Culvert installation tips

[Boondox]

For years, we've had a small wooden bridge over a creek on our property. Okay, actually it was a heavy wooden door laid over the creek. At the crossing, which is just upstream of a five foot drop, 200-300# boulders were stacked without mortar as a way of keeping the stream from nibbling away at the trail. But after a couple of very wet years those boulders are beginning to topple into the stream. It's beginning to look like the dentition of a teenager who needs braces.

So I'd like to put a culvert in there, using fill dirt to build up the trail (to better protect my water line and to divert the runoff away from the trail). But since we have seasonal torrents, I don't want the water to wash out the fill under and around the culvert. What are some tips for proper installation so this repair lasts longer than the old door?

Pete

 

[Boondox]

Come on, guys! I know there were some good threads out there on the topic, but I'm not finding them on the search function. Anybody remember those threads and can give me the keywords?

 

[Bird]

Try "culvert installation" and under Search Options, use "AND" and for dates, use "All Posts" and I find a number of threads that I think might help.

 

[BB_TX]

Haven't put one in a creek. But I did have an oops!!! putting one in a ditch. The first attempt, we just dumped dirt on top of the culvert and smoothed it out without worrying too much about packing it around the bottom and sides. The next week a heavy rain washed the dirt out from under it. Pulled it out, cleaned out the ditch, put it back in, and added dirt a little at a time and packed it as we went. Then made sure I had dirt completely down to the end of the colvert both upstream and downstream. Never had a problem after that. With a creek, you may need some rip rap on the upstream side.

 

[Egon]

Build up a base using CRUSHED gravel and pack it using a vibratory packer.

Lay in the pipe and make sure all is even and the slope is good. If you need couplers make sure they are fitted properly and tight.

Build up using Crusded gravel in six inch or so layers on each side of culvert and pack with vibratory packer. Keep doing this till to the top of culvert and then go with a foot layer and pack.

Finish each inlet and outlet with bags of sand/cement mix. Make sure the inlet cannot be undercut and the outlet does not drop and washout. If you have a source of rocks these can also be used for this purpose. The Rip Rap is important to keep the culvert ends from washing.

Try and get all the inlet and outlet contours as flow friendly as possible.

Egon

 

[Boondox]

It's time to revisit this project. I'm leaning against installing a culvert. Partly because recent rains have shown me that any culvert would have to be seriously sized (like 5 foot diameter!), and partly because recent storms have removed so much of the base that installing a culvert would require tons of fill.

An overview. Just beyond the point where the trail crosses the stream there was an eight foot drop. Just above where the trail crosses is a buried waterline connecting our house to the spring about a quarter mile up the hill. Erosion has caused that eight foot drop to migrate upstream, and my waterline will soon be in danger. I need to stop the erosion and protect my waterline.

I have the use of a mini-excavator for a week in June. It has a hydraulic thumb and a heck of a reach. I was thinking of excavating the soft dirt from both sides of the bank and laying a foundation of large stones -- the sort that my L4630 could just barely pick up. When it comes to free building materials New England has the rock thing down pat. My thinking is that a ten foot thick wall/dam of such stones on a proper foundation would halt the erosion, protect my waterline, provide me a way of driving my Kubota to the other side of my property, and create a pretty cool waterfall in the process. Of course the wall would have to extend a distance either side of the stream to prevent floodwaters from going around and washing out the dirt.

Thoughts? Has anybody done anything like this in the past?

Pete

 

[Boondox]

It's time to revisit this project. I'm leaning against installing a culvert. Partly because recent rains have shown me that any culvert would have to be seriously sized (like 5 foot diameter!), and partly because recent storms have removed so much of the base that installing a culvert would require tons of fill.

An overview. Just beyond the point where the trail crosses the stream there was an eight foot drop. Just above where the trail crosses is a buried waterline connecting our house to the spring about a quarter mile up the hill. Erosion has caused that eight foot drop to migrate upstream, and my waterline will soon be in danger. I need to stop the erosion and protect my waterline.

I have the use of a mini-excavator for a week in June. It has a hydraulic thumb and a heck of a reach. I was thinking of excavating the soft dirt from both sides of the bank and laying a foundation of large stones -- the sort that my L4630 could just barely pick up. When it comes to free building materials New England has the rock thing down pat. My thinking is that a ten foot thick wall/dam of such stones on a proper foundation would halt the erosion, protect my waterline, provide me a way of driving my Kubota to the other side of my property, and create a pretty cool waterfall in the process. Of course the wall would have to extend a distance either side of the stream to prevent floodwaters from going around and washing out the dirt.

Thoughts? Has anybody done anything like this in the past?

Pete

 

[Egon]

Pete:

Sounds feasible.

Not seeing the situation:


I'd make the large stone wall just a little lower than the current waterfall. Use the largest stones on the downstream side. Use the tractor to bring up the stones and then end doze them to the proper height desired going across at the final level. Needless to say the larger the stones the better. Trench back to solid ground on either side of the stream full width of your wall to help stop end erosion.

That should be a fun project. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I have a similar one in mind for a lake edge but smaller rocks to fit my tractor and different end use in mind. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Egon]

Pete:

Sounds feasible.

Not seeing the situation:


I'd make the large stone wall just a little lower than the current waterfall. Use the largest stones on the downstream side. Use the tractor to bring up the stones and then end doze them to the proper height desired going across at the final level. Needless to say the larger the stones the better. Trench back to solid ground on either side of the stream full width of your wall to help stop end erosion.

That should be a fun project. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I have a similar one in mind for a lake edge but smaller rocks to fit my tractor and different end use in mind. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif