Necessity and YouTube: mothers of invention - digging foul drainage

[ToughButterCup]

The wailing and gnashing of teeth when my digga left the premises only got worse when I realised that Hartley Hire (good mates to me) were shutting up shop - no diggas for hire.

The BH member who stole my beloved digger - you know who you are, (Sue) - should give it me back: pronto. I didn't mean to sell it. It wuz an accident. Honest.?

 

I need to dig the trenches for our foul drains. But no digger.  Or prospect of a digger. Just a day's work with a 2 tonner.  Poo. Back t' 'drawin' board then. 

 

Dad was one of the  Bridge Masters who were employed by the Local Authority  while the M5 was being built. He was permanently banging on about coffer dams.  Very focused on digging deep holes for bridge paprapets. Dimly, I seemed to remember something about digging deep holes in sand - like they have to do everywhere in Berlin. Its tricky, dangerous work. I recon the invert for our foul drain is about 1300mm down: not that far.

 

But far enough if the bloody trench keeps falling in. I don't mind spade work, but a weekends' work was disappearing before my eyes. Damn.

 

And then I remembered the key term: timber shoring,  or even close timber shoring . Quick google and then this 

 

You beauty.

 

Here's the trench without shoring

Can't photograph a sore back: but it's sore. Monday afternoon I notice the edge is starting to cave in - collapse.

 

So this is what did ....

 

 

 

 

I've yet to dig towards the house (as opposed to along the side): thats where I'll need the close timber shoring. 

I'll post some pics tomorrow. Yes, I have blisters on my hands. Big girl......

[LA3222]

That's a good effort on the trench, you dug that by hand? It's what I like about self builders, summat needs doing, it needs doing - simples?‍♂️ No one else is going to do it for you so a 'crack on with it attitude' is essential.

[Oz07]

I've never seen something like that shored is the soil crap round your way?

[Mr Punter]

Looks like made ground.  What's the mesh stuff about?

[ToughButterCup]

The mesh is brilliant stuff,  as long as you don't have to dig through it.  It's function is to reduce the amount of MOT1 needed to underpin the raft. I can't remember what the numbers were,  but it made financial sense to buy 100 square meters of it 

This is the stuff. You need an angle grinder to cut it. This is a good example of how powerful the stuff is. 

[redtop]

yesterday I decided to save the money I don't have by digging the 20M soil trench myself, shallow at start dropping to 2.5M at end

 

Yesterday I then decided to sell a kidney and get a digger in

[joe90]

I take my hat off to you @AnonymousBosch fir digging that (with so few fingers ?) by hand.BUT why didn’t you dig this with your digger before you sold it (chump) ?.

 

Now it’s drying out I want to get by landscaping done but ran out of red diesel and “not allowed “ to go shopping for some, (going to ring a farmer friend to tap him up for some).

[ProDave]

45 minutes ago, joe90 said:

 

Now it’s drying out I want to get by landscaping done but ran out of red diesel and “not allowed “ to go shopping for some, (going to ring a farmer friend to tap him up for some).

You can go and do some food shopping and call in at the petrol station and fill a jerry can with white diesel.

[BotusBuild]

It's cheap enough at the moment (£1.02 at my local Asda)

[ToughButterCup]

5 hours ago, joe90 said:

[...]BUT why didn’t you dig this with your digger before you sold it (chump) ?.[...]

 

I'm in competition with @pocster for Eeejit-Of-The-Year Award. I've left @Russell griffiths far behind, flailing in my wake: overthinking some more stuff I expect.

 

I've just realised that I now need to dig a drainage trench before it starts to widdle down with rain - and fill up the trench more than it already has done. Mind you the water table has been higher, and we do have gentle slope on the site. And thats a significant blessing, I know.

Hmmm, 'nother weekend lost then. (I'll have a ripped torso soon ?)

 

[dpmiller]

7 hours ago, joe90 said:

I take my hat off to you @AnonymousBosch fir digging that (with so few fingers ?) by hand.BUT why didn’t you dig this with your digger before you sold it (chump) ?.

 

Now it’s drying out I want to get by landscaping done but ran out of red diesel and “not allowed “ to go shopping for some, (going to ring a farmer friend to tap him up for some).

Why can't you buy red? Purchase of fuel is an essential action...

 

Or do petrol stations not sell it over there?

[ProDave]

5 minutes ago, dpmiller said:

Why can't you buy red? Purchase of fuel is an essential action...

 

Or do petrol stations not sell it over there?

When I was buying red, there was only 1 petrol station, nearly 20 miles away selling it.  The closer place was the coal merchant who sold red diesel and kerosene from a pump. They are also the local place for LPG cylinders so probably better to describe them as a fuel merchant.

[joe90]

7 minutes ago, dpmiller said:

Or do petrol stations not sell it over there?

 

my local garage (the only one I know sells red) has closed, owners are elderly and frail!. I

[Dave Jones]

must be crackers doingthat by hand! Mini diggers are less than 100 quid a day round these parts, much tidier job and you can fill it all in the same day so the weather dont drop the sides.

 

You can get an extra deep 300wide bucket just for drainage which is a godsend.

[Oz07]

Forky on site I'm on atm selling the red. Ten quid for a 25l drum. Got some for my mates boat

[ToughButterCup]

@Dave, @Oz07ok at the date of the OP.... 

Edited October 24, 2020 by ToughButterCup

[Oz07]

i only look at the one above

 

[Oxbow16]

On 26/03/2020 at 17:55, ToughButterCup said:

 

 

 

 

I'm glad the thread was resurrected... 

 

...because now the wife won't be!!  

 

With a hole like that they'll never find her!