest nightmare and enemy will be any of the following: moisture, rain, and mold. These three will always go hand in hand and will definitely affect your surface’s structural integrity if left alone. It is very important that your spaces are not just visually pretty but also durable – this is where drainage comes in to help you out.
Why do retaining walls need drainage?
Water, whether it is from watering plants, environmental moisture, or rain, can loosen the soil at the bottom of these walls. When the soil is loose, it makes structures unstable and this does not bode well for retention. When left unchecked, simple moisture or dampness can turn into bigger problems like fungi or mold and this will be more complicated to deal with.
When you install a proper drainage system for your retaining wall structures, this solves most of the problems of these structures. A properly installed and designed system will keep humidity down and will in turn save you money in the long run. When water accumulates behind a retaining wall, this increases the pressure that the walls have to withstand, which can run it down quicker than it should. If the pressure within what the walls are holding goes over the threshold, this will cause the walls to collapse.
Depending on what you’re using your retaining walls for or how deep, high, or wide they are, there will be many ways to add drainage. Ideally, you will be able to make a system for them to ensure that no moisture will cause problems, especially for bigger and deeper structures in gardens or sides of pools. A good installer will be able to help you ensure your walls have sufficient drainage without it being too much of a worry for you though! You can contact us at info@csrwb.com.au for help finding a quality installer.
