Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank?

   / Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank? #31  
Not something one would want to bring to a job site for one septic size hole. Again, the hoe makes more sense. Plus, explosive is not cheap either. And, it takes a lot more than I figured for pretty much anything we played with.
 
   / Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank? #32  
This old house had an episode that they did some blasting.. used the heavy mats, pretty cool.
 
   / Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank? #33  
The blasting will probably be more expensive anyway. There is a waiting process as the send certified letters to abutters and then someone comes and does a physical survey of the home to check for cracks etc. The blasting outfit also is required to use a sensor while they are blasting to make sure they don稚 surpass a certain vibration level in nearby homes. I wouldn稚 be worried about blasting 30 from a home. We blasted 4 from my home when I put in an addition. That was in New England granite. No worries.

If you hammer just get a bigger hammer than you think you値l need.

Blasting mats, but then you need a machine big enough to place them. Those suckers are heavvvy.
Yep, Morning Wood is really knowledgeable about blasting.

I never was involved, but I have seen a lot of blasting in my area over the last several years. Some within the vicinity of homes but most was in farmlands and wood areas. Blasting was done on a big scale for constructing natural gas drilling pads and laying miles of natural gas pipelines. Got to know the permitting process and blasting procedures quite well.
 
   / Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank? #34  
Not something one would want to bring to a job site for one septic size hole. Again, the hoe makes more sense. Plus, explosive is not cheap either. And, it takes a lot more than I figured for pretty much anything we played with.

With proper blasting you don't get much fly rock and blasting mats are used along with smaller charges. Somebody in my home town tried that expanding crap in granite for a house basement and it hardly did anything they ended up have to blast with small charges so as not to disturb the neighbors. A septic tank is ok to install like that unless you have a high water table, a septic field however is usually installed closer to the surface if not on top of the surface. Soil type and water table will dictate how the field is installed in heavy clay they are usually built on the surface in a sand type mound.
 
   / Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank? #35  
The guy across the road split a huge boulder with that expanding stuff last fall. It was sticking out of the ground and was a hazard. The stuff worked to split the stone, I dug on each side of it and pulled the stone apart putting each section below grade.

Most of the afordable blasting around here was by a guy that showed up with an old pickup truck and his dog. He had the stuff, maybe a small auger, tamper, blasting machine and that's about it. If that couldn't do your blasting job, you were probably looking at a serious contract with a construction company.
 
   / Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank?
  • Thread Starter
#36  
The days of going to the hardware store to get some dynamite are over. I have serious doubts of blasting being an option. I really don’t care how long it takes within reason. I never called the rental place but I suspect the rock hammer is the most economical option. The septic tank is 5.5 feet tall. There’s a possibility of getting a shorter and wider tank but still 4.5 feet tall. As to the fill line I have to dig 330 feet of ditch 36” wide and 24” deep. I don’t think rock will be a problem at only 2’ depth required. They’ve done soil test and mapped out the location and quantity of line.
 
   / Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank? #37  
I’m not even sure why I recommended blasting. It’s way overkill for a septic tank. If I remember correctly it was like $6-$7k a day. Just rent a hammer or sub a hammer out and use your backhoe to dig out the hammered material. You should be able to do it in a day no problem.
 
   / Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank? #38  
Re: Best way to remove 3 of bed rock to burry septic tank?

Spend your money on acid,,,
etch into the bedrock, in the shape of the septic tank,,
Cast a concrete lid in place,,

DONE,, instant septic tank,, made out of the natural stone. :thumbsup:

No worries about that sucker going bad,,, :D
 
   / Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank?
  • Thread Starter
#39  
Is a 4-5 ton mini with a hammer adequate for this job? I’ve never rock hammered before.
 
   / Best way to remove 3’ of bed rock to burry septic tank? #40  
How soft is the rock? Does it come apart readily in layers? I have various hand held hydraulic breakers. I love playing with those. The hardest part is how often you have to get back in the hoe to dig out the spoil, then back in the hole to break up some more stone. It would work so much better with two people.

Playing:

DSC02286.JPG

I wish I had more bedrock to make my way through. It's quite the manly toy to play with.
 
Last edited:

Tractor & Equipment Auctions

2004 Mercedes Benz E-Class Sedan (A50324)
2004 Mercedes Benz...
Kubota 24in Quick Attach Compact Excavator Tooth Bucket (A52748)
Kubota 24in Quick...
NEW Wolverine Skid Steer Pallet Forks Hydro Adjustable (A53002)
NEW Wolverine Skid...
(9) 2 PLUG VALVES 1502 IRON (A52472)
(9) 2 PLUG VALVES...
2006 Ford F-550 4x4 Flatbed Truck (A50323)
2006 Ford F-550...
TOW BEHIND FINISH MOWER (A50324)
TOW BEHIND FINISH...
 
Top