Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - try to fix a slighly tipping block wall
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george mitchell
10-15-09, 08:56 AM
i have a tipping wall block with motar. it is cracking in several places on the mortar lines . i plan to drill small holes into the wall and drive three pieces of rebar down into th dirt behindthe wall at a downward angle to tie the wall to the dirt in the rear of the wall which has bee there 30 years and is very compacted. i plan to tie the rebar together and use a professional grade mortar to stuff the holes with mortar to secure them to the wall . i plan to do this in several areas of the wall. . also i wonder if there is any way to add drain holes to the wall to relieve the pressure behind the wall the wall is 7 ft. high ans 25 ft long . i have built many things, done all kind of electrical work but the only concrete work i have done is building a small block wall which is still in good shape after 20 years; does my plan seem rational to you many concrete experts out there who have far more experience than i do ? i don't wan to tear the wall down due to the cost of rebuilding it , if at all possible. thank you for any advice that you may give me .
cpmasonry
10-15-09, 09:47 AM
Your imagination is as good as mine... What your suggesting is a temporary fix..... the bonds already broken, and the only solution I can "imagine" is what your suggesting with a kicker... you mentioned drilling weep holes in the wall... that wouldnt hurt, but you need a way for good drainage. to stop/ slow the wall from pushing over, would take about the same amount of work as tearing down the wall with no guarantees.
If it were my property and I had no money, I first would pop off the cap and see if it were poured solid... if not I would def. grout it solid. I would dig the earth away 16'' or so, dump LOTS of pea gravel along the wall, then place a foot of dirt on top.... bracing into the bank is a great idea, but to do any good you need to get into the dirt quite a ways (at least 7 feet MIN) if you can find something that'll drill that deep, (use allthread instead of rebar.)then dig a hole where the allthread ends and pour that with a wheelbarrel full of grout... to give the bar some resistance against the forces of gravity... allthread would work better as you can put massive washers on each end for better support. sorry I cant be better help....
renting one of those cable line trenchers will solve the drilling through the earth problem.... from the wall, you want to start fairly high (2or3 courses), then go deep at a 45 deg. angle would be ideal.
If it were my property and I had no money, I first would pop off the cap and see if it were poured solid... if not I would def. grout it solid. I would dig the earth away 16'' or so, dump LOTS of pea gravel along the wall, then place a foot of dirt on top.... bracing into the bank is a great idea, but to do any good you need to get into the dirt quite a ways (at least 7 feet MIN) if you can find something that'll drill that deep, (use allthread instead of rebar.)then dig a hole where the allthread ends and pour that with a wheelbarrel full of grout... to give the bar some resistance against the forces of gravity... allthread would work better as you can put massive washers on each end for better support. sorry I cant be better help....
renting one of those cable line trenchers will solve the drilling through the earth problem.... from the wall, you want to start fairly high (2or3 courses), then go deep at a 45 deg. angle would be ideal.