Define "WASHED" rock

[ddiiggy]

What do you all call your natural hard stuff that keeps wet areas from being muddy? Gravel? Rock? Stone?
Each of those has its own meaning to me, but YOUR picture might be different than mine.


I used to do excavation and we installed a lot of septic tanks and drainfields. One of the requirements was to use "WASHED" rock in the drain field laterals.

We always used the 'round-ish' rocks from the gravel pit. I expect round rocks are to try to make sure there is space between the rocks for effluent.

I asked several times if "WASHED" meant that crushed and screened gravel could be used if it was run through water to get any dirt loose and to WASH dust out, <b>OR</b> is "WASHED" supposed to mean the rocks that have been "WASHED" down the river and made more naturally round instead of angular crushed/broken rocks. The County sanitation guy didn't even understand the question. :Banghead

Some places had water in the pit that they were digging out of and they might not have had to pump and spray water on the gravel to have it be pretty clean. If they dig rough, angular rocks out of the water, is it "WASHED"? :beatsme

Other gravel pits were basically dry and the round rocks they CALLED "WASHED" were very dusty and haven't been wet for eons.

 

[dirt digger]

as far as i know...here anyway...washed is a clean stone

when we do septics we order a 2B clean stone...basically all it means is there is no fines in there that will clog the field...

the only time the stone is ever "washed" when it is delivered to us is if the weather calls for it....if it hasn't rained in quite some time the drivers will water down the stone so it doesn't make so much dust when they dump it

 

[EZ TRBO]

We call "clean stone" rock that has been double screened to rid of most of the fines. There is still some "dusty" fines in there however it can pass state spec for concrete rock, depending on the quarry at hand. We have some very clean and hard quarries that naturaly make cleaner rock and some of the more "dirty" quarries which we usally just make road gravel and such out of. A jaw crusher for your primary will aslo help reduce the amount of fines. I've seen a few spreads that have a TON of waste, takes some big big shots to make a small amount of product. Also have seen some that have a fairly simple setup making the least amunt of waste as possible and thus a smaller total shot is needed in order to get the amount of material needed.

We call washed rock rock that has been run through a wash plant. It has already been "cleaned" and the wash process gets the remaining "dust" out of the rock. The remains are very small and fine particles and when dried out can be soild as can be but with some water in them can be very soupy. The wash process is really a pretty simple outfit and in the right quarry(space) it can be set up to be at the end of the "clean" conveyor and no loading and hauling to the wash location are needed.

Trbo

Not the best pic but just one of the wash plant(more in Trbo's gallery of stuff).

The pipe you see is a discharge pipe going into a "fines" screw which seperates even more fines to keep from going into the settleing pond, the surge hopper is first, followed by the log washer, there are two discharges one for the washed material and another for fines.

 

[ddiiggy]

as far as i know...here anyway...washed is a clean stone

when we do septics we order a 2B clean stone...basically all it means is there is no fines in there that will clog the field...

the only time the stone is ever "washed" when it is delivered to us is if the weather calls for it....if it hasn't rained in quite some time the drivers will water down the stone so it doesn't make so much dust when they dump it

I guess a good way to ask my question: Is the spec only requiring clean and free of fines?, or is it also expecting round-ish stones?

I don't know how they have the crusher set up. Do they spray water after they screen and size?

Is crushed, sized, washed gravel acceptable to use for drainfield?

 

[EZ TRBO]

As far as the spec goes I would check with your DNR or even the land conservation dept when it comes to what spec is in your area. I know enough people that install septic systems, and have done a few "septic type" systems myself and all we ever used was "clean stone"(same rock as road gravel that was double screened(most all of the fines remove).
The rock when crushed is screened out just as if you are making road gravel, just screened more to clean it out more. In the wash plant we run it is spayed and runs through a "screw" and as the "washed" rock is convyed up into a stock pile the sediment is dumped into the settling ponds.

In our area all I've ever seen used it crushed, sized and clean or washed gravel(sand and your "round" rocks are non-existent in my area of the country). I would sure think its totally acceptable in your area, one other thing I have done is install filter fabric on top to keep any sediments from seeping down into your "clean" material.

Hope this helps some.

Trbo

 

[brian falcone]

here most systems call for double washed 3/4 inch stone. the driver gets loaded with washed stone at the material yard then parks the truck under the washer,raises the body a tad then stays there till the water comes out clean. some systems call for zero sand. which is a ceertail size of washed sand but it has to be natural round sand granuals and not a crushed product. theres hardy any bank gravel left aroundf here and septic gravel is getting hard to find.

 

[komatsukid]

as far as i know...here anyway...washed is a clean stone

when we do septics we order a 2B clean stone...basically all it means is there is no fines in there that will clog the field...

the only time the stone is ever "washed" when it is delivered to us is if the weather calls for it....if it hasn't rained in quite some time the drivers will water down the stone so it doesn't make so much dust when they dump it

In Michigan "washed aggregate" is crushed to the correct spec. Than feed through a wash plant. The stone is processed through a wet screener where it is sized and sprayed with high pressure water jets, and depending on how "dirty" the stone is some producers opt to run the stone through a log washer. Log washers "paddle" clay and other unwanted material off the processing stone. This prosess, When preformed correctly will yeild a pile of clean, sized stone.

When testing aggergate the inspector will wash and seive the processed material to determine if the material meets state spacific guidlines.

 

[diggerop]

My way of thinking, anything dug up and goes through a crusher is crushed rock , comes in all sizes, never seen it washed but from reading the posts can understand why it could be. The roundish, weathered stuff I usually call river gravel probably because thats where it is usually dug from , also comes in different sizes.:yup

 

[Speedpup]

I know what washed sand is :spaz I went to the pit years ago to see yards of sand on a conveyer flying by at a high rate of speed with a garden hose at half pressure. What a joke, then when you make mortar all layup masonry walls the soluble minerals in the sand turn the walls white. Then they never want to pay.

 

[srs_mn]

In Michigan "washed aggregate" is crushed to the correct spec. Than feed through a wash plant. The stone is processed through a wet screener where it is sized and sprayed with high pressure water jets...

That's the way it is in Minnesota, too. Washed rock, crushed or screened, must go through an actual "wash plant"... I used to make the stuff and I'll admit that there IS a difference between washed and "clean"... sometimes, depending on the source, the washed rock comes out pretty dusty. Almost all sand for concrete or masonry is washed, too, along with the sand that they mix with salt for use on the highways in the winter. We always made 1 1/2" size rock for sewers as that is what the county required.
Steve in MN