Culvert Install

[LD1]

Nice work....

Since this is a culvert thread.....

Plastic culverts are cheap and never rot out.

And general rule of thumb is fill on top of the Culvert should be half the diameter of the Culvert. A 18" culvert with 9" on top, 12" culvert with 6" on top, etc.

The big key is making sure it's seated properly. Especially when digging a trench to drop a culvert in. Sometimes it hard to get backfill under/around the lower half. But it's critical. Because if there is voids, water will flow outside the culvert and wash it out.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Good find on that culvert pipe! 28 years ago I put two in. The first one was on the back portion of my property which I used very little, but very necessary because like you, I risked getting stuck every time I crossed the creek. I did it exactly like you did, filled it with dirt, and it worked fine. BUT, over those 20 plus years the pipe gradually filled in with sediment until it completely closed off. It is still solid enough to drive on, but water flows around it now.
The second one was a feeder creek to my pond, and is used almost daily. I put rip rap along the creek bed (2-4" limestone) fore and aft, placed two culvert pipes (heavier volume of water), then instead of a headwall, i built up rip rap around the opening to just above the pipe, then filled in the rip rap with chips and dust. I also filled the drive over the pipe with chips and dust. 28 years later, it looks just like it did when we put it in. The rip rap fore and aft eventually filled with sediment, then grass grew, but it stays so solid that I can mow it when it is fairly dry. The pipes never filled up. Just recently I added more rip rap at the entrance of the pond to keep more sediment from washing into the pond.

Yeah the guy I got the pipes from gets seconds from a factory somewhere, has a pile of them. I can't remember if he charged me $75 or $100 but it was a deal for sure.


28 years huh? I think you got your money's worth out of that job! You guys have convinced me to do the riprap and keep a dip in the roadway on either side of the culvert. @jyoutz I like the idea of armoring those dips, thanks!

 

[Tntcwg3]

Thanks for that info. makes total sense.

I think I am still going to do a headwall, it will allow me to fill right up to the edge of the front which will give me more room to fill and grade it how I want it. Culvert is only about 7' wide, so I will take all I can get. I have the concrete already and it will not be difficult.

Tall headwalls are also good for keeping wives between the ditches when their lane-assist doesn't recognize the dirt road!

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Nice work....

Since this is a culvert thread.....

Plastic culverts are cheap and never rot out.

And general rule of thumb is fill on top of the Culvert should be half the diameter of the Culvert. A 18" culvert with 9" on top, 12" culvert with 6" on top, etc.

I am not sure if I will get the full 9" but going for at least 6". This crossing will not handle much traffic at all, definitely no semis or heavy stuff so I think I will be fine. But yeah in a perfect world I would see more fill being better.

The big key is making sure it's seated properly. Especially when digging a trench to drop a culvert in. Sometimes it hard to get backfill under/around the lower half. But it's critical. Because if there is voids, water will flow outside the culvert and wash it out.

I used some nice clayey dirt for the fill and started compacting around the bottom with a 2x4 to get that dirt compacted as far under that thing as possible, then moved up to a 4x4 and finally one of those metal tampers until I could drive on it. Feel great about that part. Also plan on extending my headwall below the pipe into the dirt to hopefully completely seal that front end. Oh yeah, don't forget the riprap!

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Oh yeah, forgot to add we got a good heavy rainstorm last night, not very long but good and heavy for a bit. Will be good to go take a look at my culvert this evening to see how the water behaved. Hoping to get the entire thing wrapped up before much more rain.

 

[jonsstihl]

I would definitely add more fill on top. looks like there is barely any fill on top of the pipe. the dirt around the culvert is what helps it hold its shape when a load is applied.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I would definitely add more fill on top. looks like there is barely any fill on top of the pipe. the dirt around the culvert is what helps it hold its shape when a load is applied.

You are correct, there is not much, maybe 3 inches or less. Once I get that headwall built I will be able to get more depth without half of it falling off the front.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

Doing a concrete headwall is a great idea. However, you may find that you can do it with stone of some sort for less money--even if it's a bit more labor-intensive.
There is a good book on Best Management Practices that was put out by NYS Forestry that describes how do do it. Here's a link to the PDF file: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/forestrybmp.pdf. Page 73 starts the section on culverts.
Hope this is helpful

 

[POGuy]

Doing a concrete headwall is a great idea. However, you may find that you can do it with stone of some sort for less money--even if it's a bit more labor-intensive.
There is a good book on Best Management Practices that was put out by NYS Forestry that describes how do do it. Here's a link to the PDF file: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/forestrybmp.pdf. Page 73 starts the section on culverts.
Hope this is helpful

I have also seen bags of sacrete used and stacked then wetted and allowed to harden to us as head walls. Looks good when done right and seems to be very effective after the paper bag rots away.

 

[jmc]

I have also seen bags of sacrete used and stacked then wetted and allowed to harden to us as head walls. Looks good when done right and seems to be very effective after the paper bag rots away.

i saw something similar for retaining walls on either side of a riverbank cut for a boat slip. Looked really old and it looks like the premix bags were either burlap back then or they mixed their own into burlap. You could still see the bag texture. Each concrete "pillow" was uniform, carefully stacked, and level-- looked good.

OP, I hope you also post your headwall construction project.