Retaining Wall for basement. 1

[FFIELD]

I plan to build a 5 foot high retaining to be used as a partial wall for a basement. The plan is to pour against the earth for one side of the wall. The UBC calls for dampproofing of the wall from the earth side, even though the earth is dry as a bone and rain cannot get to this face. The earth is sandy and I will put a drain pipe at the exterior base of the wall. Does anyone know of a system to do this? If necessary I coud use a plywood form on the earth side and leave it in place after the wall is poured.

 

[BigH]

Sort of why I dislike "codes"!

 

[PSlem]

i would think a waffle drainage board would qualify as "other approved methods."

 

[FFIELD]

Thank you Pslem. I thoought of that type of an approach but do not know the name of the company or companies who make such a product. If you know please let me know.

 

[JAE]

Mirafi - should be on the internet.

 

[CSEllc]

Another manufacturer is WR Grace. Their product is called Hydroduct. You might want to get a drainage board with rigid insulation adhered to it. Or install rigid insulation also.

 

[bjb]

If the earth is sandy, will it be stable enough to pour against?

 

[FFIELD]

Many thanks for all the answers. The earth will be stabel to pour against.

The system I have come up with is as follows.

Place a rigid polystyrene board with bituthane applied to one side (concrete) and WR Grace Hydroduct 660 on the other. Pour concret against the bituthane. This is killing a flea with a cannon but if it allows me to complete the project, it will be wort it. I only have about 12 lineal feet to do.

 

[sc]

I recently completed a similar project on a beach side site. The soil was pure beach sand that is dry all year round to depth of 6.00m where it hits the seepage from the ocean. The building surveyor wanted damp proof courses and drainage lines placed, but after a bit of straight forward discussion regarding the free draining aspects of pure sand and the fact that any drainage could not be gravity drained as it would be approximately 1.00m above high tide ,helped to change his mind.

Also we used 50MPa concrete on the base slab and precast walls with a full depth epoxy waterproofing system. So the net effect of a wet surface (on the soil side) was well within the requirements for marine structures.


Sometimes codes can be worked around providing common sense is used.


regards
sc

 

[Stress02]

Not sure why you want to pour against earth. It's quite a project stabilizing a one sided form. Two sided formwork has ties that act to have one side counteract the other as far as lateral fluid pressures created by the wet concrete. One sided form needs extravagent bracing. Also, there is the danger of contamination of your concrete if the soil sluffs as you hit it with the concrete.

 

[theo2727]

i am building a home and the front concret wall has a 6ft hair line crack running across it , the crack shows on both inner and outter wall same location. do you think i should cut that section of the wall out. or try to repair it. the back fill will cover the crack. what could be my problems in result of this small 6ft hair line crack...