Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Compacting dirt
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William521
08-01-05, 10:24 PM
Thanks alot for supplying this help online.
My question is regarding compacting dirt. My installation requires me to dig down 11' with a backhoe with it being a 4' by 4' square. In the middle of this hole there will be a 10" i.d. pvc pipe with a 3/4" id galvanized water pipe in the middle of it. The deep hole and the 10" pvc pipe prevent the 3/4" water pipe from freezing. When I backfill all the dirt in the hole I have to provide a 5' by 5' concrete foundation with bolts in the concrete to hold down a horse waterer. The foundation is to support this horse waterer and the galvanized pipe is connected to the existing well waterline.
I think you can picture what I have. I was wondering what the best way would be to compact the dirt inorder to pour the 5' by 5' concrete foundation. I am concerned about the dirt settling over time and ruining the concrete. Thanks. :cool: MIKE
My question is regarding compacting dirt. My installation requires me to dig down 11' with a backhoe with it being a 4' by 4' square. In the middle of this hole there will be a 10" i.d. pvc pipe with a 3/4" id galvanized water pipe in the middle of it. The deep hole and the 10" pvc pipe prevent the 3/4" water pipe from freezing. When I backfill all the dirt in the hole I have to provide a 5' by 5' concrete foundation with bolts in the concrete to hold down a horse waterer. The foundation is to support this horse waterer and the galvanized pipe is connected to the existing well waterline.
I think you can picture what I have. I was wondering what the best way would be to compact the dirt inorder to pour the 5' by 5' concrete foundation. I am concerned about the dirt settling over time and ruining the concrete. Thanks. :cool: MIKE
Concretemasonry
08-02-05, 08:07 AM
This is not quite a DIY project. You will need some help or major rentals.
To dig the 11' deep hole you will need to shore up the sides if you work inside. Usually contractors rent this.
Why not contact a utility contractor and use some sort of a precast manhole section. He has the equipment, the contacts and the know-how.
After you have the concrete in the ground, you can do what you want to suport the horse waterer and have access to the pit.
To compact the soil you will need a compactor (probably plate contractor, but the soil type dictates) that you can rent.
Good luck!
Dick
To dig the 11' deep hole you will need to shore up the sides if you work inside. Usually contractors rent this.
Why not contact a utility contractor and use some sort of a precast manhole section. He has the equipment, the contacts and the know-how.
After you have the concrete in the ground, you can do what you want to suport the horse waterer and have access to the pit.
To compact the soil you will need a compactor (probably plate contractor, but the soil type dictates) that you can rent.
Good luck!
Dick
William521
08-02-05, 04:34 PM
Thanks for the reply. I was just going to shore up the sides of the hole with plywood.
The installation is basically what the manufacturer of the horse waterer recommends to do. You can look at an illustration of the installation here if you'd like to http://www.nelsonmfg.com/mounting-option2.htm
The hardest part is digging that hole and compacting that dirt for me. I have done pretty much everything else before. I have made a concrete sidewalk before so I don't think in all it should be that difficult. That is assuming of course everything goes to plan during the installation.
That is a pretty deep hole too but I can only imagine how much fun I am going to have operating that backhoe. hehehehehehe. :D
Since the soil is dirt/clay I suppose I will probably be using a jumping jack type compactor. Can these machines compact to an 11 foot depth? I understand that there are variables in this question such as the power of the machine, type of soil, and how long you spend on one spot but in general can these machines do this?
As always thanks for spending your time to answer this. :) MIKE
The installation is basically what the manufacturer of the horse waterer recommends to do. You can look at an illustration of the installation here if you'd like to http://www.nelsonmfg.com/mounting-option2.htm
The hardest part is digging that hole and compacting that dirt for me. I have done pretty much everything else before. I have made a concrete sidewalk before so I don't think in all it should be that difficult. That is assuming of course everything goes to plan during the installation.
That is a pretty deep hole too but I can only imagine how much fun I am going to have operating that backhoe. hehehehehehe. :D
Since the soil is dirt/clay I suppose I will probably be using a jumping jack type compactor. Can these machines compact to an 11 foot depth? I understand that there are variables in this question such as the power of the machine, type of soil, and how long you spend on one spot but in general can these machines do this?
As always thanks for spending your time to answer this. :) MIKE
Concretemasonry
08-02-05, 05:01 PM
I wouldn,t go in that 11' deep hole for any amount of money unless it was about 20 feet wide. Plywood will be of little help. Contractors use steel shoring and still have high insurance premiums and they are professionals.
I would compact the soil in 6" to 12" layers. That is the effective depth in a heavy soil like you have. It also depends on how big a hog you rent. Sand is much easier to compact.
I would compact the soil in 6" to 12" layers. That is the effective depth in a heavy soil like you have. It also depends on how big a hog you rent. Sand is much easier to compact.
Hellrazor
08-02-05, 05:52 PM
Do they make 6" thick plywood? :)
I would seriously rethink making this a DIY project.
I would seriously rethink making this a DIY project.
Frank99
08-02-05, 08:10 PM
How long is the unit and how deep is the frost line where you are? Alaska or the North Pole, is this for the reindeer, but seriously a 11' Hole 4' wide could collapse in seconds, trapping you and killing you.
Michaela521
08-02-05, 11:09 PM
http://www.nelsonmfg.com/mounting-option2.htm
William521
08-03-05, 11:08 AM
North Dakota is where I live. The frost line is roughly 6' deep in my area. The installation requires that you dig down 4' below the frostline inorder to supply enough warm air in the pvc pipe inorder to keep the water pipe inside the pvc pipe from freezing up. The manufacturer recommends this extra 4' depth though. I know I said 11' but that extra foot is just insurance so it doesn't freeze up on me and If you wanna look at a picture of the installation you can at this site http://www.nelsonmfg.com/mounting-option2.htm.
Technically if you look at this installation the hole has to be atleast 8' deep inorder for me to locate the well water line (7' deep) and tap into it while the pvc pipe has to be 11' deep. My well water line at the moment is 7' below ground. I could just dig down 8' with the backhoe and then at the bottom of the hole us a hole digger with a 14" bit on it to dig the extra 3' depth. I could even use a simple mechanical hole digger to dig down there sense it will only be a 3' deep by 14" diameter circle on the bottom of the hole to dig.
I was thinking plywood with a 2 by 6 frame around it. The 2 by 6's on the inside and the plywood on the outside. I wouldn't frame it like a normal wall is done but instead the 2 by 6's would be a square that is rabbeted on the ends where they come together. I meant 4' by 4' minimum width and length for me to work down there. I suppose I meant to say the working length and width would be 4' by 4' while the hole would be around 6' by 6' to allow the framed box to set inside. Of course as the hole is dug some debris might fall into it making it larger but 6' by 6' would be the minimum to allow the box to be set inside. I didn't mean to try and make it a perfect 4 by 4 by 11 foot rectangle.
As always I thank you a lot for your help and generous time.... oh and also looking out for me on the cave-in issue . Thanks. MIKE
Technically if you look at this installation the hole has to be atleast 8' deep inorder for me to locate the well water line (7' deep) and tap into it while the pvc pipe has to be 11' deep. My well water line at the moment is 7' below ground. I could just dig down 8' with the backhoe and then at the bottom of the hole us a hole digger with a 14" bit on it to dig the extra 3' depth. I could even use a simple mechanical hole digger to dig down there sense it will only be a 3' deep by 14" diameter circle on the bottom of the hole to dig.
I was thinking plywood with a 2 by 6 frame around it. The 2 by 6's on the inside and the plywood on the outside. I wouldn't frame it like a normal wall is done but instead the 2 by 6's would be a square that is rabbeted on the ends where they come together. I meant 4' by 4' minimum width and length for me to work down there. I suppose I meant to say the working length and width would be 4' by 4' while the hole would be around 6' by 6' to allow the framed box to set inside. Of course as the hole is dug some debris might fall into it making it larger but 6' by 6' would be the minimum to allow the box to be set inside. I didn't mean to try and make it a perfect 4 by 4 by 11 foot rectangle.
As always I thank you a lot for your help and generous time.... oh and also looking out for me on the cave-in issue . Thanks. MIKE