Culvert Updates

[GlueGuy]

Harv,

When I was out for my noon bike ride today I was going past one of those flood-control modified creeks, and noticed (for maybe about the 10,000th time /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif) that they frequently use sandbags filled with concrete in place of rip-rap with great success. Some of those retaining walls have been there for 15-20 years, and show no sign of letting go any time soon.

However, (ah, here it comes!) I also notice that every single one of them used the old burlap sacks instead of the plastic/polyethylene sacks that you used. So I thought to myself, "Wonder what the difference might be?" Which lead me to another thought, that maybe (just maybe) the burlap ones might work better.

The reason I think this is that I believe that the burlap ones absorb some of the concrete, and become "integrated" so to speak. The plastic ones (seems to me) will never integrate, but provide a separation layer between the sacks. In essence, the plastic ones "become" closely matched "rocks", with a slippery layer between them. The burlap ones also become "rocks", but the layer between them is more firmly attached.

I don't know if my mind wanders too much or what, but that's what I started thinking about as I wheeled past these things.

Thoughts or comments?

The GlueGuy

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>I don't know if my mind wanders too much or what</font color=blue>

Of course it does, GlueGuy! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif That's what makes your posts so interesting!

You might very well have some valid points about the burlap, but I don't think my problem had to do with the sacks. That part of my culverts held up just fine. The real problem was that I left a gap on the face of the culvert that allowed the water to sneak in past the bags and wash away the fill.

One important factor when I was shopping for the bags was that the poly bags were 35 cents apiece, and the burlap (same size) was over a buck a bag. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif I'm sure the prices vary from place to place, but 35 cents was by far the best deal I could find. I purchased about a hundred bags and don't have many left over.

BTW - as you know, things are drying up really fast here in Californy, with temperatures in the 90's this week. I was up at the property over the weekend and the ground if firming up nicely. Even the muddy road will be workable soon. Too bad, really -- it means our snowpack was minimal. Anyway, I'm ordering some more crush delivered so's I can begin culvert repairs on my next trip. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif