plastic culvert pipe question

[bellweather]

Probably a dumb question....
Bought 12" double wall culvert pipe (corrugated outside, smooth inside). There is a single line of small "weep holes along the length of the pipe. These holes only penetrate the outer corrugated wall. My question is...should the pipe be installed with the holes facing up (12:00 o'clock) or down (6:00 o'clock)? My gut says facing down, but thought I'd ask anyway. Thanks.

 

[Farwell]

I do not know for sure but if I had to guess, pointing down would be my choice. I can not imagine any reason for the holes to point up. I think the holes are to drain any condensation that forms inside of the double wall. In cold country if a bunch of condensation stays in side of the double wall and freezes it would expand and probably rupture the pipe. Makes sense to me.

 

[Clyde]

Bellweather - Darn good question. If you place the holes up, it will be bouyant and just like a empty buried fuel tank - pop to the surface if flooded around it. If it did fill up gradually with water, it could freeze and crack with our winters. My gut says holes down to drain any condensation that might form inside the culvert at the 6 o'clock position. That's my 2 cents worth. Good Luck! Clyde

 

[Highbeam]

I wouldn't worry about it one bit. Those little holes are likely part of the manufacturing process, the manufacturer then would have determined they don't matter.

 

[Egon]

Maybe ask the manufacturer??

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[psuedofarmer]

holes down.. i'm not an expert (which is not stopping me from pretending in this forum!), but i laid a culvert and french drains using plastic pipe. i was told to install it with the holes on the bottom..

no problems with my projects..

yet.

good luck
pf

 

[Highbeam]

This isn't perf pipe. It's solid walled with corrugations. The void space between the smooth inner wall and corrugated outer wall is filled with air and these holes are probably where the air was injected.

 

[Tractor_Jim_CT]

post a picture

 

[Phred]

I do not think it matters.
I have a 12"x20' pipe under my drive for the last four or five years and I did not pay any attention to the holes. Just dropped it in and filled it over.

Fred

 

[penokee]

bell - We use quite a bit of plastic pipe for driveway crossings and road crossings, never heard anything about the holes or seen it mentioned in any specs - plan to check with a local road contractor that's currently re-building a half dozen streets for us and will see if he ever heard anythingh about this. Never noticed it in any plastic pipe we used. I don't think it makes any difference, but may just as well place the holes down. More important would be to have a well prepared base for the culvert, backfill and compact with good granular material and have cover over the pipe of at least 12".
penokee /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif