Cement Bag Retaining Wall

[sailfast]

This may seem like overkill but...

Geolock Spray Foam for Pipelines, Trench Breakers, Geotechnical Demiiec, Ohio - YouTube

May be available in your area.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

This may seem like overkill but... Geolock Spray Foam for Pipelines, Trench Breakers, Geotechnical Demiiec, Ohio - YouTube May be available in your area.

That's a cool product. The music is a little overboard. I would also wonder what chemicals leach out in the drying process and what effect they could have on the watershed.

 

[sailfast]

It is a two part reaction mixed in equal parts as it exits the spray head. Mixed in equal parts the reaction is complete and the product chemically inert.
The components individually are not classified as a hazardous chemical.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I have had 6 pipe pieces delivered. There was a 7th piece but it was damaged when being unloaded so I sent it back. I have the rest of my materials on site and I'm ready to build. Should I document the build on this thread or start a new one?

 

[blackdog2086]

Just keep going. Myself and others are already watching.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Keep it going. We all love to see pics of others projects!

 

[EddieWalker]

No reason for a new thread when there is already so much background information on this one.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Looks like the storm predictions have eased for this weekend. I'm driving up tonight and hopefully conditions will be right to get the pipes in the ground.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I got started today. First we had to transport 3 of the pipes from the rod to the pond. That was a good time. Used two straps to carry and another to keep it pointed forward while unfroze down the driveway with the excavator.



Here is the excavator sitting in the overflow stream bed before we began. I have the ditch excavated now. But the right side only goes down to about 7 feet. I hit bedrock and struggled with breaking it up for several hours. Tomorrow I am putting the pipes in the ground. I will follow up with more pictures.

 

[sikmusicfreak8]

Is this all just at your home?

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Is this all just at your home?

essentially, yes. I will be building a barn and Cidery as well as our house.

 

[bigdeano]

Maybe a stupid question, but how does the concrete harden in the bags? As I remember the bags are plastic lined for long storage. Maybe poking the rebar thru it lets moisture in?

 

[EddieWalker]

Most of the moisture comes through where you put the rebar through the sacks. I dump a few buckets of eater on them after I'm done stacking and hammering the rebar through them. Since the material is not properly mixed, it's not very strong and it cracks rather quickly. When used from erosion, the lower strength and cracking doesnt matter too much. For this application, I'm not sure what will happen.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

The sakrete has a plastic liner. The quickrete doesn't. I got the one without the liner.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Also, to make it easier for water to get in I have read recommendations to jab away at them with a pitchfork.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

This weekend, we began the bridge build. First excavating the trench, Then moving the pipes into place. My 17 year old boys were working with me every time I had to get down on the ground. My wife showed up Sunday to move gravel. The 55 tons of #57 crushed stone that I had delivered were placed near the road, about 1/4 mile away from bridge....so it ate up a lot of time for her to be going back and forth moving stone. At the end of the weekend we had 4 of the 6 pipes in the trench, and one of the joints connected. I should have taken a picture of the way we put the joints together. I used 4, 27 foot ratchet straps rated for 10,000 . Looping one around each pipe, then connecting one on each side of the pipe and ratcheting them together. It worked well, but was time consuming. I put in an additional day by myself, getting the other two pipes in and connecting all the pipes. I would not be able to do this for a living. The heat was brutal. It was only 91 degrees yesterday, but the black plastic pipes gather the heat from the sun and just blast you with it when you are down in the pit. I spent as much time resting to counter the feeling of heat exhaustion as I did working.
If anyone ever has to do this....Do not be stingy with the lube.
Here are a few pictures
This is the end of the spillway before I started working. You can see how it has carved out an 8 foot ditch down to bedrock over time.


My wife bringing stone. So glad she likes to drive the tractor.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

A few more pictures.
Getting the trench "just right."





I spent a lot of time, once I got all the pipes in, knifing in the stone around the base of the pipes....trying to fill the crevices on the pipe to achieve the maximum strength and structural integrity of the pipe. I would cast a bucket or two and then get down with a shovel and really work the stone in. it is hard work, but I will feel much better about it as the years pass, knowing I did it right.

The last picture I took yesterday. Just before I started the stone work. I still have a weekends worth of work to do before I even begin the cement, but I feel much better about it.


I would have liked to take more pictures, but I worked until it was dark each day. This last one was taken by one of my boys.

 

[EddieWalker]

Very impressive job you're doing. I must of missed something. What is the crushed stone for?

 

[WoodChuckDad]

The crushed stone is for the backfill around the pipe until the pipe is fully encased in stone. More stable than dirt that has been dug out and put back in. I did lots of research and I am trying to follow these instructions to the letter. I want this to be the last time I have to mess with this bridge.

 

[Threepoint]

Hardworking crew! Anytime I have to do hard manual labor like that in heat like we're having right now, it reminds me how much I appreciate the folks who do do it for a living, every day!