BYC Café

[aart]

It's going to be muddy shaping the pond today though.

Yeah, wet dirt is much heavier.
What's the soil like where you are digging?
Will you be digging a filter pit too?

 

[DobieLover]

What's the soil like where you are digging?
Will you be digging a filter pit too?

I'll take a picture of the profile later today.
The top 8-12" is lots of rock mixed with topsoil. Impossible to shovel through. I needed to slam a pick axe to break it up first.
The next layer was the easiest to shovel through. Nice dark soil.
Then I hit a dark clay with lots of iron in it.
The bottom layer is gray clay with iron in it.
Both clay layers were very dense. It doesn't drain well at all. And it will stick to the shovel like glue.
I saved some of the dark clay layer to mix with water to make a thick mud to "mortar" in the holes in the side walls of the pond where I had to dig out rocks. I am also using it to level up the top edge of the pond and set old bricks for a more solid surface on which to pin down the liner with some field stone. Then I'll back fill the field stone with the liner wrapped up the back of the first layer of stone and stack larger, thicker cap stones on top of the first layer and lock them in with more clay. I'll build up the stone edge high enough to retain the mulch with at least an inch of room to spare.

 

[DobieClose]

Looks lovely aart.

I'll take a picture of the profile later today.
The top 8-12" is lots of rock mixed with topsoil. Impossible to shovel through. I needed to slam a pick axe to break it up first.
The next layer was the easiest to shovel through. Nice dark soil.
Then I hit a dark clay with lots of iron in it.
The bottom layer is gray clay with iron in it.
Both clay layers were very dense. It doesn't drain well at all. And it will stick to the shovel like glue.
I saved some of the dark clay layer to mix with water to make a thick mud to "mortar" in the holes in the side walls of the pond where I had to dig out rocks. I am also using it to level up the top edge of the pond and set old bricks for a more solid surface on which to pin down the liner with some field stone. Then I'll back fill the field stone with the liner wrapped up the back of the first layer of stone and stack larger, thicker cap stones on top of the first layer and lock them in with more clay. I'll build up the stone edge high enough to retain the mulch with at least an inch of room to spare.

Resourceful!

 

[aart]

The top 8-12" is lots of rock mixed with topsoil. Impossible to shovel through. I needed to slam a pick axe to break it up first.
The next layer was the easiest to shovel through. Nice dark soil.
Then I hit a dark clay with lots of iron in it.
The bottom layer is gray clay with iron in it.
Both clay layers were very dense. It doesn't drain well at all. And it will stick to the shovel like glue.

UHG!!
So...filter pit too, or are we just not going to think about that at this point?

 

[DobieLover]

UHG!!
So...filter pit too, or are we just not going to think about that at this point?

I've got the settlement tank pit 75% dug. I need to go down another inch or two and level it then dig down in front of it some more so I have room to install the plumbing. I'll need my post hole digger to get the soil out because the hole is too tight for the shovel when you get down that far. It'll be post hole digging into a 7 gallon bucket set on the settlement tank ledge, climb out of hole with ladder, hoist bucket up with rope, dump and repeat. Not fun.
And ATM it's full of water from last nights rain under the roof line with no gutter BECAUSE THAT NIMROD CONTRACTOR NEVER SHOWED UP IN APRIL TO HELP FINISH THE DAMN SEASONAL ROOM!!!! (Can you tell I'm still bitter about that????)

 

[aart]

I've got the settlement tank pit 75% dug. I need to go down another inch or two and level it then dig down in front of it some more so I have room to install the plumbing. I'll need my post hole digger to get the soil out because the hole is too tight for the shovel when you get down that far. It'll be post hole digging into a 7 gallon bucket set on the settlement tank ledge, climb out of hole with ladder, hoist bucket up with rope, dump and repeat. Not fun.

Not fun at all.
How deep?
Conical tank?

And ATM it's full of water from last nights rain under the roof line with no gutter BECAUSE THAT NIMROD CONTRACTOR NEVER SHOWED UP IN APRIL TO HELP FINISH THE DAMN SEASONAL ROOM!!!! (Can you tell I'm still bitter about that????)

F****R!

 

[DobieLover]

How deep?
Conical tank?

It's a 63 gallon food grade black barrel with a sealing lid. It is 42" to the top of the lid. I'll set it so the top of the barrel is 2" above pond level. I have to go down about 40" and another foot in front to get the plumbing hooked up with the trench wide enough to fit me.

F****R!

Seriously. I've invented new words for this guy.

 

[sourland]

Good morning - coffee is ready.

 

[aart]

It's a 63 gallon food grade black barrel with a sealing lid. It is 42" to the top of the lid. I'll set it so the top of the barrel is 2" above pond level. I have to go down about 40" and another foot in front to get the plumbing hooked up with the trench wide enough to fit me.

Tangential input to get some vortex action?
What kind of fittings will you use to connect pipe to settling tank?

 

[DobieClose]

Helping grampa mow.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRSGMFpQ/?k=1