(6) Tips For Maintaining Your Seawalls

Living at coastlines is always a longing for everyone. Enjoying the natural setting, especially at sunsets, makes the properties around the shores as dramatic.

But, we know a quote, Everything comes with a price. It fits true here. On the one hand, we enjoy the natural panorama; on the other hand, we need to prevent soil erosion due to water.

That's where seawalls come into action. Let's elaborate on seawalls to ensure their longevity with maintenance.

What are seawalls?

Seawalls are special barricades built at the corners of the lakes to prevent the water from seeping through the property. Since the water can cause soil erosion and impact your building, seawalls are crucial in maintaining your construction.

It doesn't only protect the house but also provides a beautiful view. That's why people construct restaurants along with embankments of the lake to let customers have a fascinating environment.

8 Different types of Seawalls

Seawalls are not typically manufactured with simple materials. Instead, different materials compose different types of seawalls, enhancing the overall elegance.

Let's have a quick go-through of 8 different types of seawalls.

1. Timber Seawalls

Timber is unique wood designed for glamourous buildings. Seawalls or marine construction manufactured with timber offer dual advantages— a beautiful panorama and wall strength.

However, you need to maintain the timber seawalls depending on your location, climate conditions, and surrounding environment. With better maintenance, you can expect better durability.

However, there’s something else that you need to keep in mind. Make sure that the penetrating oil you buy does not have grease in it. Grease traps moisture in its particles which can cause more harm than good. While it’s okay to use grease for machines like automobiles, you cannot use it for something that stays in contact with water around the year!

2. Cobblestone seawalls

An aesthetic view of marine construction! Colorful cobblestones lying at the banks of the lake simply present a captivating scene. And when you build seawalls with cobblestone, they offer you better support.

Look. You can't build cobblestone seawalls at every place around the sea. They do not offer as much support as you can assume from the timber or other types of seawalls.

So, when are cobblestone seawalls a better option? Usually, at sea, in places where there are low waves of water, these are the best options.

3.Concrete Seawalls

Do you know what the most potent seawalls are? Nothing comes to my mind except concrete seawalls. Large blocks of concrete and sometimes metals halt the heavy waves and water inflow. They not only keep the water away but also require little maintenance.

Concrete seawalls are the best option where they are sudden disruptions of water waves and increased risks of erosion.

4. Sheet Pile Seawalls

Sheet pile seawalls are marine constructions suitable for sea banks where there are moderate water waves or storms. As the name depicts, a sheet is laid down in the soil, and then large rocks are kept upon it. It facilitates better support to prevent soil erosion.

Sheet piles seawalls don't appear appealing, but they offer great support for water waves.

5. Riprap

One of the most common types of seawalls you look around is riprap. It comprises the large and small stones lying at the river banks along with concrete material to enhance the strength. In the case of water storms, they absorb the kinetic energy of water and prevent it from seeping through the walls.

In marine construction, they procure very much worth making it easy to find durable walls with an incredible impression.

6.Vinyl Seawalls

Vinyl is a synthetic material, popular in marine construction due to a longer lifetime of more than 20 years. It is what you can expect from the vinyl seawalls as well.

Vinyl seawalls comprise the vinyl sheets in the base layer of soil to prevent soil erosion in emergencies. They reduce the energy of water waves and present a fascinating phenomenon. Homeowners and business developers employ vinyl seawalls for adequate protection.

7.Composite Seawalls

Composite seawalls are easy to install and maintain. Usually, they are not as strong as steel but offer a great deal of protection from water waves. The great thing about them is their availability in multiple colors and shapes, making them a worthy investment for homeowners.

It is better to install them at places where you don't want to change ecological conditions or need little maintenance.

8.Steel

Like concrete, steel seawalls are potent components of marine construction. Their most significant advantage is the negligible maintenance cost and high durability features.

Remember, steel can erode with time. Especially with water contact, rust can get at it. When choosing the steel seawalls for your home, it is better to keep a weather eye at this point.

Why is Seawall maintenance crucial?

If you have an estate precisely at the riverbank, how do you protect your home from the river water? It also holds true for restaurants. At the river, there are sudden water surges and waves that put extreme pressure on the walls of the house or restaurant.

If the water seeps through it, you can expect the worse to be here— soil erosion. That's what compels us to build the seawalls around the rivers and decrease the destruction due to water waves.

6 Tips for maintaining the seawall

Investing, again and again, is mental agony. Who wants to make non-profitable deals? In marine construction, proper maintenance can cut down the cost. So, there are many ways to maintain the seawalls and make them work for years. Here we go:

1. Inspect the Surface

Visual inspection of any surface can highlight many essential points. If you closely observe the seawall surface, you will know the number of cracks, features of the surface procures, and the material from which it is made. It makes it easy to point out minor defects, implement the necessary solution, and maintain your surface effectively.

If the surface is good, inner defects might not affect that much. However, you can evaluate the repairs required in the given seawalls. So, whenever you call for the maintenance team, they start with visual inspection and move forward with other parts.

2. Eliminate algae and plants growth

Since your seawalls are built around water resources, the structural integrity of seawalls is compromised. It not only destroys the seawalls slowly but also lets microorganisms grow out there.

You might wonder why vegetative growths?

Remember, when there is water, you can see the algae and plant growth. It all is possible due to nutrients available in the water and aerobic respiration for the microorganisms and algae.

If there are plants and algae, their roots will penetrate the seawalls leading to compromised strength. There will be visible defects and cracks in your walls soon after. So, in that case, do we really have the solution? Yes, you need to go for a regular checkup and remove the plants. It will improve durability and decrease the maintenance cost.

3.Keep Weep Holes Unclogged

At the seashores, there is high water pressure. Due to the continuous inflow of water waves it generates a considerable force. Since this force strikes the seawalls directly, you can imagine the level of destruction in such a case.

So, is there any protective mechanism for reducing the water pressure?

Yes. We have weep holes in the seawalls. You need to inspect them regularly to see whether they are clogged or not. Due to dust particles, they may obstruct, and you already know the results. Better unclog them timely.

4. Seal Cracks

Some wall materials have tiny pores for proper aeration, while others don't. When checking out the cracks, you need to determine the seal material. If it is concrete, examine it closely and see the cracks.

The first mistake people make is; that they try to close the cracks on their own. It leads to improper sealing and decreases durability.

Whether there are small cracks or significant ones, you need to go through a proper checkup. That's where you need to hire the professionals like T&J Waterfront Services. The professionals know how to deal with the cracks, choose the right sealing product, and seal them properly to avoid future problems.

5. Apply WaterProofing

Do you know what the is significant side effects of water? It causes soil erosion that is far worse than the cracks in seawalls. There is no practical solution for soil erosion except to remove the factors that cause it.

By that means, you can go for a waterproofing layer upon your seawalls. No matter what is a prime component of your wall, the waterproofing layer can keep the water away. Consequently, you can efficiently prevent soil erosion.

6. Complete Inspection

Never confuse complete inspection with the visual inspection. The comprehensive review includes scrutinizing all aspects of your seawalls, not merely pictorial depiction.

There are many advantages of complete inspection. For example, it can highlight the minor cracks, evaluate the marine construction quality, and allow you to implement the essential measurements before time. Therefore, you must go for a complete inspection and review all the aspects of marine construction.

Conclusion

In marine construction, you need to analyze different aspects, decide on the composition material, and adjust according to ecological conditions. So, do you need experts for your marine construction and seawalls?

T&J Waterfront Experts can assess the environmental conditions and install protective mechanisms for your property. Our services not only include the seawall building and maintenance but also comprise the boat lift, dock services, and retaining walls.