Tips and Tricks on How to Repair and Maintain Your Seawall

Boost your seawall's integrity by keeping it well-maintained.

Suppose your home is located near a lake or ocean shoreline. In that case, you might already know the significance of having a seawall. A seawall helps protect your property from flooding, erosion, storm surges, and more. Keeping your seawall well-maintained can ensure you won’t worry about damage caused by floods and erosion.

It is recommended to have expert builders handle your seawall's major repairs and maintenance. However, you can still do minor repairs and maintenance to your seawall to extend its lifespan.

Here are the tips and tricks you need to know to take good care of your seawall.

Inspect Your Seawall Surface

Don’t pull out your sealants and rakes just yet, especially if you don’t know what you’re up against. Before doing anything else, you must first inspect and check your seawall and its surface. This way, you’ll be able to find out your problems and prepare for what you need to solve the issues, saving you time and effort.

The problems observed will vary, depending on your seawall type. For example, you should look for cracks if you have a concrete or vinyl seawall. For wooden ones, check for termite infestations or wood rot. With daily or regular inspection, you’ll see problems early on, giving you a chance to do something to prevent it from getting worse.

Unclog Seawall Holes

Seawalls have holes in them called weep holes. They play a very important role, allowing water to pass through and easing the pressure and stress from your seawall. Without weep holes, there’s a high chance that your seawall might collapse from water pressure.

Sometimes, water carries debris, which also passes through these holes. If the debris is large enough, it won’t be able to pass through, blocking the holes in the process. Check and unclog your weep holes regularly to keep your seawall in top condition, maintain a good water flow, and relieve water pressure.

Remove Vegetation

Sun, rain, and a steady water supply are the perfect combination for greenery to grow and thrive. You can’t miss those greens growing over your seawall surface when doing inspections. Even though it's encouraged to grow plants for the good of the environment, you don’t want them growing on your seawall.

The root system of plants can wind their way inside to get a better water supply. External damage on your seawall is easy to fix, but internal damage caused by the roots is different. Water can seep through the damage within and weaken your seawall. Therefore, ensure your seawall is vegetation-free to keep its integrity.

Seal the Cracks

Cracks are the bane of a seawall’s existence, no matter what material is used. If you have a concrete or vinyl seawall, you might encounter cracks more often than not. However, they’re a quick fix, especially if you detect minor cracking. It’s also possible to do it on your own. But make sure to look up the right product that fits your seawall type. If the cracks are deeper, longer, and more severe, it’s recommended to call an expert and have them deal with it.

Waterproof Your Seawall

You can fortify the barrier and protection of your seawall even further with the help of products you can buy from the store. You can choose from many types of seawalls, and there’s a wide variety of waterproofing products you can use for them. No matter your seawall type, using a spray-on waterproofing product is easier and more convenient. Just make sure the product you're using is suitable for the type of seawall that you have.

While inspecting your seawall, take note of the severity of the issues your seawall is having. It’s important that you know whether you only need minor repairs or to replace your seawall completely. By knowing the issues of your seawall, you’ll be able to figure out how to fix them more efficiently and effectively, even by yourself. But if the problems are severe, it is recommended to leave repairs and maintenance to the professionals.

Having troubles with your own seawall? Call us at Tampa Dock Builders, and let’s talk!