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[mlappin]

Well the suggestion that you use the native clay for back fill right at the wall is a sound one. Adding sand will just let the water from the surrounding clay collect where you went thru the wall.

Backfill up to a couple feet of the wall, then for expected heavy rains you can place planks over it and a tarp to shed excess water.

Years ago St. Joseph county changed some rules around, you now have to be licensed and bonded to install septics and do sewer hookups. Basically doubled the price of systems, so Father got into that to keep the help busy in the off times of the year. He had to redo two jobs the first year he was in the biz, both because the clay settled too much around the pipe coming out of the wall and cracked it. Now if replacing or installing a new pipe they hand dig the last several inches to be even with the bottom of the hole in the wall so the bottom of the trench is never disturbed. Soil can't fall away from the bottom of the pipe if it doesn't have to settle in the first place.

Same with fixing drainage tile, never dig too deep then back fill to get back up to grade, it will settle and pull your patch or connection apart then you get to do it again.

[Sloppy_Snood]

Well the suggestion that you use the native clay for back fill right at the wall is a sound one. Adding sand will just let the water from the surrounding clay collect where you went thru the wall.

Thank you.  I am NOT a professional on utilities and ditches but fortunately for me, my brother-in-law is (and sounds like you have a lot of experience in this area too).  It just "made sense" to me.

Backfill Methodology/Thoughts: Although I did not mention it in previous posts, but the Logstor is fully supported with 8"-10" flume sand right up to the 90° turn and 2 feet straight piece that go into the pipe.  The flume sand was then compacted the entire trench length with a hand tamp.  The Logstor was laid onto this flume sand foundation, straightened, and then covered with another 12 inches of flume sand and hand tamped again.  About 6-7" of flume sand over the top of the Logstor. 

The 1" electrical conduit was then laid on that flume sand foundation and covered with 3 inches more of flume sand. and tamped.  The main run was backfilled over the electrical conduit and flume sand with many loader buckets of clay using the New Holland TC33D tractor.  I completed compaction with the weight of the loader, tractor, and a 1600 lbs 4-in1 box blade.  Many runs back and forth squishing it all down for good compaction.

I am certain "the turn" and main run (90 feet) were fully supported with good, compacted base. 

Backfill up to a couple feet of the wall, then for expected heavy rains you can place planks over it and a tarp to shed excess water.

This is a really good suggestion that I am going to use. 

...Now if replacing or installing a new pipe they hand dig the last several inches to be even with the bottom of the hole in the wall so the bottom of the trench is never disturbed. Soil can't fall away from the bottom of the pipe if it doesn't have to settle in the first place.

Because I core-drilled from the outside of the wall into the interior, I had to dig down 8 inches below the lower, 6" core-drilled hole (in order to mount the core drill mounting plate to the wall).  I dig fill that back up with heavy clay and hand tamped the heck out of it.... all the way up and just over the top of the Logstor as it enters the house.  I am hoping this will eliminate/minimize and major settling at the wall itself (but your point on clay settling slowly over years of time is well-known by me; it happened during the original, lackluster backfill job of the original build some 14 years ago).

[Sloppy_Snood]

Both great suggestions mlappin, nice looking job and stove sloppy, how about a picture of the inside of that beast!

I will take some more stove pictures once the rain ends.... didn't want to open it up in the downpour.

[mlappin]

Thank you.  I am NOT a professional on utilities and ditches but fortunately for me, my brother-in-law is (and sounds like you have a lot of experience in this area too).  It just "made sense" to me.

You're welcome. Tend to learn a trick or two when you've lived on a clay farm for a little over 40 years.

Good trick around here is when doing foundations lay a tile around the bottom with pea gravel, then another one further up the wall a couple feet shy of grade, then cap the whole thing off with clay sloping away from the foundation. With a downpour the clay cap keeps the water from the foundation in the first place so the tiles have little to do.

[Sloppy_Snood]

mlappin- Do you think the following picture displays adequate support for the Logstor and electrical conduit if I were to just add clay for the remainder of the backfill? 





I'm about 1/2 way supported on the radius of the turn with flume sand.  I just need to get more flume sand if I use it for backfill support on the corner bend of the piping/conduit. 

[mlappin]

Thats really hard to say, i have a spot in the driveway at the moment that is actually dusty on top, but it's in the shade most of the afternoon. Still has frost in the drive and water on top of the frost, not only can you see it move when you walk on it but you can feel it shift as well.

With the water standing in the corner by the conduit 90 I'd say not.

[Sloppy_Snood]

With the water standing in the corner by the conduit 90 I'd say not.

That was rain from the evening before.

[Sloppy_Snood]

April 19, 2014:  I had another project to finish so I have been a little slower on progress of my installation.  Predominantly worked on backfilling and site preparation for my concrete pad.

Backfilled clay/dirt up to the house where the electrical and Logstor enter into my basement wall.



A look at everything buried from along the house and out to concrete pad site (Logstor sticking up vertically).
Underground pipe and electrical follow the red line in the picture.



Looks like another 8 to 10 inches of dirt needed to raise the grade up to the brick line and keep the rain draining away from the house.  I really dislike the metal window wells to the basement windows.  Might pull these and find a more attractive solution prior to final grading.... we'll see what's available. 



Trees adjacent to the underground Logstor and electrical lines have been cut and will be removed via backhoe.



A look from the OWB pad site back toward the house and the smooth dirt work of my New Holland and its grader box.  The big shagbark hickory and green ash trees next to the goat pen enclosure (dwarf Nigerian wethers) will be brought down and stumps to be removed (no tree roots are going to be around to grow into my lines!).  More firewood for the future I suppose. 



Blaze orange marking paint on the ground shows where the BL 34-44 will sit.  5 tons of number 53s stone arrives this week and will be compacted for a solid OWB furnace site. 



That's all for now guys.... stay tuned in.

[Jwood]

I love how your lines in the picture show the whereabouts of the pipe nice job sloppy!

[puckerave]

Great Job Sloppy,

I can't wait to start mine. I am just waiting for the 1/2 loads to go off to start.

Puckerave

[Sloppy_Snood]

Thanks JWood and puckerdave.  Once Indiana's wild turkey hunting season is over (May 11th), I will be able to pick the pace up on finishing this outdoor piece of my project.

[Jwood]

Just come up to my house and shoot one out the window!

[Sloppy_Snood]

Just come up to my house and shoot one out the window!

Careful....  I'm an actual turky hunter... we drive ANYWHERE just to hunt these majestic birds. 

Absolutely a beautiful Tom turkey.  What state was that picture taken in? 

The Tom looks like an Eastern wild turkey subspecies.  Yes? 

[Jwood]

Northern, MN we never had Turkey around here until about 5 years ago I heard the DNR released them in certain areas and the just took off like crazy. I've never hunted them just because they were never around I believe last year you had to apply for a permit now you can buy them over the counter just like deer!

[Jwood]

Species I'm not sure cause I know very little about Turkey, deer is my favorite thing to hunt and pheasant