Weep Holes

What is Weep Holes?

Weep holes are small PVC pipes or intentional gaps built into the base of solid concrete or masonry retaining walls, such as basement walls and boundary walls that hold back earth. They give groundwater trapped in the soil behind the wall a path to drain. Without them, the hydrostatic pressure of that water can buckle and collapse the wall.

Practical example

A contractor builds a 15-foot RCC retaining wall to hold back the hillside behind a new resort. Every 2 metres along the base, a 4-inch PVC pipe is embedded through the concrete as a weep hole. In the monsoon the hill absorbs thousands of litres of rain. The water flows out through the weep holes into the storm drain instead of pushing on the wall.

In SuperWise

In SuperWise a retaining wall's finishing checklist can include a yes or no line confirming that every weep hole shown on the GFC drawing is clear of debris, with a photo field for evidence. A checklist can be set as the finish checklist of the wall task, and with the checklist enforced the task cannot be marked complete until it is approved.

Quality and safety checklists