Trench dirt - methods to put it all back in?

[bochnak]

I trenched over 100’ feet a couple of weeks ago. As those who have trenched before, there is always dirt left over. So what have you done to put it all back in? I just mounded it over the trench and let it sit for now.

I could rent a power tamper, but rather not put that much effort into it.

My neighbor gave me a homemade tree root water thingy. It’s a copper tube about 30” L with one end pounded flat and the other attaches to the garden hose. It has several holes cross drilled near the bottom. You drive this device into the ground 18” and let the water do the work.

What methods have worked for you?

 

[Northstar9126]

Rain. I just pile the soil back on top and let the rain settle it in. I have a tractor that I could run up and down the filled in trench with but I don't like the idea of putting all of that weight on top of whatever I just buried so I let nature take its course.

 

[His200HerScout]

Rain. I just pile the soil back on top and let the rain settle it in. I have a tractor that I could run up and down the filled in trench with but I don't like the idea of putting all of that weight on top of whatever I just buried so I let nature take its course.

I dug a 15' trench and piled the soil back up. It's now 2 rainy weeks later, and it's level.

 

[rieferman]

I mounded my trench over, and now after a bunch of rain, even though there's a pipe in the trench now too, it's concave So I actually have to go get more dirt... Very confusing to me

 

[brownbagg]

you have dirt left over because you did not compact it close to its natural state. so yoyu want to get rid of the dirt, start compacting

 

[GearBeer]

I pushed as much as possible back in using a garden rake and a flat bladed shovel. To compact it I first walked over it then drove over it. Since then I've left it for the rain to compact. Mother nature did a better job than I did.

 

[rjspitz]

I did the same as GearBeer, compact by foot first, then drive over with the lawn tractor. The rain finished it off.

 

[kbs2244]

If you cannot wait, borrow your neighbors tree root thing.

Or just soak it every evening.

Next time soak it every 3 or 4 inchs of fill.

You can see it just sort of melt down.

 

[walrus]

I jsut had an excavator in to dig my trench. I say who cares if there is leftover dirt, pile it up and wait. As long as I can turn on lights, weld, etc in my shop, thats all that matters

 

[uhcrandy]

An old trick is bury a old hose in the trench, then after back filling, hook the hose up to water and let it run for a day or so. If you can pull the hose out if able, if you can pull it out just cut it off below grade.

 

[nate379]

I have never had dirt leftover from a trench. The last one I did, I needed to add dirt actually.

Fill it 6"-8 at a time and compact between. I just used an 8" hand tamper, didn't take that long. My trench was around 80ft, 3ft deep.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I add 4 to 6 inches of dirt, and walk the trench compacting it, add some more and do the same. When it gets shallow enough, I begin the compacting by driving a tractor or automobile up and down the trench, add some more and do it again. Its impossible to see where I did water pipes several years ago, but where the power company did their trenches, its easy to see the sinks, as they didn't compact the trench till they were finished.

Charles

 

[bochnak]

I have been soaking it with the cross drilled pipe sunk in the trench. It also has been raining here the past few days. I will walk the trench and try to compact it as much as possible.

I don't have a tractor and a car won't fit were the trench is.

The mound has definitely shrunk in size. I might even wait till after winter to seed.

 

[sberry]

Yup. compacting as you go is the trick, for small deal like that walking it down works. Once you fill it and have 2 ft on top its difficult.
We dug up a county road the other day, filled the hole a few inches at a time, stomped it down, put the gravel back on top and its firm, cant even tell it was done.

 

[Torque1st]

I have never had dirt leftover from a trench. The last one I did, I needed to add dirt actually.

Fill it 6"-8 at a time and compact between. I just used an 8" hand tamper, didn't take that long. My trench was around 80ft, 3ft deep.

Yup, 6-8" at a time with compacting at every lift. Otherwise it will keep settling for 30 years.

 

[skinanbones]

the last couple i used a piece of 3/4 pipe 48" long attached to the garden hose and just soaked everything as they were backfilling and after they were done turned the trench into soup but settled very nicely. Had to add a couple inches of dirt the next day before the sod went on.

 

[nate379]

Reminds me of a story. About 10-12 years ago my Dad decided to run water and electric across the property to a post so he could park the camper and be able to use it.

Well the trench went across the yard about 75ft, then across a driveway that is a big "U" so about 80-90ft wide. He didn't have the tractor then, so my brother and him hand dug it. Got home from work and I helped my brother to fill it.

We get done and there is a bunch of dirt left over though we tamped it pretty good.

A month or so later it had rained a bunch and I ran out to the dump with the trailer. Got home and turned in the driveway to back the trailer. As I'm turning my Blazer sinks right to the frame. I had managed to get both tires and the trailer to go right over the trench which we hadn't packed very well.