Colvert???

[Jag]

Kelvin -- Check my post earlier on this thread about the plastic pipe.

 

[Jag]

A few things I forgot to add about the plastic culvert pipe. The guy who told me to go with the plastic pipe was a construction inspector with the state highway department for the last twenty years. He said that is all he would use on his property and it will around longer the he will. I will put in three more in the next two weeks. With the way that the plastic culverts handled the overweight timber trucks it is the only way to go...

 

[Harv]

From what I've read about the plastic culvert pipe, it is not inherently stronger than steel pipe. Its crush strength is dependent entirely on proper installation and backfill.

Don't get me wrong -- it's terrific stuff. It's much lighter and easier to handle, lasts longer and if you get the smooth inner surface it has better flow with less drop. One caveat -- since it is lighter, it has more of a tendency to float. Back to that proper installation again.

Now I have to go back and find my notes -- I don't recall it being cheaper than the steel pipe. If you're right about that, I'll be changing my plans right away.

Also, I only found it in 20-foot sections and I need 10-footers. The bright side there is that it is easily cut with a circular saw.

 

[Harv]

While digging through my notes I found a couple of interesting URL's which include a nifty chart and diagrams explaining how to install culvert pipe:

http://www.qualityculvert.com/instlgde.htm

http://syllabus.syr.edu/CIE/SKBHATIA/Cie584/tom/source5.htm

Now, prior to this thread I had decided to use steel for my little project, even though there's Tract to like about the HDPE (High Density PolyEthylene) pipe. My decision was based, in part, on articles which include the following quotes -

"HDPE promotes lower cost based solely on pipe cost. To get a true picture, you must consider pipe cost plus installation cost, including backfill."

"Because HDPE pipe has little strength of its own, it relies almost completely on the structural capacity of backfill, which often needs to be imported to the site. Backfill requirements are also greater for HDPE pipe, normally a minimum of one foot above the top of the pipe."

"In many cases, wider trenches are required to provide proper side support for HDPE pipe."

"HDPE pipe manufacturers fail to mention that due to the lighter weight of HDPE, flotation can also be a serious problem. This, coupled with the potential for misalignment and damage during backfilling, certainly does not reduce installation costs."

Sounds a little biased against plastic pipe, for sure, but they do make some interesting points. Bottom line for me was that steel pipe sounds more forgiving of installation by amateurs like me. Also, I thought I might be able to get away with a little less cover using steel.

However, now that I have been made aware of this "crusher run" limestone stuff, I think the score might be evening back up. I would use this as backfill for either kind of pipe, and the end result might be a toss-up.

So now I'm re-evaluating the whole thing again.

 

[Thomas]

Soory for the long responds to your question Ed.
I purchase two 12"x20' for $35.oo at equipment auction,and one of cuverts had 2" damage end the other was new.

If one has euipment auctions in there area they should check them out,for over the years I got some heck of a deals./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Take care and stay /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

Thomas..NH

 

[MarkV]

Ok, here are my beginner questions about culverts. Is the plastic culvert pipe flexable? Can you make a 45 degree turn with it? Are there angle corners made for metel or plastic pipe?

You have figured out I need to set a culvert through a ditch that makes a turn. Something in the 10" size will be plenty but needs to be heavy enough to handle a trailer with compact tractor on board.

 

[DVerbarg]

Harv,

I never installed the HDPE culvert but have seen a few around. Most of them after a few years had a problem with the two ends curling up and water then pooling at the inlet end. This may have been due to a bad installation, I don't know. Just thought you might like to know so that you could look into that also.

DavidV

 

[roysallis]

Harv,
Last fall I had two 48 inch x 30 foot plastic pipes installed. Yes, they were expensive. They were connected together since I wanted to have a wide span across the creek. My road was coming down a fairly steep hill and I wanted to level it out so I had to build up the road over the creek. That is one reason for the 48 inch pipes. The other reason is to handle the large runoff during heavy rains. The creek is a wet wet weather creek and there is very little water in it most of the time, especially this summer. Churt was used to build up the road about 4 feet on both sides of the pipe and on top of the pipe. I think this will provide plenty of side support and also prevent flotation. If you are going to install a 12 or 18 inch pipe I would think that flotation would not be a major problem with a foot of top and side fill.

 

[Harv]

Roy -

Wow! That's one humongous culvert!!! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Certainly flotation is more of a problem with the larger pipes -- greater displacement per weight, etc. I was simply making the point that plastic floats better than steel. Doesn't necessarily mean it's a serious problem.

For one of my culverts I am planning on using side-by-side 18-inchers 'cuz I need to keep the whole thing shallow (that 12" of cover is already making these things taller than I would like). You mentioned that you connected your 2 pipes together, and I have heard elsewhere that that's the right thing to do. Can you explain to this amateur ditch-digger why it is important to connect them?

 

[Harv]

DavidV -

Interesting about the curled ends. Apparently that is a common problem with the HDPE 'cuz I now notice that some suppliers offer galvanized metal end pieces for that pipe.

Another blow for the lower-cost argument, eh?