Muscle Wall is a portable barrier used to contain or divert water.
Muscle Wall utilizes a toe on the water side of the wall that uses the weight of the encroaching water, coupled with the weight of the water-filled wall to anchor the system to the ground. A liner is deployed over the wall to help provide the most effective seal.
Liners are a part of the Muscle Wall system. We always recommend using a liner, especially when dealing with water. Each wall contains kiss-throughs (holes through the wall) that give the product structural integrity. The liner helps provide the most effective seal.
There are many types of liners that will work with the system. Depending on the application we typically recommend two types of liner: for flood control a 20 mil woven coated liner, and for containment a minimum standard 30 mil woven coated with an 8 oz geo fabric underlayment is generally recommended.
The holes in the walls are called kiss-throughs. The kiss-throughs give structural integrity to the wall that allows the wall to keep its form when it is filled with water. They are also used when securing the liner and the walls together with the Muscle Wall safety straps.
Although Muscle Wall is made with similar materials as some highway barriers, it has not been certified as a highway crash barrier, nor are there any plans to obtain such certifications.
Unlike traffic barriers, the “L”-Shaped Muscle Wall is specifically designed for containing and redirecting water. The patented, “L”-Shaped Muscle Wall is designed to utilize the downward pressures created by the water (outside of the Muscle Wall) to counterbalance the lateral water pressures. In addition, Muscle Wall can be filled with water, adding 600-1,400 pounds. Muscle Wall also links together with unique connections, which allow the system to adapt to uneven terrain. The patented connections pivot 11 degrees forward and backward, enabling the length of the system to meander to fit most circumstances.
Muscle Wall is produced utilizing a rotational molding process. Most of the Muscle Wall product line is constructed out of a virgin linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE).
Muscle Wall is durable and strong, yet malleable. Muscle Wall can withstand hard impacts with blunt objects, however, sharp objects can potentially cause damage to the wall. Dropping Muscle Wall off semi trailers can also potentially cause damage. The handling of Muscle Wall, with or without heavy equipment, should be done with caution to avoid damage to the wall, people, and property.
It is generally recommended to cover stored Muscle Wall with a tarp, but if that is not feasible, then Muscle Wall will be completely fine stored outside in the sun. A 10-year manufacturer’s UV warranty is included.
There are a variety of options when sealing a liner to the ground. We have prepared step-by-step instructions detailing the full deployment of all of the Muscle Wall systems as well as options for sealing the liner on gravel, soil, grass, concrete, and asphalt. Application specific deployment procedures can be found on each Muscle Wall application website page.
Yes. One of the advantages of the coupler-joint connection that each wall employs is the flexibility that it provides. This allows one of the walls in the system to be raised up higher than the rest in order to travel over a curb, or other obstacles that a particular area of deployment might have.
Muscle Wall headquarters is stationed right in the heart of bitter-cold Logan, Utah and, as a result, we have ample opportunity to conduct extensive cold-weather testing of the Muscle Wall system. A full cold-weather performance test analysis with the Utah Water Research Laboratory can be found on our website at this link.
Muscle Wall can be produced in several different colors. There is a 30-wall minimum and a 10% additional charge when ordering a non-standard color.
Yes. The USACE has purchased Muscle Wall on multiple occasions to be used to protect critical infrastructure at lock and dams along the Mississippi River.
Muscle Wall performs phenomenally with over-topping. Unlike sandbags and other flood control systems, the integrity of the Muscle Wall system can sustain most over-topping. In one particular application, 4-foot Muscle Wall was used to protect a substation from a 3-foot flood threat. However, the 3-foot threat quickly turned into an 7-foot flood event and the entire system was over-topped by several feet of water. Nothing could have been done, given the circumstance, to save this particular location. However, when the water receded, the Muscle Wall system continued to be firmly anchored in place.
We have conducted extensive sliding and tipping tests on a variety of surfaces with the Muscle Wall system. The results have been compiled on our website at this link.
Muscle Wall can be filled with water in any way that works best for you and your deployment location. Water trucks, trash pumps, fire hydrants, and garden hoses are the most common methods for filling Muscle Wall. When emptying Muscle Wall, there are two options: removing the bung plugs on the back of each wall or reversing the trash pump to pump the water out of each wall. We usually recommend the latter, as it enables the control of the flow of water and refrains from losing the bung plugs.
Muscle Wall was started on 8/8/2008.
If there is water on only one side of the wall, filling to 3/4 full is generally sufficient. If there is water on both sides of the wall, fill to the top.
Muscle Wall is an extremely versatile product that is both effective and durable. Many other types of products have their areas of effectiveness, but none can match the versatility and durability of the Muscle Wall system.
The walls are typically shipped on a flatbed truck.
Muscle Wall can be set up without any heavy equipment. However, it is recommended to have a forklift available to offload pallets from the truck and to transport during the deployment phase.
There are many different variables that can affect results, such as application type, amount of crew on site, experience of crew, and conditions of the deployment area. For a general reference, an experienced crew of four people can fully deploy 100 feet of 2-foot Muscle Wall in normal conditions in about 30 minutes.
Yes. One of the many benefits of the design of Muscle Wall is that during a flooding event the walls can be floated into place, connected together, and sunk by filling them with the very water they are protecting against. On our website, as well as our YouTube channel, we have KSL news coverage of Muscle Wall being floated into place to save a three-story office building.
The Muscle Wall systems that require bracing are the 6-foot and 8-foot systems. We do offer a 4-foot bracing system, that can be used in extreme situations.
Muscle Wall has been used for a variety of applications ranging from flood control, stormwater management, mining, coastal, agriculture, and containment in the oil and gas industry.
Muscle Wall products have been sold all over the United States as well as internationally in Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, China and Australia.
Depending on the size and current of a river, the system is capable of diverting water in rivers and streams.
Muscle Wall was designed as a very rapid deployment system in cases of emergency, but there is no reason it can’t be left deployed over the long-term. We have customers who have had a Muscle Wall system deployed for many years.
The safety-straps help secure the joint connection points of a Muscle Wall system. They are essential for the integrity of the system.
In almost all applications we highly recommend filling the Muscle Wall system with water. However, there are some instances where it is not necessary. This should be determined case-by-case.
Muscle Wall can be filled with many different materials. However, when determining to fill Muscle Wall with something other than water, keep in mind how easily you’ll be able to remove that material if need be. Emptying a Muscle Wall of water in order to transport it to another location is very quick and easy. Emptying a Muscle Wall of sand, dirt, or concrete would be much more difficult or impossible.
The product used to created the rotationally molded Muscle Wall product line is a virgin resin called Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE). This is the same material that is used to create containers to store harsh chemicals.
The only Muscle Wall product that is constructed from recycled plastic is the 6-inch wall. The rest of the Muscle Wall product line is constructed from virgin low-density polyethylene plastic which is recyclable.
6-inch Muscle Wall is compression-molded and the rest of the Muscle Wall product line is rotationally-molded.
Extremely. Muscle Wall is built out of a low-density polyethylene plastic that enables the wall to be very resilient and hold up for years across multiple deployments.
According to the United States Army Corps of Engineer’s (USACE) recommended sandbag deployment procedures, a 2-foot Muscle Wall replaces 126 sandbags and a 4-foot Muscle Wall replaces 468 sandbags. The USACE also states that the average cost of sandbags ranges from $2.50 to $5.00 per bag, once all of the additional expenses are factored. Muscle Wall saves money even on the first deployment of the system.
Yes. We have compiled a Dropbox folder with many of our endorsements.
Spec sheets for each Muscle Wall product can be found by visiting our website, hovering or clicking on “products,” and then clicking on the product you are interested in.
On our website under each application section you can access a gallery that is full of application-specific videos and pictures of Muscle Wall in action. Muscle Wall videos can also be found on our YouTube channel.
Yes. A compilation of all of our current brochures can be found on our Dropbox.