I am struggling with my mega-project, digging a trench of 120 meters for the water supply, because the relief does not allow to close the well, and drilling a well is expensive and risky.
The pipe will go to the 32nd PND (probably), and since the pump is an ejector, there will also be a pipe that will drive water back to the well, into the ejector, here the pipe will be at 25. But this is not about that.
It would seem a stupid thing to dig a trench, but you will dig its eternity without experience and some knowledge. Here is sharing info, how I dig it. You can add something of your own, I will be glad to interesting thoughts on facilitating digging (from super-shovels to super-machines).
Start digging:
Of the instruments, a strong bayonet shovel and a strong shovel, and indeed, everything should be strong, but light! :)
1. First of all, we remove the sod, as a result, we outline the path along which we will dig a trench. So it will be morally easier and simpler. Remove the sod with a bayonet shovel, well sharpened. She cuts everything, and roots, and turf. But we don’t take the “tired” shovel, it’s useless to cook it, it’ll break apart anyway.
2. Digging. I shoot level by level, each level - one bayonet. In total, the depth of the trench is not less than a meter, I don’t know for sure how much, but above my navel))) And my height is 180, I’ll also focus on the navel.
We hit with a bayonet, we throw out the shovel
In the process of digging, I came to the conclusion that digging with a bayonet shovel is a thankless task. We have to bend over many times, the ground grab is small. As a result, my back is very tired, it hurts, you can’t fulfill the norm, and the norm is 5 meters a day (I dig in the evening, maybe 3 hours, I don’t know for sure).
As a result, he began only to pierce the layer with a bayonet shovel, and I throw away loose rocks quickly and simply with a shovel, she takes it already as an excavator, and thanks to the convenient profile, you do not need to bend your back very much, and this is very important!
I first tried to punch in front of me, but you won’t get far enough, but right away you go and throw out the shovel that you pick. I punch at least a bayonet, in fact another plus centimeters 5. But this method is more tiring, you need strong hands.
A simpler way is to go backwards, we drive the shovel with our foot and loosen the soil, you do not need to throw it out and bend! Well, and then, when they rake on a bayonet along the entire length, we climb up with a scoop and throw everything away.
In general, when working with a bayonet shovel, we always go backwards, and when working with a shovel, we go forward.
Width
The width of the ditch is one of the most important points, its slight expansion leads to a very complicated work, since there is a lot of soil to dig. I begin to dig a ditch quite widely, the first layer of the bayonet and a half, then less and less, to the bottom of the trench converges to the width of a shovel. If you make the ditch narrow throughout its depth, it will be very difficult to walk, but most importantly, you will not be able to pull out the shovel “along the curve”, you will cling to the ditch all the time. And raising a shovel in front of you in a narrow ditch is a difficult task.
As a result, the ditch has the shape of a trapezoid.
Digging features
When I started to dig, there was a drought, the top layer was very dense, it beat him for a long time and tediously. Everywhere we have clay here, there is very little land on top, however, on the edge of the hillock there were 60 centimeters of land for sure, apparently alluvial.
As a result, I decided to remove sod in a drought, it rained and the clay was well wetted. Now everything digs fine, no need to break through a dense layer. And it’s best to dig in the spring, then the earth and other soils are very soft due to water saturation.
I chose the depth depending on the climate, -30 is rare here, I don’t think that clay will freeze even by 50 cm, not to mention more than a meter. In extreme cases, you can actively use the water supply system on critical days and it certainly will not freeze.
Waiting for your suggestions and opinions about the project..
The pump will be suction, with an ejector, designed for a suction depth of 30 meters, the height difference I have is not more than 10 meters.
I have 10 days left, if 5 m pass every day, and we will drill a well, well, or dig a "calodez"))