Block wall staining

[mark55us]

Originally Posted by ReadyFreddy

I don't know... I think most yards have lawn or some form of plants all the way to their block walls, and it all gets watered. Maybe just not to the wall-saturation point. Like I said, Mesa Public Schools waters right up against my block wall, and all along my block it's like that. And then there's the flood irrigation used all over the valley, including the school yards. If it's such common sense I'd think the schools would know not to do it.

Yes I agree most have plants against the walls which isnt a problem watering, however when you build a dirt flower box against it about a foot tall with the dirt directly against a cinder block wall. The wall is like a sponge, where the water will be suck from the planter box and cause the problem like what were having. The way of preventing that would to install a liner against it so the water doesent touch the wall and goes directly down into the ground or a sealer..

School yards dont have planter boxes around there fence line.. I never seen it??!

[ReadyFreddy]

No, not planter boxes, just grass! You're right, a raised soil garden is different and much more likely to damage the wall, you'd think.

[sarahdsmom]

He does have copies of my photos, I think he just doesn't care, the unkempt condition of their patio & yard tells me that. Still haven't heard from his HOA. I did speak to the supervisor of construction of the new home builds on my street. He said, he thinks the guy is over watering and maybe it's a code compliance issue. That, since there are two parallel walls it will help with stability but overtime if the soil continues to be compromised from too much water, nothing will help including the rebar in the wall, the rebar is only set about a foot in the soil. If you drive around the neighborhood it's a common issue, the way the yards are put in and slopes for proper drainage in the community, all it takes is over watering and you have this problem. The soil needs to be able to dry out.

[Spohie2012]

I am taking my neighbor to court because he has destroyed the privacy fence between us. They have had several leeks in their sprinkler system. The water ends up coming through the fence in to my yard. This fall the renters he had did not know the system was schedule to turn on twice a day. We do not live here year round so when I came back my yard was soak with water my pond was over flowing, which I had drained and cleaned before I left. I had new gravel put in around the garden and the pond. Had and inch of the gravel in my pond and the garden gravel has been washed down the drains that I have in the back yard. Our codes say that the landscaping and any water system has to be drain and scope towards the road. There yard is three feet higher which contributes to the problem more. The person I bought the house from had the same problem with them. She threaten to sue. He said he fixed the problem but I guess he did not .

Most block fences are not retaining walls and should not have any type of dirt up against them. He has a nice fence and I do not. NOT FAIR to any of us that are dealing with these kinds of problems. I guess I will let the Judge decide.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by Spohie2012

I am taking my neighbor to court because he has destroyed the privacy fence between us. They have had several leeks in their sprinkler system. The water ends up coming through the fence in to my yard. This fall the renters he had did not know the system was schedule to turn on twice a day. We do not live here year round so when I came back my yard was soak with water my pond was over flowing, which I had drained and cleaned before I left. I had new gravel put in around the garden and the pond. Had and inch of the gravel in my pond and the garden gravel has been washed down the drains that I have in the back yard. Our codes say that the landscaping and any water system has to be drain and scope towards the road. There yard is three feet higher which contributes to the problem more. The person I bought the house from had the same problem with them. She threaten to sue. He said he fixed the problem but I guess he did not .

Most block fences are not retaining walls and should not have any type of dirt up against them. He has a nice fence and I do not. NOT FAIR to any of us that are dealing with these kinds of problems. I guess I will let the Judge decide.

Good story.

[caryberry]

OP - you didn't mention what town you live in.

In Scottsdale, invasive drainage is a big issue and taken very seriously.

Our HOA got in big trouble with the City of Scottsdale.

It is against the law for irrigation to filter on private property, sidewalks and roads. A neighborhood down-hill, the unfortunate recipients of the HOA's over-watering; complained and threatened legal action. The HOA's over-watering was causing damage to block walls and the adjoining alley. It has been over 2-years since the first complaints were filed. The City of S-dale continues to stay on the HOA's case regarding drainage. Additionally, the AZ Department of Environmental Quality was called in to survey the on-going problem.

You might want to check with your local code enforcement.

[Boxerike]

I need help. Here's the advise I'm looking for up front, and the story is below. I'm trying to avoid using a structural engineer. Would some type of masonry expert work? Any other suggestions?

We moved to Scottsdale a couple years ago from an area of the country that's flat, and where it rains all the time. So this situation is brand new for me.

My uphill neighbor moved in last year. He began over watering his plants on his side of the cinder block wall. Because of the slope of our community, his property is about 6' higher than mine, and the water began seeping through the wall causing efflorescence, peeling paint, and crumbling of the cinder blocks.

It took months to get my uphill neighbor to turn off his irrigation emitters by filing an HOA complaint. Because of his inability to accept responsibility, I had to take him to Small Claims Court (the HOA has no enforcement authority in these cases - took me months to discover that). This is the first time I've ever been personally involved in a legal action, so I learned a lot. I won a small judgment, which I'm sure he won't pay (but I'll be learning all about garnishing, property liens, and collection agencies). And BTW, If I won, I was going to ask the judge not to issue a judgment if it meant it would go on his credit report (I really would rather help people than hurt them), but his testimony was offensive and filled with lies. So F... him.

Anyway, he implied during his testimony that he was going to turn the irrigation back on at the wall, which he apparently has because the efflorescence is coming back. And this genius has a pool within feet of the wall! I called a local painter to see if he could seal my side enough to prevent both the efflorescence and damage to the structural integrity of the wall. He said that, unless my neighbor excavates and seals his side, the damage will eventually cause the wall to fail. His side must be sealed to prevent eventual failure of the wall.

I know I can't force him to turn off the emitters, but I can establish a pattern of destructive behavior on his part by starting with an expert opinion. And that's where I'm hoping this forum can help.

The painter I spoke with said he deals with this all the time. And even though he's experienced in this type of condition, I'm sure the court would put more credibility in a more specialized expert. Can anyone recommend a masonry expert or cinder block wall expert who can give me a written expert opinion? Or does anyone have any economical alternatives?

Thanks, and my hope is that you never get a neighbor like this.

[BigEinAz]

Who owns the wall? If it was constructed as a true retaining wall, it should have had "weeps" installed to relieve hydrostatic pressure. If the wall fails, is it close enough to your house to cause damage?

I'd probably just plant a landscape screen and forget about it until it fails. Then let your homeowners insurance go after him. The City of Scottsdale Building/Engineering dept should be called to review if it is a potential life-safety issue if it collapses.

[Burning Madolf]

Originally Posted by Boxerike

I need help. Here's the advise I'm looking for up front, and the story is below. I'm trying to avoid using a structural engineer. Would some type of masonry expert work? Any other suggestions?

We moved to Scottsdale a couple years ago from an area of the country that's flat, and where it rains all the time. So this situation is brand new for me.

My uphill neighbor moved in last year. He began over watering his plants on his side of the cinder block wall. Because of the slope of our community, his property is about 6' higher than mine, and the water began seeping through the wall causing efflorescence, peeling paint, and crumbling of the cinder blocks.

It took months to get my uphill neighbor to turn off his irrigation emitters by filing an HOA complaint. Because of his inability to accept responsibility, I had to take him to Small Claims Court (the HOA has no enforcement authority in these cases - took me months to discover that). This is the first time I've ever been personally involved in a legal action, so I learned a lot. I won a small judgment, which I'm sure he won't pay (but I'll be learning all about garnishing, property liens, and collection agencies). And BTW, If I won, I was going to ask the judge not to issue a judgment if it meant it would go on his credit report (I really would rather help people than hurt them), but his testimony was offensive and filled with lies. So F... him.

Anyway, he implied during his testimony that he was going to turn the irrigation back on at the wall, which he apparently has because the efflorescence is coming back. And this genius has a pool within feet of the wall! I called a local painter to see if he could seal my side enough to prevent both the efflorescence and damage to the structural integrity of the wall. He said that, unless my neighbor excavates and seals his side, the damage will eventually cause the wall to fail. His side must be sealed to prevent eventual failure of the wall.

I know I can't force him to turn off the emitters, but I can establish a pattern of destructive behavior on his part by starting with an expert opinion. And that's where I'm hoping this forum can help.

The painter I spoke with said he deals with this all the time. And even though he's experienced in this type of condition, I'm sure the court would put more credibility in a more specialized expert. Can anyone recommend a masonry expert or cinder block wall expert who can give me a written expert opinion? Or does anyone have any economical alternatives?

Thanks, and my hope is that you never get a neighbor like this.

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[SoCalCpl2]

Try concrete stain like for a garage floor..... It actually goes into the material about an inch deep.. That might keep this at bay....