How Do I Size a Culvert?

[Greyfields]

Racks over the inlets on culverts tend to cause more clogs than they prevent; but for safety reasons you still see them. Essentially your best bet to avoiding clogs is not laying the pipe too flat (so that sediment settles out and builds up) and sizing it large enough to pass stray objects. I've seen more basketballs in pipes that you could ever imagine. But, in the end, there are outfits out there that can run a little robot up the pipe and clear any obstructions.

 

[LBrown59]

Racks over
the inlets on culverts tend to cause more clogs
than they prevent

But clogs on the out side of the pipe are easier to clean out than those half wan down through say an 80 foot long culvert.

 

[MarkV]

Better be sitting down when they give you the price on 80’ of 10 or 12” culvert.

MarkV

 

[RonRock]

Better be sitting down when they give you the price on 80 of 10 or 12 culvert.

MarkV

Give me your best guess. I haven't checked yet.

 

[LBrown59]

Give me your best guess. I haven't checked yet.

Probably around 125 to 150 bucks for a 20 foot joint give or take a few bucks.

 

[Greyfields]

That sounds like the right ballpark. Consider an installed price for a 12" culvert would be in the ballpark of $30 per LF.

 

[drssg]

A picture of the area may be useful. Are you set on the idea of a long culvert? I've only used culverts to go under the drive. For other areas, I use a swale and/or french drain.

This goes against the whole "do it yourself" philosophy, but if you get a guy in with an excavator with laser integrated leveling, he can put it on a perfect grade in no time.

 

[bigballer]

i recently paid $5.75/ft for 12" ADS double-wall (smooth inside).. comes in 13ft and 20ft lengths at my local supplier.

 

[Egon]

Would not the cost of culvert depend on the type and weight?

 

[Greyfields]

By type, yes. Weight? No. That's why you rarely see concrete pipes used anymore. When given the choice of joining 4' long sticks of concrete vs. 20' long sections of HDPE; plastic pipes win out even if the prices is more since you get far better productivity. Unless you have specific issues with scour, I would avoid concrete pipes at all costs. ADS and Hancor are your best bets (which are corrugated PE pipes, smooth bored).