4 ms·
> You could stop water draining through the retaining wall and turn it into a dam, which will not end well. Which is why gravel backfill with a perforated pipe
by throw0101b 3y ago
> You could stop water draining through the retaining wall and turn it into a dam, which will not end well.
Which is why gravel backfill with a perforated pipe at the base (that drains to day light) is specified by many/most building codes.
- schiffern 3y agoSo what you're saying is we made a problem for ourselves, and then we hacked on additional cost (and plastic) to fix it? I'm starting to see the advantages of this dry stone wall technique.
- throw0101b 3y agoA 'sealed' retaining wall where the stones are interlocked or even glued/mortared together would probably have a higher load capacity than one made dry/unadhered. Or someone could simply like the aesthetic of a more 'filled in' wall, regardless of practical considerations.
- rootusrootus 3y agoEh, the perforated pipe technique can efficiently collect the water and move it somewhere else entirely. It's nice that dry stone can just let water fall through, but then it just runs out at the base. Which might be fine, but you might still want a french drain anyway.