Fine soil/sand over pea gravel

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ringi
Posts: 125
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:32 am
Location: Stockport, UK

Post: # 106929Post ringi

I have back filled some drain tranches (and round an ic) with pea gravel, I now need to make the level up to the current soil level. The area will then get a concrete slab poured on it. It is a back yard so only have to cope with people walking on it.

The soil that has been dug up is rather fine and sandy, it is OK to put it well compressed in the tranches over the pea gravel – or will it over time just run into the gaps between the pea gravel?

(One option I have thought of is to rake some cement into it as I put the layers in.)

seanandruby
Site Admin
Posts: 4713
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:01 am
Location: eastbourne

Post: # 106930Post seanandruby

Is it a grity sand or a sand/soil type that (probably by now with weather ) turns to liquid when wet?
As dug material for back fill is usually stockpiled and sealed by tracking in with a digger, or haunched and smoothed off with the back of the bucket to keep it dry, on a small redidential site it is nest covered over to keep it dry. Any material that too clayee ( is that actually a word ) , or if your sand/subsoil is the type that has turned liquid then it will be useless now and uncompactable so will need mucking away and replaced with more solid material like mot, crush and run, or concrete.
As you can imagine soil types are different over the country. If it is ok to use then maybe place a layer of geo textile over the gravel if your worried it will trickle down.
sean

lutonlagerlout
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Location: bedfordshire

Post: # 106938Post lutonlagerlout

cover the 10 mm shingle with terram and use type 1 ringi
backfilling with soil for any type of concrete work will lead to voids and in time failure
(seen this happen many times)
LLL
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seanandruby
Site Admin
Posts: 4713
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:01 am
Location: eastbourne

Post: # 106939Post seanandruby

Never had any complications when using sand under and over gas mains etc: hydrocompaction can be a good thing in many cases. It is in effect having a cover slab over the trench. Mucking away good s dug backfill in favour of importing unnecessary material is both costly and wasteful. As suggested, if the sandy soil is not suitable then by all means go for a more robust material. Other things to consider is your pipe shallow and then will need concrete surround.
sean

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