Monday, July 9, 2012

trench update


jambaloney here!!

first off - ted, this pic is for you, you started the trench last june and this is what you did - a great start!



last december, i picked up where ted (my step-dad) left off, you can read the whole story here.

the trench is kinda coupled with the our overall sump pump development. okay, i am lazy today, here is the background on that.  ultimately, we want our damp basement to have a permanent drain that is unaffected by weather, power etc.... dig, dig dig... last winter i made it this far:



that trench is about 6" deep... this year i have been a busy bee (pp, tell me which hive to join ;-)

below is what the trench looked like march 08 after a full winter in which there was no freezing in either the sump pipe (short one) or the gray water pipe (long one) - that was a MAJOR improvement over the previous winter:



 here is the trench beside the manor..



and here it is heading away from the manor and downhill - notice the rocks in the trench:



i did a bit of work in march - here is a shot from april 06..


and here is what it looked like a week ago before my last round of digging in which i really went for broke - notice the rocks in the trench again:



the rocks are there because i do the digging in spurts - i have to. the soil here can be very hard due to clay deposits and there is a large one right where this trench runs... coupled with that is the fact that we are in a geologic area called the "Till Plain" which means "tons of stuff the glacier left" or, in layman's terms, rocks!!! when we have gone only a few days without rain, parts of the yard are like concrete, then, when it rains a lot, you can sink right in. i wait to work on the trench until after a lot or rain, in the meantime, the sump pump and the gray water runoffs help move things along a bit. here is the latest progress - take note of the ever growing piles of large rocks (also note the fancy bridge i built, i will gladly sell the plans to interested parties)


here is a pic looking up at the manor. we have used all the small-rock dirt i have dug up in the past months to fill in holes and gaps elsewhere around the manor - the dirt on left hand side in this pic is only half of what i dug up this round alone, the other half we used to cover the exposed roots of the "bonsai" tree you see on the left... kymber then covered that with some manure and a wildflower shade mix - gonna be a sweet  little meadow!



here is a pic up close to the foundation wall:




hey - let's measure!!!!



we now have a trench that is 36" below the top of the foundation wall - i have to go down to 42" plus another 4" to get a pipe under...not that bad, i can pretty much dig it all near the manor as the angle of the trench is relatively steep.... PROGRESS!!



tools of the trade, w - this spoon is for you!!!


and a casualty - new post to follow....


some of the rocks are so big and so cemented in the clay that when i hit them, my teeth rattle... i have learned that the best way to get them out is to bash them to pieces in place with a sledge and then take them out in bits, here is a great example..



 seeing as every post has a pic of the sky in it, i am obliged to include one.... this is june 19@ 22:02, still some light in the sky... it started getting light out @ 4:00 the next morning - long days this time of year!!!!





you always see the trout after they are cooked... here is a nice shot of breakfast when i get back from fishing...



have a great day - cheers all!!

44 comments:

  1. Jamie, I can dig it. You just pick your way through. Good thing you don't have an axe to grind. AT lest when you get mad at kymber (never)you can take it out on the rocks.

    maybe you should call the manor, notre rocheuse framboise manoir.??

    I know that's stupid, sorry first post of the day. bahahaha.

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    1. that's a great name!! - you have no idea how many rocks are here -

      however, you are wrong about one thing...

      i have about 5 axes that need grinding - hahahah!

      cheers buddy!

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  2. What a mess to dig through. Reminds me of trenching for electrical conduit. Some areas around here have bedrock just below the surface with the burial depth being around 22" (18" plus allowance for conduit depth). So it is 22" picking through rocks when you are close to a building and cannot use mechanical means.

    I recall one project where the general contractor became annoyed with our slow progress. He came in with his backhoe to speed up progress and proceeded to knock out power to the building. The problem was that the building was the county magistrates/sherrifs office and the local jail was in the basement.

    I was elsewhere when this happened, but I understand it was all very exciting- but no jail-breaks. Fortunately, they were able to repair the damage fairly quickly. But it was another project I got to take over after all the labor hours had been burned up on.

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    1. it is slow going to be certain ;-))

      great story - gotta love it when a tool comes wading in with another tool and causes disaster - i'll bet you had a good chuckle over that one !!!

      have a good one!

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  3. Digging ditches and eating fish, life doesn't get any better. Seriously though, good work. That doesn't look like easy digging.

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    1. it really doesn't get better.. well, maybe i will be happy when the trench is finished, it is pretty hard going.

      tnx and cheers duke!!

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  4. Jam, My back just aches even just thinking of digging such a trench ! When we had to do something like that here in order to have water come from the house, down to a spigot in the barn, the contractor rented a trencher because we had so many rocks. I am so glad this is finished now. I hope you recovered pretty quickly !

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    1. thanks jane for the "i feel your pain" moment. i don't kill myself doing it - i aim to have it completed sometime in the fall.

      i recovered quickly enough to move on to the rock garden - ;-))

      thanks for stopping by!!

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  5. That trench work looks arduous! And, the trench would be a nice surprise if anyone were wandering around your property at night. into that several times? You could just dig trenches for security.

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    1. trust me - it is!!

      kymber wanted a moat when we first got here - i told here we can't get alligators up here - too cold - thank god!!!

      cheers!! ;-))

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    2. I think a moat would be disconcerting enough and would slow people down. Put signs up warning of the "long-fang, vicious, curmudgeon" that dwells in the moat. Okay, make up a word that sounds scary instead of using curmudgeon. That's too bad about alligators not living up there. Kymber had a very good idea.

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    3. well, we do have a "long-fang vicious cat" that is cranky - that should do the trick - try being asleep @ 3:00 AM when he is hungry... that might do..

      oh yeah, about 5 fearless baby red squirrels too...

      i think we can skip the moat, thank god!!

      have a great day!!

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    4. need gators in a moat

      consider solar hot water to keep moat warm for gators

      Wildflower

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    5. wildflower:

      will set up solar if moat is set up in future... might consider trained seals instead of gators ;-))

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    6. might try large snapping turtles

      Wildflower

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  6. Jambaloney and Kymber,

    Good morning! Yum, fish......be right there.
    Digging in clay with rocks to shovel out is a royal pain in the you know what(butt) hehehehe!!!! That dirt looks exactly like what I had in Michigan and it was a pain......
    You and your Step-Dad did a great job on this trench. Ever consider going in the trench business my friend??
    You both have a beautiful day, I'm off to the physical therapist :-)

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    1. your plate is set!!

      sorry you had the same hassle... there is no way i would do that for a living... it is gratifying because it is our own property... if this was someone else's place, i would have thrown myself into the trench by now!!

      you have a great day yourself - hope you visit goes well!!

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  7. Reading this post makes me cringe at the hole we need to dig at our place. We don't have the rocks but we certainly have the clay and roots. 7 deep, 10 long, 4 wide. That's a lot of work and then I would be the guy to smash the clay sewer pipe on accident.

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    1. wow - what are you digging a hole that big for?

      i don't have roots - thank god - i almost prefer the rocks!!

      good luck buddy - ouch!!

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  8. Darn, Bubba, like Max, it wore me out to just read of your labors. You're a tough man. Those trout are beautiful.

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    1. thanks for the shout-out stephen, too kind!

      i would send you trout if i could - i'll keep a place set for you.

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    2. Jambe,

      Try the minus 40 freezer. It will get to Stephen OK.

      And thanks, but you keep the stupid spoon. My date card is too full.

      Winston

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    3. minus 40 >> if we were back in ottawa, i would put the trout out in the driveway in january ;-)) we will try smoking some later, i should be able to put those in the food saver and that would work out.

      if you need a dance and don't fancy a spoon, i have a fork for you ;-))

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    4. As long as the fork is attached to a backhoe, LMHO.

      Winston

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    5. Then you know the beans will remain raw!!!!

      Winston

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  9. Hi J - you need to seriously take it easier ! That's a monster of a job and those are big nuts to crack ... meaning the rocks of course !
    My hilarious little book called "treasure chest of seafaring slang " is where I am getting to know how to speak pirate. Hence - big nuts to crack- bahaha ! Have a good one and keep your arse upwards ! Which means you are having a run of good luck with the task. ;))

    Cheers !

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    1. well helga - i'm not working on it every day - no rain forecast for a week, so i'll be doing other jobs for now...

      thank matey - arrr!!!

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  10. I read the post and took to aspirin for the pain...

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    1. does it look that bad???

      it's not all day thing... i usually go do light work like weedwacking or watering in the afternoons.

      cheers!

      Delete
  11. Reading it and looking at the pics made my back hurt! It's nice work though, I'm sure the resulting payoff will be very rewarding when it's done.

    I'll have a glass of wine or two tonight, in honor of your hard work, LOL!

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    1. oh no - not you too!! i am going to get sued for personal injury soon!!

      it will be so rewarding i am finished, i'll never have to worry about flooding again.

      enjoy my wine, i hope it's a good vintage!!

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  12. Oh, I have photos that look the same, only it was in the 50's and of my dad, in trench, with the same tools. He was laying a sewer pipe because....WHEEEEE....we finally had lines from the big city stretching down the highway. Dad built all the way to the highway through rocks and fields and all of it was downhill. Gravity was our sewage's best friend.

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  13. thanks lottajoy - you make me feel all retro... i love the 50s!!

    but no sewer here - my next large digging project is going to be a well closer to the manor - that should be a hoot!! - sadly, we will be needing our pump for that one - all uphill..

    cheers!

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  14. OOOO Nice trout. Ouch thats alot of digging :( BY hand even.

    Join Hive 9. They need someone armed with a pickaxe so they don't lose their stores...AGAIN!!!

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  15. i know you like the trout buddy!

    i will join hive 9 as soon as i am finished the trench... i would offer you our project manager cat in the meantime, but he prefers to "supervise" if you know what i mean ;-)

    cheers!

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  16. Too bad you can't use DET cord to dig the trench. The flying rocks could make a really big mess.

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    1. true enough - the garden would take a beating, as would teh manor!!

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  17. Is there anything you can't do or at least something you are crappy at?

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  18. i'll be honest, i subscribe to the "it's not how you start, it's how you finish" philosophy. before i undertake anything, i test-try a mini version to iron out the "kinks" in my know-how..

    THEN i do something that i publish on the blog... practice makes perfect!!

    cheers!!!

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  19. I am reminded of a saying "The race is not given to the swift nor the strong but he who endures until the end?" Nice job my friend. the rat

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  20. Mr. Rat - this is kymber commenting on behalf of jambaloney as he is gone for the next 4 days - sniff sniff - yes, i am sad and lost without him. THAT saying is jambaloney to a tee.....he has such endurance and always has a positive outlook when facing big jobs like these...he makes my heart proud, he does. thanks so much Rat, buddy!

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  21. Jambaloney, you have clay?!? We didn't get any on the part of the South Shore I'm in :-( I see a cob oven in your future, lucky duck!

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