creating a culvert

MadJack · Oct 10, 2023

What I have learned is a 12" culvert needs a minimum of 12" fill over it. An 18" needs 18" of fill over it.
Without it culverts get pushed up and out of where you want them by frost.

BlueKnife · Oct 10, 2023

Mtsoxfan said:
I have a stream that runs through, and I cross frequently. It currently has a 12" plastic culvert, which is crushed just past where my wheel goes. I've been looking for used 18" or whatever, and nothing around. I was thinking about 3 -55 gal steel drums. I guessed that they would last at least 5 years. Not sure I need more than that. It's just a shortcut to area I could get to easily enough if culvert wasn't there. Price does play a role.
Thoughts?

Find some old lumber and make a bridge to use while you save for a culvert. 55 gallon barrels would be a ton of extra work to install and likely wouldn't last a year.

LD1 · Oct 10, 2023

4570Man said:
It might as well be a Walmart trash can. Once you cut the ends out a barrel is basically nothing and that’s pre rust. Also burying a 30” barrel in a ditch that needs a 12” pipe isn’t as easy as it seems.

Thats what still has me hung up...

Why would anyone wanna mess with barrels if a 12" pipe would work? Dont seem very well thought out

Alan W. · Oct 10, 2023

20’ - 18” double wall $320 at the feed mill and Southern States had them for the same price.
We just purchased this for my sons entrance where he us building his home. Hwy Dept will install if you purchase the pipe. Only pipe they approve is the double wall plastic. They will not install CMP. Lots of entrances around here with 12” or less cover and they hold up well even with concrete trucks going over them. But they were correctly bedded in with DGA and not dirt.

CADplans · Oct 10, 2023

MAX-24-Dean said:
Just installed a double wall HDPE culvert. Price was the same as the link.

'
In 2018, I installed 7 lengths of that type culvert,, six were 12" and one was 18".
Some of the culverts were installed at about a 30 degree angle to the road, so, 1.5 lengths were needed for each of those crossings.
There were five crossings total.
I installed one, then, I had these guys install the rest of them.

One of the crossings is being installed right at the end of where you see gravel.
I doubt any of my culverts is over 6 inches deep,,

One thing I did over the culverts was to "backfill" over them with logging road stone, which is about as big as your fist.

My excavator guy thought I was crazy,, each crossing got ~4 tons of the large stone.
I did not want the culvert spot giving me trouble in the future,, they have not.

This field used to have a 18" straight down drop between the field, and the road.
All I could imagine is a grandchild driving over that drop off, and turning over an ATV,,
I figured the cost of regrading was cheap, compared to upsetting my daughter,,

+

Before 2018, The "culverts" were 8 inch sewer pipe.
At least one of them would clog EVERY year,, I would have the driveway wash away,,
Then, I would have to regrade the washed stone, add more stone,,etc,,

CADplans · Oct 10, 2023

One day, I found these concrete pieces on Craigs List,, They weigh over 2,000 pound each.

I installed one at the entrance to each culvert.

I then surrounded it with LARGE Rip-Rap,, That was SERIOUS work to install the large stones.

BUT, now, maintenance is zero,,,,,,,,,,

paulsharvey · Oct 10, 2023

I dont know if you're in a radius of the trail/drive/path; but for real; go longer than you think. Even using straight cut ends instead of mitered ends; you want an absolute min of 4 ft beyond the edge of your wheel path/drive whatever. The 24 ft recommendation is as short as I would go for vehicles; if it's sxs/atv, maybe can get away with 16-20 ft.

paulsharvey · Oct 10, 2023

For real driveways, 32 ft is the min for a 12 ft drive *tip to tip, including the mitered end cuts*; 40ft for wider drives; but that's figuring turning in from the road.

MSU 21 · Oct 10, 2023

We put 4 or 5 plastic culverts together with screws. They have been in service for a couple years. Holds up sxs and an 80 horse tractor. Getting dirt on top and sides is the key

buckeyefarmer · Oct 10, 2023

CADplans said:
'
In 2018, I installed 7 lengths of that type culvert,, six were 12" and one was 18".
Some of the culverts were installed at about a 30 degree angle to the road, so, 1.5 lengths were needed for each of those crossings.
There were five crossings total.
I installed one, then, I had these guys install the rest of them.

One of the crossings is being installed right at the end of where you see gravel.
I doubt any of my culverts is over 6 inches deep,,

One thing I did over the culverts was to "backfill" over them with logging road stone, which is about as big as your fist.

My excavator guy thought I was crazy,, each crossing got ~4 tons of the large stone.
I did not want the culvert spot giving me trouble in the future,, they have not.

This field used to have a 18" straight down drop between the field, and the road.
All I could imagine is a grandchild driving over that drop off, and turning over an ATV,,
I figured the cost of regrading was cheap, compared to upsetting my daughter,, +

Before 2018, The "culverts" were 8 inch sewer pipe.
At least one of them would clog EVERY year,, I would have the driveway wash away,,
Then, I would have to regrade the washed stone, add more stone,,etc,,

could you PM me name of excavation company you used?

WranglerX · Oct 10, 2023

Structurally a drum is designed to keep what ever it is holding in, if you-try to put pressure on outside by using as a culvert, you will find it very weak and prone to almost immediate failure.... The corrugations on plastic and steel culverts are actually there for strength.....

Torvy · Oct 10, 2023

MadJack said:
Without it culverts get pushed up and out of where you want them by frost.

I don't think that is a real thing. Cartoon characters don't really push culverts.

Or it never happens down here, anyway.

MadJack · Oct 10, 2023

Torvy said:
I don't think that is a real thing. Cartoon characters don't really push culverts.

View attachment 826291
Or it never happens down here, anyway.

But HE is in Vermont! LOL
Same rule everywhere. Frost is only one reason but think of a culvert as just a form.

JJT · Oct 10, 2023

15 years ago I recycled the 30 year old pressure treated posts and stringers from a privacy fence I took down and built a 4'x3'x10' box culvert. My investment - a few hours of time, about 20#'s of lag bolts and 30' of threaded rod, well under $100. It's still doing its job and I've had 10 ton tractors use it. I got 50+ 4x4 pt posts free for taking down a fence for a neighbor.

Torvy · Oct 10, 2023

MadJack said:
But HE is in Vermont! LOL
Same rule everywhere. Frost is only one reason but think of a culvert as just a form.

I'm just playing. I spent about half of my life north of the 45th parallel. Actual temps dip below -30 F every winter and some years hit -40. I'm too old to deal with much snow or real cold. People around here were cold a few days ago when the low was in the mid 40s. I'm heading into my climate sweet spot. As long as it is between 0 and 80, I can cope.

paulsharvey · Oct 10, 2023

I know I'm an unrepentant cheap ass; but spend the $830. That's my advice, get 24 lf of 18" CMP (check is 24lf of 15" cmp is significantly cheaper, but i would want too see atleast $200 savings to down size.)

Besides corrosion (your not in a salt water environment, are you; tanic acid from very dark water swamps can attack galv too); the life of a pipe is primarily on installation. Scrape off the muck, place up hill invert at the flow line of creek; down stream 0.1 ft lower; avoid bellies in the pipe; fill to the pipe haunches with clean dry material and compact that; then fill to the top of the pipe; compact that; place atleast 6" of same above pipe; compact, then place atleast 6" of surface material (rock/gravel/millings/base). Locally, we only bed in rock if ground water forces the issue; a #57 stone or other washed rock allows water to flow outside of the pipe, leading to soils eroding and creating voids, and thats not good. On the ends; assuming 100% private property; take some 60# sakcrete bags or soil cement bags, and make a stacked soil cement head wall, to avoid erosion problems.

ArlyA · Oct 10, 2023

HDPE culverts are your long lasting freind. If buryed correct, last a long, long time.

paulsharvey · Oct 10, 2023

ArlyA said:
HDPE culverts are your long lasting freind. If buryed correct, last a long, long time.

Same advice on installation. The back fill, ect. One thing I don't like about HDPE, is it can float if water comes up (during installation, before fully backfilled), and it can easily develop a belly if you don't bed it well; but it is a good product.