- Cracked Slabs – these most often occur just below the cap or the barnacle line. These cracks can indicate excessive outward hydrostatic pressure from the soil behind the wall. These types of cracks can also mean that horizontal stress beams, whalers or wall anchors are failing as well.
- Leaning Slabs – If slabs lean toward the water, your deadmen tie-backs may have failed. It slabs lean toward land, the bottom of the seawall may be kicking out.
- Slab Deterioration – Even if your slabs show no signs of cracks or leans, they may be deteriorating due to corrosive actions from saltwater, abrasion and sea organisms.
- Rust Stains – Excessive exposure to moisture can degrade the steel anchor rods or concrete reinforcing bars and can lead to damage to the surrounding concrete. If you see rust stains appear in any part of your seawall, it is cause for concern.
- Drop in Soil Levels – Improper drainage of water in the soil behind the wall can cause a lot of damage. If you see pooling of water, especially around the seawall cap, gaps between the soil and the cap edge, sinkholes or cavities in the area up to 100 feet from the seawall or a drop in the soil level, mostly likely the water is not draining quickly and it can lead to more issues if not quickly taken care of.
The longer you put off building a seawall or disregarding repairs to your existing seawall, the worse the damage will become. In the long run, the cost of a seawall repair is far less than the destruction of your home or business. Helical Foundations understands Sarasota’s climate and conditions. Our process begins with determining your needs, providing a design by a FL licensed structural engineer, obtaining the necessary permits, and installing the design to specifications and code.
