DUST CONTROL

   / DUST CONTROL
  • Thread Starter
#41  
No one would argue that a roller is bad. Right now - raining in CA- I'm guessing you could land plane, let the folks drive the road for a month or so, to see the results, and spray the Dust Off right after the next storm. The variables are the type and condition of road base. The subsoil condition and the amount of organic matter in the soil. If it isn't your road and all you are trying to do is keep the dust down I'm wondering why the extra time and expense to make everything perfect?

Someone mentioned land plane and I got carried away with myself, yea your right all I need to do is spray the road.
 
   / DUST CONTROL #42  
Ok, just got off the phone with the guy who sells the product Dust-off, he said it's a product you need to spray once a year and it works on the same principal as calcium chloride where it pulls the moisture out of the air but it's water soluble and non corrosive. He said i would need about 500 gallons at $1.07 per gallon and he would rent me his spray rig for $135. A day for a total of $665.00 per year. He said you need to spray water down first then apply the product. He talked to me about oil and chip seal but said because you have such a small road that your best to find a crew that is doing a big road near you because the cost of coming out would be expensive. Thank you everybody for ideas, very helpful.
Bummer, looks like $1.10 per linear foot per year but I have a half mile...guess I'll be rigging up something for oil...
 
   / DUST CONTROL #43  
Bummer, looks like $1.10 per linear foot per year but I have a half mile...guess I'll be rigging up something for oil...

Don't get caught putting down oil! The tree huggers and EPA will have a field day with you and you could end up with a huge cleanup bill! ie: remove all the gravel on the road that is contaminated and dispose of same and replace with virgin gravel. OR they could contract the job out and sent you the bill. I'm not talking a few bux here, I am talking thousands of bux.
Flake calcium chloride is better, but wear gloves and DO NOT breathe in the dust!
 
   / DUST CONTROL #44  
Don't get caught putting down oil! The tree huggers and EPA will have a field day with you and you could end up with a huge cleanup bill! ie: remove all the gravel on the road that is contaminated and dispose of same and replace with virgin gravel. OR they could contract the job out and sent you the bill. I'm not talking a few bux here, I am talking thousands of bux.
Flake calcium chloride is better, but wear gloves and DO NOT breathe in the dust!

Thousand of dollars. Ha, ha. It could be many tens of thousand of dollars--or more. California is too risky to do anything without the express written permission of the town or some higher authority. To do anything on your own regarding any environmental issue in that state is just asking for trouble. I would never, ever, never put oil on the ground. One drop can have you dig out lots of dirt.
 
   / DUST CONTROL
  • Thread Starter
#45  
I know there are many different types of soil on this planet, is there not a soil that has clay in it or some soil you could have trucked in that does not give off dust.
 
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   / DUST CONTROL #48  
On our site we used calcium chloride but we applied it ourself. We had it shipped in 1200liter totes. We connected some ABS plastic to the tote to a valve then a T-fitting. Then off the T we had some 3" extended out both sides. On the bottom of the extensions we drilled some small holes(don't remember the exact size). Gravity did all the work to spray. I might have a photo somewhere. Let me know if you need it.
 
   / DUST CONTROL
  • Thread Starter
#49  

Very interesting, wonder how much that product cost. It would be nice to find a more permanent solution than dealing with the cost every year. I could buy a lot more toys for $600:laughing:
 
   / DUST CONTROL
  • Thread Starter
#50  
On our site we used calcium chloride but we applied it ourself. We had it shipped in 1200liter totes. We connected some ABS plastic to the tote to a valve then a T-fitting. Then off the T we had some 3" extended out both sides. On the bottom of the extensions we drilled some small holes(don't remember the exact size). Gravity did all the work to spray. I might have a photo somewhere. Let me know if you need it.

Have you noticed any damage to vehicles, I've read that calcium chloride is corrosive.
 
   / DUST CONTROL #53  
In most cases airborne dust is very fine particulate, you might try to put down some coarse sand on top and see if that will reduce the dust. If you can use a land plane to bring the rock to the top and apply a thin layer of coarse sand and roll it in tight that should reduce the dust considerably.

You want to wind up with the rocks sticking up through the surface about 1/8" with the coarse sand locking then in place. A smooth road will cause less pounding of the tires which stirs up the surface. The coarse sand will lock the gravel in place much better than the fines/dust ever will.

A heavy roller can be built cheap enough and use it to keep everything tight. Less movement equals less dust. It would take about 12 yards of sand to lay down a 1/2" layer on the 12x660 of roadway. Repeat next year if needed but try not to stir up the fines below the sand.
 
   / DUST CONTROL #54  
Maybe try "shaming" them into helping. Set up a sprayer. Go up on the road and start working your way down it a few minutes before they go out usually. Just use water. Tell them it's killing the garden, getting on the furniture & wife bitching, etc. They'll have to acknowledge you out of common courtesy (and a tractor blocking the road in creeper gear). That would open a discussion. If they aren't dicks, then they'll at least want to help I bet. Then mention the stuff you found out about here to control dust.
 
   / DUST CONTROL #55  
Here's how we dealt with dusty roads. First, take the long view and plant some trees so they can grow while other things are done. We put in a couple rows of thick and fast growing trees. Over the years, we have learned this does the best job of dust control. We planted one row of American Arborvitae on a four ft center and a backup row and also fast growing evergreen. We used Norway Spruce or White Spruce for that on an 8" or 10' center depending on where we lived.

To help them grow, we watered and fertilized from early spring through mid summer and then again in late fall/early winter. I used dry 19-19-19 sprinkled on the ground the first couple of years and then 21-2-9 in later years. By putting ON the ground, rather than IN the ground, any risk of over-fertilization becomes self limiting based on rainfall. Don't use those darn tree spikes. Plain bagged fertilizer is the cheapest and it's all the same stuff.

We watered one year with a drip hose and that was too much work. What worked was a bunch of 5 gallon buckets with a 3/16" or 1/4" hole in the bottom. Fill with water when it's dry --maybe every week or so and it has a dramatic effect on growth. Bottom line, we would get 3' growth and more out of evergreens where others around us were getting 8". People would give me a funny look when I told them the trees had only been in the ground half the time they thought. The above is the long term and plan "B" solution to dust control if other things fail. Start now.

Oh, buy bare root seedlings (mail order)that are 2-2 or 3-2 (years) old for maybe $2.50 a tree. we planted the first year in 3 or 4 gallon pots and kept close to the house so we could water frequently. Then we planted that fall and cut the pot when planting off so as to not disturb the roots. You don't have to do it this way but we had the pots. We did around 600 trees this way over the years.


To control the dust now, calcium chloride is the cheapest and best answer and you only need it in front of your house. We lived in Maine and that's what I saw used everywhere and it was put down dry with a lime spreader. It was cheap and worked but get input from the neighbors. Calcium chloride sinks into the ground surface, works perfectly and won't damage anything. BUT, get guidance because of where you live plus have the town or someone OK it and maybe even huddle with your neighbors. Probably get them involved and ask them to pay some since one day they will have a common problem and need you. At least get their OK and the town's OK. Environmental laws are written by people that never did it, never dealt with it and often have an ideological prejudice against those doing it. I can only imagine California.
 
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   / DUST CONTROL #56  
Have you noticed any damage to vehicles, I've read that calcium chloride is corrosive.

I live on island off the east coast, so its really hard to tell whether damage is caused by salt air and the salt applied to the roads, or from the calcium chloride.

My last post was actually to help you reduce your costs. We made the spreader system from parts laying around the yard. The solution you can make yourself from the flakes and mixing with water in the tote. Our solution was blended to a 35% concentration solution.
 
   / DUST CONTROL #57  
but that did not slow anybody down especially the UPS driver who drives like a maniac

Get his truck number and call your local UPS hub to file a complaint with their boss. That will slow them down.

Aaron Z
 
   / DUST CONTROL
  • Thread Starter
#58  
A big thumbs up :thumbsup: to everyone with such good ideas. Every post was valuable and gave me insight on a course of action as I have until April or may to choose an option. If anyone has anymore ideas please feel free to share, the more suggestions leads to a better solution in the end. Again a big thanks to everyone:)
 
   / DUST CONTROL #59  
Speed bumps
You can make them by just setting the road base material and letting the vehicles compact it.

The people affected by the dust on my road love them, the speeders were upset that we didn't "discuss it first". They said it "felt controlling" (yea, well duh).

The speeders don't do anything to help maintain the road still and could have removed them if they knew how to use a shovel and rake.

The nice thing is that they can be easily removed if they become a problem.
 
   / DUST CONTROL #60  
On the trees, plant them now if you plan to. Sooner they are in the sooner they start to work and they will be a lot happer getting in the ground now.

As for speedbumps, you may want ot consider a reverse speed bump (a big ole divot) You can say it is for drainage and not have the argument about bumps.
 

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