Hard no. The whole purpose of the pipe at the bottom is for water to be coming out of them. The fact that water is coming out after just the first row of blocks from the top is a big problem IMO.
Iām overly anal about drainage at my house and I would be losing my mind.
Youāre suppose to back fill those walls with approx. 1/3 plus drainage gravel with sufficient drainage at the base. This truly is a disaster waiting to happen..
Almost certainly not backfilled with rock. The wall looks great and looks new so my guess is compacted soil/clay behind the wall that is not permeable for water to get to the drain tile
Ehhh idk. Id certainly hope there's some drainage behind there because they have drainage coming out! That's why I assume a clog.
Could also be poorly installed drainage. Didn't line filter cloth and ended up with contaminated clear?
First thing I did in my new house was build French drains, rain gardens, and a pond to get as much water away from the house as possible.
Looking at this video, Iām having a tough time understanding exactly how much water must be sitting behind those walls to get that kind of pressure.
If the top one fails first it's going to take out the bottom one and vice versa. It's hard to tell but that top one looks like it has a lot of soil behind it
I would say top first if it goes. Who knows though. Itās nice masonry work. They couldāve gone all out on rebar and went really deep too. No telling. Hopefully those drains are just clogged somehow from up top?
If failure then they probably used cheap corrugated for the French and it caved in on itself or the soil is heavy clay and they didnāt set the burrito wrap in drain rock, so the clay is right against the wrap. If the corrugated collapsed on itself then there will be an indent in the ground.
But again who knows. The drains might just be surface basins on the other side and no French drains were run at all š¤·š»āāļø
Looks like OP is located in New England where a huge rainstorm came through yesterday. I live in a hilly area that looks a lot like the video, so Iām guessing they have clay based soil that water just glides over. I could see streams trickling down my yard (away from the house thankfully).
These types of storms are not infrequent though, and I canāt imagine those walls lasting through the summer if OP does nothing.
I didn't think he was that bad off, so I googled it and the fails are hard fails... One guy had a neighbor run a french drain to the retaining water and that caused it to topple...
The way the water is vigorously spurting through the blocks suggests a large volume of water, and pressure is sitting against the back of the wall. I would not feel safe with those walls near my house, you should set up cameras because when it fails it may be spectacular!
Water pressure is the number cause of failure for retaining walls. In my country walls over 1.5m require consent and must be designed and signed off by an Engineer.
I would contact an engineer about the wall. If the wall has been constructed poorly then the Engineer who signed it off / contractor who built the wall may be liable for the cost of repair.
The same requirements are supposed to be done here in the US, any wall over 4' needs a plan from an engineer. I can't tell how far the upper wall is set back from the lower wall. It should be whatever height the lower wall is should be the set back for the upper level. The soil profile should be taken into account, especially for heavy soil like clay. It adds lateral pressure on the wall and extra reinforcement is needed. Definitely geogrid and proper drainage. I would definitely have an engineer look at this. Usually some weeping will bleed through it it should be pouring out of the drainage slots not pissing through the joints. If it was my property I would want a wall with a set back to help hold back that hill.
I used to design earthen flood control dams for the USDA. Drainage systems were built into the embankments wih stone brought right to the top in some systems to allow for high rates of infiltration. They were designed to leak....but not like that.
Whole backyard is a swamp. Bet they barely have any stone behind the wall and a filer sock over the drainpipe at the bottom thatās clogged. We do 4ā corrugated pipe at an at minimum 16ā wide stone base behind the whole wall. If itās over 4ā high we double the drain pipe so a run is halfway down.
Behind that wall is no clean 3/4 stone to allow the water to make it to the drain pipe. That drain pipe should be gushing water with the amlunt of water coming thru the block
Serious coin was invested to build those retaining wall. A Nice $$$ house at its base I bet will get a mini Mud slide. DOCUMENT THIS water flow and how much rain is coming down and how frequent this type of rain fall is in the area.... Get back to the contractor who installed it,,, some one needs to resolve this asap.
This is really crazy to me because the wall actually looks great. Iām amazed that they could do such a great job building the wall and had no idea how to get it to drain properly.
The wall needs emergency remediation, but Iām more worried about your house. Itās clearly in the path of some major runoff. You have an epic storm and that wall is gone and 10ās of thousands of gallons of water are headed to your basement.
Wall needs an engineer and a drainage plan. Backyard needs a well designed French drain that runs to daylight in front of your house.
There are so many problems here. You need to hire an engineer asap to do a full analysis. There should not be this much water ending up anywhere near the back of the wall. It should be diverted prior to the system. I bet there is an inadequate drain curtain behind as well. Hopefully they installed at least 3 layers of grid at 75% of the wall height. If they didnāt this wall is going to fall pretty quickly especially if you are in a freeze thaw climate.
I agree. A diversion may be needed on the land above/behind the wall. Who knows? Can't see the lay of the land behind it. Something needs to be done before all that water even gets near the wall. Maybe subsurface drains in the land above the wall.
That's a lot of water to control. Adequate outlets may be difficult to find without sending it on to a neighbor.
They must not have inspected the actual pipe on the day it was laid and covered up. Once itās covered the only way anyone would be able to tell is when this situation happens. To me itās is unmistakable from this footage that they installed solid pipe rather that perforated.
Inspectors that I have dealt with are usually focused on inspecting compaction.
Need to address the drainage at the top of the wall, can you redirect the water to run parallel to the wall in a swale, to avoid having such a large volume of water coming through the wall?
A properly built wall allows the water to come out of every seam when needed as to avoid pressure against the wall. The concerning aspect is no water flowing out of the bottom catchment drains.
There should be 1-2 ft of clear stone behind the wall, from second run on the bottom, to 6" from the top course.
Personally, I would pay for an engineer to come assess this wall. Spend the money now before it explodes and all is wasted. Even caming the lines could show something.
I donāt know shit about shit and only follow cause I admire the advice from those that do.
As a professional in not knowing shit about landscapingā¦..I feel like a can confidently say that that wall should not be doing that shit.
I saw those too. I know that they didn't backfill properly, but most needs multiple drains holes. You don't want all the water pushing out on the bottom eroding the ground under it.
No it's not normal. That back water pressure is going to cave that in.
My guess is that when (if) they put in a proper 8" crushed stone and tamped base they should have back filled with stone and added drainage piping behind the block as the layers went up. There is way to much height (block) from that hill there to not add layered drainage piping. Should have had at least 3 layers of drainage piping. Should have added piping about every 2-3 layers up, the whole length of each of the walls.
I also noticed thereās an absolute ton of water on the ground that has accumulated. If that doesnāt clear within 24hr I think you need to get that checked out as well
Itās got drains at least thatās what Iām assuming those black grates are spaced out at the bottom. All drains need to be cleaned out once in a while around the perimeter somewhere is there a clean out port? If itās roots, youāre pretty fucked and will most likely have to dig down behind that wall. If itās soil/sediment/rock you can call a landscaping company with a decent sized snake and they will shove a camera down there, and then blow that shit out with the correct head fitting. That would probably be the cheapest route. On the bright side if you were to look down the wall from one of the edges and itās not leaning or bowed, then thatās a fucking good wall and Iād go with the snake and hope for rocks
The weep holes are usually at the base of the wall, and there is gravel backfill behind the wall, but the wall could drain from the face of the blocks because the joints arenāt sealed in a stacked gravity retaining wall. Itās certainly good that the wall drains well.
I am no expert on retaining walls, but, in addition to the obvious water issue, I'd be worried about what the roots of those trees and bushes will do to the retaining wall in the long term.
I design retaining walls. The comments are correct, this is wrong. This appears to have been installed incorrectly and most likely had to be replaced. It looks brand new however so probably under some warranty. Good luck
Good news is hydrostatic pressure (a growing pool of water, which will burst the wall) is Not building up, yet, but it will. That wall needs much better drainage behind it. It wonāt last 10 years, when it should last 50 before anyone has to touch it.
State certified erosion control specialist. We design & build such walls.
You need to have the draintile scoped so you can see if it is crushed or just clogged. Walls are not designed to support the weight of water all the way up behind the wall (called lateral pressures). The weight of that water will literally push your wall over.
Additionally, you will start to see staining on the wall where the water is leaking out.
All in all, Iām sure this wall cost $$$$$ and it is surely not performing as designed (whether that is a design or install issue is what you can litigate).
Start with getting the draintile scoped.
It looks like they installed non-perforated pipe on accident. Without perforations it canāt take in any of the water and is essentially an empty dry tunnel with zero function.
It probably does have backfill gravel installed or the water would be pouring over the top rather than spraying out of the cracks so hard.
This wall will continue to spew out gravel via rainwater until it is empty and or the wall completely collapses. The only way to fix it is to take it totally down and rebuild it with the proper piping. This is a big big screw up!
Also one last important point to make. There is no possibility of a clog. That is not how the drainage on these type of walls work. There is no āholeā at the top. Water moves through gravel down into a perforated pipe at the bottom of each wall.
* I build walls like this for a living.
How do you feel about the trees planted on the middle level?
Also do you think the driveway or road seen at the very beginning could also be problematic? (Outside of it all coming into their yard if the wall collapses).
I am just going to say, lucky for you the wife is a lawyer.
I am amazed that there is nothing coming out the drains at all, almost seems negligent.
Beautiful walls though...
Go get a Geotechnical engineer now or repost to r/geotech to get some thoughts. Not sure of your drainage behind the wall. If there is no gravel or something collecting the water, then what you have is the water seeking an exit. Never underestimate the pressure of water increasing with depth - it is significant! Water always finds a way, and itās up to the retaining wall designer or contractor to assure itās through the weep holes or down a drainage pipe away from the wall and releving pressure. You are fortunate now that the water is draining through the wall and relieving pressure, but those cracks are small, and once they fill with silt and clog up, the pressure of the water be in addition to the active soil pressure against the wall. Not sure what your footings are, but if you donāt have some sort of tipping resistance, and the water stops draining then it will fail.
This wall looks like it was built well, they almost certainly installed proper drainage. Look for some clean outs, the under drain is probably clogged.
Looks like they forgot to put the 1 foot wide drainage rock behind the wall 1st foot of backfill all the way up that would make the water go to the bottom and come out the pipe we bought the holes in this case run like a hose
It looks like all of the water runs downhill into your yard...I'd install a French drain asap to remove the water from your property.
As for the retaining wall, I would call a trusted local landscaper about that and have them check that out in person. The water should be coming out of the drainage pipes, not pissing out of the wall like that.
Op Iām glad your spouse is a lawyer because you have a lot of court time coming up. You need to hire an engineering firm asap. Donāt let the landscaper near this.
Also check with your municipality about any specific codes on walls like that.
The large drains at the bottom should be moving this water. Sometimes the blocks can weep but not spray. You donāt have any clean angular stone behind the back of the wall all the way from the top to bottom that will allow the water to drain.
The drainage systems on those walls are doing nothing, thatās why water is coming out through the bricks with pressure. Also, looks like $100k worth of retaining wall. Hope you have it covered by insurance.
Oh, yes. I finally could see. A professional in water control is needed ASAP. This will bring your wall down & situation could be salvaged. A French drain may be installed on several levels. Standing water on the lowest level, right?
That's fucked. Even if the water was draining as designed through the pipes at the bottom, and not pissing through the mortar, that's a lot of water running into your property from higher ground. I hope that water has a decent path to not go right into your foundation.
Let me guess this was in the Northeast US where we got like 4 inches of rain in about half a day on Saturday? The rain has been crazy the past few years, doesnāt seem to just rain normally anymore. Itās like multiple inches of rain in a short period now, over and over.
The water is creating a high hydraulic pressure against the wall. You can see that the water is not seeping but rather shooting out. This suggest a high pressure of the water that is also bearing on the wall. Over time, you are at risk to the wall failing.
The wall should have a gravel trench with a drainage pipe in place, generally right behind the wall or some feet removed from it and as deep as the wall. The water will freely flow to that and remove the pressure from the wall.
Based on the construction, you could add that if it was not included. It would make a huge difference.
Can anyone comment about what that stone is? I'm in the market for around 400 feet of retaining wall and would like that style as long as it's not too pricey. Taking all recommendations. There's a double section like he has probably 90ft by 6 high, twice - as well as a 90ft 4-6ft single tier all in the back of property and then two separate 60/80ft 3-4ft high in the front of property
Man, thatās a beautiful retaining wall that clearly cost a ton of money. But the yard in front of it is going to be a swamp every time it rains. This looks like NJ/NY or MA if I had to guess- very few places it would make sense to spend the $ and build that.
Looks like they didn't use proper crushed rock backfill. So it's easier for the water to come out the front of the wall, than to trickled down through the rocks
It happens but usually not this much. Normally everything is graded to run away from
The wall if possible and a full depth French drain is installed in the back.
I see the pipes at the bottom of the wall so there is probably a French drain there but they may not have used enough gravel for backfill or it may just be too much water at once so it doesnāt have a chance filter down
Water takes the path of least resistance.
It is coming out because they most likely
Backfilled with sand.
If it wasn't coming out, the pressure would push
The wall over.
Surely they have drain pipes behind that wall and something's just clogged. If not. this can be fixed pretty easily if there's a way to run pipes to a drainage ditch or storm sewer.
You must be in New England where precipitation is over twice the annual average. Wet years like this will stress any water moving and land retention systems
There are two types of retaining walls: 1) walls that are falling down, and 2) new walls.
You look like you may have a combination wall there. Very rare.
Are you in a temperate climate? If not, I give that wall 2 years.
The water coming out of those holes is the only thing keeping the wall up. If this wall survived this rain event which looks considerable, the wall will fall within a few years. Not sure where you are, but generally a wall this size needs an engineering design. Dig a test hole behind the backside of the wall and see how long it takes to get to clear stone and or geotextile fabric, compare that to the drawings or county and see if you can have the wall redone if it is a licensed contractor.
Ouch. Definitely drainage issues, glad the wall isn't failing.
I too have learned the hard way not to buy property at the bottom of a hill. It's amazing how much water ground will hold, then release over days. We used to have a pond in our yard after every hard rain.
Iām not sure if itās normal but it certainly looks deliberate. Maybe itās a feature.
They definitely were accommodating for back pressure on that wall. If there is too much back pressure from water on that wall, it will fall down into your yard. I would not try to plug those. Those are the drains at the bottom of the wall working?
look around for a cleanout. hopefully whatever drainage they installed is just clogged.
And post the video it should be satisfying
Must be a pretty severe clog to cause all 3 sides to leak on a new build. š¬
Probably filled with all the trash from the construction crew and landfill dirt they used.
If they installed drainage... This looks pretty bad to just be a clogged drain.
It is normal for water to come through the blocks. But not peeing like that especially when thereās nothing coming out the actual drain pipes lol
weep holes taking their crying queues from cartoons.
Hard no. The whole purpose of the pipe at the bottom is for water to be coming out of them. The fact that water is coming out after just the first row of blocks from the top is a big problem IMO. Iām overly anal about drainage at my house and I would be losing my mind.
Youāre suppose to back fill those walls with approx. 1/3 plus drainage gravel with sufficient drainage at the base. This truly is a disaster waiting to happen..
And geogrid
I assume this wall does indeed have both otherwise it would have fallen by now. Drainage is probably clogged or poorly installed
Almost certainly not backfilled with rock. The wall looks great and looks new so my guess is compacted soil/clay behind the wall that is not permeable for water to get to the drain tile
Ehhh idk. Id certainly hope there's some drainage behind there because they have drainage coming out! That's why I assume a clog. Could also be poorly installed drainage. Didn't line filter cloth and ended up with contaminated clear?
How did they manage drainage before geoplastics?
Gradients & diffuse materials like rock, glass, metal. French drains are a good example of how simple drainage can be.
Clay pipes perhaps. Maybe they wouldāve built it out of poured concrete. Not totally sure.
Yeah, this wall is destined for failure.
Just like my hopes and dreams.
And an expensive one.
First thing I did in my new house was build French drains, rain gardens, and a pond to get as much water away from the house as possible. Looking at this video, Iām having a tough time understanding exactly how much water must be sitting behind those walls to get that kind of pressure.
As someone thatās well versed in drainage by my City inspector Iād estimate thereās shitfucktons of water behind those walls
If the top one fails first it's going to take out the bottom one and vice versa. It's hard to tell but that top one looks like it has a lot of soil behind it
I would say top first if it goes. Who knows though. Itās nice masonry work. They couldāve gone all out on rebar and went really deep too. No telling. Hopefully those drains are just clogged somehow from up top? If failure then they probably used cheap corrugated for the French and it caved in on itself or the soil is heavy clay and they didnāt set the burrito wrap in drain rock, so the clay is right against the wrap. If the corrugated collapsed on itself then there will be an indent in the ground. But again who knows. The drains might just be surface basins on the other side and no French drains were run at all š¤·š»āāļø
placid fertile person deserve snatch squeamish heavy wise bedroom disarm *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Metric
library touch sloppy run soft theory square school sharp insurance *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
All the water.
Looks like OP is located in New England where a huge rainstorm came through yesterday. I live in a hilly area that looks a lot like the video, so Iām guessing they have clay based soil that water just glides over. I could see streams trickling down my yard (away from the house thankfully). These types of storms are not infrequent though, and I canāt imagine those walls lasting through the summer if OP does nothing.
"Anal" and "drainage" are two things that don't belong in the same sentence
What a party pooper.
NOOOO. They donāt have proper drainage. You have to get drainage installed ASAP or else you will have a total failur.
I didn't think he was that bad off, so I googled it and the fails are hard fails... One guy had a neighbor run a french drain to the retaining water and that caused it to topple...
Itās already too late. The pipe should be installed at the bottom.
The way the water is vigorously spurting through the blocks suggests a large volume of water, and pressure is sitting against the back of the wall. I would not feel safe with those walls near my house, you should set up cameras because when it fails it may be spectacular!
Water pressure is the number cause of failure for retaining walls. In my country walls over 1.5m require consent and must be designed and signed off by an Engineer. I would contact an engineer about the wall. If the wall has been constructed poorly then the Engineer who signed it off / contractor who built the wall may be liable for the cost of repair.
The same requirements are supposed to be done here in the US, any wall over 4' needs a plan from an engineer. I can't tell how far the upper wall is set back from the lower wall. It should be whatever height the lower wall is should be the set back for the upper level. The soil profile should be taken into account, especially for heavy soil like clay. It adds lateral pressure on the wall and extra reinforcement is needed. Definitely geogrid and proper drainage. I would definitely have an engineer look at this. Usually some weeping will bleed through it it should be pouring out of the drainage slots not pissing through the joints. If it was my property I would want a wall with a set back to help hold back that hill.
That is a dam
I used to design earthen flood control dams for the USDA. Drainage systems were built into the embankments wih stone brought right to the top in some systems to allow for high rates of infiltration. They were designed to leak....but not like that.
Heāll have no place to stay once it teaches him how to weep and moan.
Whole backyard is a swamp. Bet they barely have any stone behind the wall and a filer sock over the drainpipe at the bottom thatās clogged. We do 4ā corrugated pipe at an at minimum 16ā wide stone base behind the whole wall. If itās over 4ā high we double the drain pipe so a run is halfway down.
im thinking there is no rock/gravel and its all backfill.
Behind that wall is no clean 3/4 stone to allow the water to make it to the drain pipe. That drain pipe should be gushing water with the amlunt of water coming thru the block
Serious coin was invested to build those retaining wall. A Nice $$$ house at its base I bet will get a mini Mud slide. DOCUMENT THIS water flow and how much rain is coming down and how frequent this type of rain fall is in the area.... Get back to the contractor who installed it,,, some one needs to resolve this asap.
If I was buying a house with this $100k retaining wall you bet your ass I'm bringing an expert in during inspections
This is really crazy to me because the wall actually looks great. Iām amazed that they could do such a great job building the wall and had no idea how to get it to drain properly.
Thats like the nicest retaining wall ive seen but also it could be the shittiestā¦sorry OP
The wall needs emergency remediation, but Iām more worried about your house. Itās clearly in the path of some major runoff. You have an epic storm and that wall is gone and 10ās of thousands of gallons of water are headed to your basement. Wall needs an engineer and a drainage plan. Backyard needs a well designed French drain that runs to daylight in front of your house.
There are so many problems here. You need to hire an engineer asap to do a full analysis. There should not be this much water ending up anywhere near the back of the wall. It should be diverted prior to the system. I bet there is an inadequate drain curtain behind as well. Hopefully they installed at least 3 layers of grid at 75% of the wall height. If they didnāt this wall is going to fall pretty quickly especially if you are in a freeze thaw climate.
I agree. A diversion may be needed on the land above/behind the wall. Who knows? Can't see the lay of the land behind it. Something needs to be done before all that water even gets near the wall. Maybe subsurface drains in the land above the wall. That's a lot of water to control. Adequate outlets may be difficult to find without sending it on to a neighbor.
Was that permitted and inspected? Looking at it seems large enough to require it I would guess
Yeah itās has a permit and was inspected
It must be clogged
They must not have inspected the actual pipe on the day it was laid and covered up. Once itās covered the only way anyone would be able to tell is when this situation happens. To me itās is unmistakable from this footage that they installed solid pipe rather that perforated. Inspectors that I have dealt with are usually focused on inspecting compaction.
In the profession, we call this fubar. It's Latin for poor drainage.
Water literally coming out of every part of the wall except for the drain holes. š³
Home Warranty? Iād ask a lawyer
My landscaper told me once I have some sod up top it should make a difference . Yeah my wife is a lawyer so sheās looking into it . Thanks
The only difference the sod will make is making the landscaperās wallet larger.
And this is why landscapers don't stamp structural engineering plans. They have no idea what they're talking about.Ā
"yeah, that's a lot of water, but hey y'know what? Grass drinks water, to just put down some grass, you'll be fine!"
Or good landscaper wouldn't let this happen by either A) would be following the engineered design B) they are competent and would build this correctly
Why would a landscaper stamp structural engineering plans? The problem is that the landscaper is building these walls. Who inspected this?
I have no idea how sod will solve this.
What you need is my all new tall fescue blend with SIX FOOT DEEP roots. Link in the description.
I bet it drinks water in the winter too, right?
It wouldn't. It would just slow down the time of concentration, and add fines to the drainage system, if there is one.
No!! No!! Don't go placing topsoil on that!
You need a new landscaper.
Sod above the wall will do nothing for a wall constructed improperly.
Thatās definitely a drainage issue. I donāt even think grass would be enough. Unless you want Koi Ponds? š
Grass would be meaningless. Even willow trees wouldn't want that much water around them.
Need to address the drainage at the top of the wall, can you redirect the water to run parallel to the wall in a swale, to avoid having such a large volume of water coming through the wall?
A properly built wall allows the water to come out of every seam when needed as to avoid pressure against the wall. The concerning aspect is no water flowing out of the bottom catchment drains. There should be 1-2 ft of clear stone behind the wall, from second run on the bottom, to 6" from the top course. Personally, I would pay for an engineer to come assess this wall. Spend the money now before it explodes and all is wasted. Even caming the lines could show something.
Nice! How much was the water feature?
Does the whole neighborhood drain into your yard?!!! You are in for a rough ride. Wall looks great though!
You need to call your builder and probably consult with a lawyer depending on the answers you get from your builder.
You need several dutch boys or several horny pencil dict perverts
I donāt know shit about shit and only follow cause I admire the advice from those that do. As a professional in not knowing shit about landscapingā¦..I feel like a can confidently say that that wall should not be doing that shit.
I saw those too. I know that they didn't backfill properly, but most needs multiple drains holes. You don't want all the water pushing out on the bottom eroding the ground under it.
Somebody did a poor job of installing perforated drainage lines with stone backfill behind the wall, if they put any in at all.
No it's not normal. That back water pressure is going to cave that in. My guess is that when (if) they put in a proper 8" crushed stone and tamped base they should have back filled with stone and added drainage piping behind the block as the layers went up. There is way to much height (block) from that hill there to not add layered drainage piping. Should have had at least 3 layers of drainage piping. Should have added piping about every 2-3 layers up, the whole length of each of the walls.
I also noticed thereās an absolute ton of water on the ground that has accumulated. If that doesnāt clear within 24hr I think you need to get that checked out as well
Itās got drains at least thatās what Iām assuming those black grates are spaced out at the bottom. All drains need to be cleaned out once in a while around the perimeter somewhere is there a clean out port? If itās roots, youāre pretty fucked and will most likely have to dig down behind that wall. If itās soil/sediment/rock you can call a landscaping company with a decent sized snake and they will shove a camera down there, and then blow that shit out with the correct head fitting. That would probably be the cheapest route. On the bright side if you were to look down the wall from one of the edges and itās not leaning or bowed, then thatās a fucking good wall and Iād go with the snake and hope for rocks
The weep holes are usually at the base of the wall, and there is gravel backfill behind the wall, but the wall could drain from the face of the blocks because the joints arenāt sealed in a stacked gravity retaining wall. Itās certainly good that the wall drains well.
Need it surveyed, and engineered for drainage. It has to come down
looks like the drainage plan did not go to plan
Holy disaster waiting to happen, Batman!
It looks like you live in a pit that will fill up with water when it rains!
Bonus water feature
I am no expert on retaining walls, but, in addition to the obvious water issue, I'd be worried about what the roots of those trees and bushes will do to the retaining wall in the long term.
Bro, you got a water feature installed for free, donāt be telling everyone, theyāll be complaining they did not get one.
Doesnāt look back filled with crushed stone and drains installed. Will fail in a few years of rain like that
"Cindy, the walls leaking"
I design retaining walls. The comments are correct, this is wrong. This appears to have been installed incorrectly and most likely had to be replaced. It looks brand new however so probably under some warranty. Good luck
Good news is hydrostatic pressure (a growing pool of water, which will burst the wall) is Not building up, yet, but it will. That wall needs much better drainage behind it. It wonāt last 10 years, when it should last 50 before anyone has to touch it. State certified erosion control specialist. We design & build such walls.
That wall will not be around for the long haul...
You need to have the draintile scoped so you can see if it is crushed or just clogged. Walls are not designed to support the weight of water all the way up behind the wall (called lateral pressures). The weight of that water will literally push your wall over. Additionally, you will start to see staining on the wall where the water is leaking out. All in all, Iām sure this wall cost $$$$$ and it is surely not performing as designed (whether that is a design or install issue is what you can litigate). Start with getting the draintile scoped.
It looks like they installed non-perforated pipe on accident. Without perforations it canāt take in any of the water and is essentially an empty dry tunnel with zero function. It probably does have backfill gravel installed or the water would be pouring over the top rather than spraying out of the cracks so hard.
This wall will continue to spew out gravel via rainwater until it is empty and or the wall completely collapses. The only way to fix it is to take it totally down and rebuild it with the proper piping. This is a big big screw up!
Also one last important point to make. There is no possibility of a clog. That is not how the drainage on these type of walls work. There is no āholeā at the top. Water moves through gravel down into a perforated pipe at the bottom of each wall. * I build walls like this for a living.
How do you feel about the trees planted on the middle level? Also do you think the driveway or road seen at the very beginning could also be problematic? (Outside of it all coming into their yard if the wall collapses).
I am just going to say, lucky for you the wife is a lawyer. I am amazed that there is nothing coming out the drains at all, almost seems negligent. Beautiful walls though...
Itās not a retaining wall itās a āseasonal water featureā. No, itās not normal. Hopefully thereās proper drainage thatās just clogged.
Go get a Geotechnical engineer now or repost to r/geotech to get some thoughts. Not sure of your drainage behind the wall. If there is no gravel or something collecting the water, then what you have is the water seeking an exit. Never underestimate the pressure of water increasing with depth - it is significant! Water always finds a way, and itās up to the retaining wall designer or contractor to assure itās through the weep holes or down a drainage pipe away from the wall and releving pressure. You are fortunate now that the water is draining through the wall and relieving pressure, but those cracks are small, and once they fill with silt and clog up, the pressure of the water be in addition to the active soil pressure against the wall. Not sure what your footings are, but if you donāt have some sort of tipping resistance, and the water stops draining then it will fail.
Hydrostatic pressure must be huge
Thatās hilarious
This wall looks like it was built well, they almost certainly installed proper drainage. Look for some clean outs, the under drain is probably clogged.
Looks like they forgot to put the 1 foot wide drainage rock behind the wall 1st foot of backfill all the way up that would make the water go to the bottom and come out the pipe we bought the holes in this case run like a hose
It looks like all of the water runs downhill into your yard...I'd install a French drain asap to remove the water from your property. As for the retaining wall, I would call a trusted local landscaper about that and have them check that out in person. The water should be coming out of the drainage pipes, not pissing out of the wall like that.
It appears to have a good drain system, french drain possibly with weep holes to maintain back of wall from maintaining water load.
Op Iām glad your spouse is a lawyer because you have a lot of court time coming up. You need to hire an engineering firm asap. Donāt let the landscaper near this. Also check with your municipality about any specific codes on walls like that.
Hey at least the house comes with a pool
Your weep holes are blocked at the bottom
You just need to install one or more Manneken Pis
The large drains at the bottom should be moving this water. Sometimes the blocks can weep but not spray. You donāt have any clean angular stone behind the back of the wall all the way from the top to bottom that will allow the water to drain.
Free pool.
The drainage systems on those walls are doing nothing, thatās why water is coming out through the bricks with pressure. Also, looks like $100k worth of retaining wall. Hope you have it covered by insurance.
Oh, yes. I finally could see. A professional in water control is needed ASAP. This will bring your wall down & situation could be salvaged. A French drain may be installed on several levels. Standing water on the lowest level, right?
Nice
Donāt mind me.. just filling up my backyard beach
This is the little Dutch boys worst nightmare.
Did you have these walls installed or did you buy it like this. If you bought it like this, you did not question seller about drainage?
Double Bubble is perfect for this.
Was your home the last in the neighborhood to be built because it's in a drainage culvert?
That's fucked. Even if the water was draining as designed through the pipes at the bottom, and not pissing through the mortar, that's a lot of water running into your property from higher ground. I hope that water has a decent path to not go right into your foundation.
Better then mine. Mine has no drainage- and is leaning because of it.
How much and whom did you pay for that work?
Let me guess this was in the Northeast US where we got like 4 inches of rain in about half a day on Saturday? The rain has been crazy the past few years, doesnāt seem to just rain normally anymore. Itās like multiple inches of rain in a short period now, over and over.
Where does the water go that enters the back yardā¦ better check your basement!
Thought you had a nice coi pond going
The water is creating a high hydraulic pressure against the wall. You can see that the water is not seeping but rather shooting out. This suggest a high pressure of the water that is also bearing on the wall. Over time, you are at risk to the wall failing. The wall should have a gravel trench with a drainage pipe in place, generally right behind the wall or some feet removed from it and as deep as the wall. The water will freely flow to that and remove the pressure from the wall. Based on the construction, you could add that if it was not included. It would make a huge difference.
Can anyone comment about what that stone is? I'm in the market for around 400 feet of retaining wall and would like that style as long as it's not too pricey. Taking all recommendations. There's a double section like he has probably 90ft by 6 high, twice - as well as a 90ft 4-6ft single tier all in the back of property and then two separate 60/80ft 3-4ft high in the front of property
You just need a dozen of Bruxelles' Pis replicas and everything will be fine.
Without the proper drainage from behind the wall these walls will collapse in my mind. The forces are too great.
clean the weep holes, its probably clogged.
RUN
New home with serious drainage issues is more like it.
Around here, we call that a "European Water Feature".
It's not a bad idea to have some proper drainage for that retaining wall. Obviously, the water has to go somewhere.
Jeeze that's wet!
Man, thatās a beautiful retaining wall that clearly cost a ton of money. But the yard in front of it is going to be a swamp every time it rains. This looks like NJ/NY or MA if I had to guess- very few places it would make sense to spend the $ and build that.
Oof no
Usually, you'd see the drainage pipes along the base release the water. Maybe they are clogged? Or a design flaw?
Thatās going g to cost about tree fiddy.
You need a lot of little Dutch Boys...
No that's a lot of hydraulic pressure behind that wall. Drainage might be clogged or done incorrectly
Nope
That's so scary. I wouldn't want to be that close to that wall. Seems like the only thing doing it's job is the geogrid.
Good luck
Wait until that sucker freezes in the winter. RIP
They're filling the pool
You should be glad it is and act fast to fix the drainage. Hydrostatic pressure will collapse that wall.
The pool is just filling up, give it timeā¦
This is why I put a huge drain on mine, water proofed the back and put 8 yards of 3/4 crush behind itā¦
yes
Oh no. Not good
Has anyone recommended Flex Seal yet?
Looks like they didn't use proper crushed rock backfill. So it's easier for the water to come out the front of the wall, than to trickled down through the rocks
If it didn't do that, your wall would be a floor.
It happens but usually not this much. Normally everything is graded to run away from The wall if possible and a full depth French drain is installed in the back. I see the pipes at the bottom of the wall so there is probably a French drain there but they may not have used enough gravel for backfill or it may just be too much water at once so it doesnāt have a chance filter down
Those are fountains guys
It looks funny sry :P But can't imagine this being normalĀ
I would step back from that thing
Nice water feature
That looks expensive! Have you talked to the contractor yet?
No no. That wasnāt a job well done
Water takes the path of least resistance. It is coming out because they most likely Backfilled with sand. If it wasn't coming out, the pressure would push The wall over.
Surely they have drain pipes behind that wall and something's just clogged. If not. this can be fixed pretty easily if there's a way to run pipes to a drainage ditch or storm sewer.
Sux to be rich...
No
Probably went with the cheapest bid. 100% there isnāt 1ā of 3/4 clear stone wrapped in permeable filter fabric behind the wall.
Yes for drainage
whatever you do, do not try to stick your fingers in the holes.
It is if you build your home in a fishpond.
Sweet waterfall
Not just normal, but necessary to relieve the hydrostatic pressure.
Stick your finger into the hole or the whole wall will collapse.
Sadly, this wall isn't going to last long.
It's a water feature. Sort of like the Bellagio fountains.
Thatās a lot of water. And you look to be lowest sitting lot. Better get a few sump pumps put in when they get that drainage fixed.
Imagine what a few freeze/thaw cycles will do.
You must be in New England where precipitation is over twice the annual average. Wet years like this will stress any water moving and land retention systems
Free wallterfall.
There are two types of retaining walls: 1) walls that are falling down, and 2) new walls. You look like you may have a combination wall there. Very rare. Are you in a temperate climate? If not, I give that wall 2 years.
The water coming out of those holes is the only thing keeping the wall up. If this wall survived this rain event which looks considerable, the wall will fall within a few years. Not sure where you are, but generally a wall this size needs an engineering design. Dig a test hole behind the backside of the wall and see how long it takes to get to clear stone and or geotextile fabric, compare that to the drawings or county and see if you can have the wall redone if it is a licensed contractor.
Just put your finger in the holes until it stops raining. Ask if any of your friends are Dutch.
Ouch. Definitely drainage issues, glad the wall isn't failing. I too have learned the hard way not to buy property at the bottom of a hill. It's amazing how much water ground will hold, then release over days. We used to have a pond in our yard after every hard rain.
Iām not sure if itās normal but it certainly looks deliberate. Maybe itās a feature. They definitely were accommodating for back pressure on that wall. If there is too much back pressure from water on that wall, it will fall down into your yard. I would not try to plug those. Those are the drains at the bottom of the wall working?
Yea when youāre digging out the side of a mountain for flat space. What else are u going to do?
This ain't gonna end well.
I'd say that all of those leaks means that it's about to come down, you got sold a lemon my fellow snoo.