How to washing tonnes of muddy gravel?

[MrWeld]

A relative has about 80m² of gravelled areas around their house. Over
the years, the gravel has become very muddy, and is now coverered with
weeds.

Is there a cost effective way of washing gravel? I've tried putting it
in a handheld steel sieve sloshing it around in wheelbarrow of water,
but that was very slow, and generated large quantities of muddy water.

I suppose I could just put a membrane on top of it, followed by more
gravel, but I'd like to re-use the existing stuff.

[mark]

<MrWeld> wrote in message news:51d067f4$0$51506$862e...@ngroups.net...

Stick in a heap and run a hose over it.

mark

[Tim Watts]

The railways have ballast washers - so it's not a totally alien idea. But I
have not heard of a protable machine for gravel.

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

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Reading this on the web? See:
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[Nightjar]

You don't need to wash it. Simply use a sieve with a mesh size slightly
smaller than the gravel and sieve the dirt out. It is time consuming and
you will end up with a surprisingly large pile of dirt, but it works.

Colin Bignell

[Dave Liquorice]

On Sun, 30 Jun 2013 18:17:51 +0100, MrWeld wrote:

> Is there a cost effective way of washing gravel? I've tried putting it
> in a handheld steel sieve sloshing it around in wheelbarrow of water,
> but that was very slow, and generated large quantities of muddy water.

Bung it in a concrete mixer for a few rotations? Pour out through a
suitably sized sieve, over a container for the water (barrel?) bucket
some of the water back from the barrel to the mixer and add a bucket
of clean. Excess water will overflow and drain away.

--
Cheers
Dave.

[David.WE.Roberts]

On Sun, 30 Jun 2013 18:17:51 +0100, MrWeld wrote:

Why not just rake the stones out, leaving the soil and weeds behind?

You will probably need some extra gravel to replace the stuff that is
buried deep in the soil, but if your main aim is to separate the stones
from the soil then a garden rake should do it.

Cheers

Dave R

[Andrew Mawson]

wrote in message news:51d067f4$0$51506$862e...@ngroups.net...
>

Just been through this thought process myself. We have 750 sq metres of pea
shingle that was very mucky - I decided that although theoretically washing
it was possible, the labour involved wasn't worth it. We stripped it all off
and piled it up in the field - a big heap . So we've used as much as we
could in bedding for new drains etc (total house refurbishment 98%
finished) - also put in a land drain in the farm yard and another scheduled
o go into the field in a boggy bit. Then currently I've a 20 ton pile of new
pea shingle waiting to be spread tomorrow, and no doubt we'll need another
10 or 20 tons to finish the job. At least it means that the land drains are
very adequately surrounded by shingle!

AWEM

[Gazz]

"Nightjar" <c...@insert.my.surname.here.me.uk> wrote in message
news:b6OdnbJHSfGx803M...@giganews.com...

somewhere like machine mart sold a rotary sieve thingy, something stupid
like 200 squids, and something that could possibly be knocked up fairly
easily.

It was a cylinder of mesh, i think it had a metal spider at one end, to
which it attached to the frame via a bearing, a motor to the side drove it
around like a cement mixer, cylinder on an incline... bung a shovel full of
mixed crap in the open end, it's rotated around and the muck drops thru the
mesh into a barrow below, and the good stuff falls out the back in a
separate heap.

Wonder if someone could make up a sieve barrel or a cement mixer, just pop
the cement mixing barrel off, pop the sieve cylinder on, away you go.

[The Natural Philosopher]

+1 dont waste the time.

If you need to dig out old, then add new.


--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc’-ra-cy) – a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

On Sun, 30 Jun 2013 21:41:44 +0100, "Gazz" <no...@m.ta> wrote:

>It was a cylinder of mesh, i think it had a metal spider at one end, to
>which it attached to the frame via a bearing, a motor to the side drove it
>around like a cement mixer, cylinder on an incline... bung a shovel full of
>mixed crap in the open end, it's rotated around and the muck drops thru the
>mesh into a barrow below, and the good stuff falls out the back in a
>separate heap.
>
>Wonder if someone could make up a sieve barrel or a cement mixer, just pop
>the cement mixing barrel off, pop the sieve cylinder on, away you go.

Every kitchen has one - or an old one lying outside, in many places.

[F Murtz]

Make this.
http://www.nifty-stuff.com/homemade-rotary-trommel-screen.php

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo <GvCdnXVlY5CWEk3M...@bt.com>, Andrew Mawson
<andrew@please_remove_me.mawson.org.uk> escribió:

>Then currently I've a 20 ton pile of new
>pea shingle waiting to be spread tomorrow

Are you planning to put a membrane down first?

--
(\_/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

On Mon, 01 Jul 2013 11:07:44 +1000, F Murtz <hag...@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
>Make this.
>http://www.nifty-stuff.com/homemade-rotary-trommel-screen.php

That's pretty damned good.

[Nightjar]

Possibly easier to make a long chute with a mesh base and send the
gravel down that. For most people, probably easier to store for next
time too. It is a job that needs to be done every few years.

Colin Bignell

[fred]

Am I being stupid but surely if it was spread out over a path/drive the rain would wash it eventually assuming the crap had been raked out of it, and its going to need raked to get it level anyway.

[Nightjar]

On 01/07/2013 09:03, fred wrote:
...

> Am I being stupid but surely if it was spread out over a path/drive the rain would wash it eventually assuming the crap had been raked out of it, and its going to need raked to get it level anyway.

The problem is wind-blown dirt, which only washes down to the weed
control membrane, where it makes a nice base for weeds to grow in. Once
every few years you need to remove that dirt, or you may as well not
have a membrane.

Colin Bignell

[The Natural Philosopher]

+1

and its also dirt that comes off car tyres as well.
I've got 3"+ of limestone and 2" of gravel on tyop, and ten years on its
full of mud and decayed organic material.

path clear sorts the weeds out.
every ten years or so it needs more gravel on top. As the cars grind the
sub base deeper into the subsoil

[fred]

On Monday, July 1, 2013 10:13:49 AM UTC+1, Huge wrote:

> Add that to the already long list of ways in which gravel drives suck.
>
>
>
> --
>
> Today is Boomtime, the 36th day of Confusion in the YOLD 3179
>
> RIP: Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013)

Yes. My experience of them was poor. Gravel accumulating on the outside of the bend etc because 'kids' dont slow down. Tried snow blade on Westwood to level it. Waste of time. Gave up and had it tarmacadamed. Haven't looked back since.

I do prefer the appearance of gravel but it was too much trouble.

Never had trouble with dirt on it though did have to replace gravel every so often.

I found weed suppressing membrane a wast of time. Weeds will grow anywhere.

After a short period of time sufficient dust builds up on the mambrane to give weed some purchase.

Many years ago neighbour followed advice from website as to depths and types of different gravel to use for a 'good' job. Can't remember the figures but his car sank 3" into it the first time he drove over it. Somebody goofed somewhere,

[Mentalguy2k8]

<MrWeld> wrote in message news:51d067f4$0$51506$862e...@ngroups.net...

I had a much smaller amount but I power-washed it in situ and it did a good
job. I only needed the top level to look nicer and it certainly did that.
Probably worth just piling up a small area at a time, remove the weeds & lay
the membrane, then put the gravel back and jetwash it all at the end.

[Nightjar]

On 01/07/2013 10:13, Huge wrote:
> On 2013-07-01, Nightjar <c...@insert.my.surname.here.me.uk> wrote:

> Add that to the already long list of ways in which gravel drives suck.

I don't have gravel on a drive, but I do have noisy to walk on gravel
around the house in areas where nobody ought to be walking at night.

Colin Bignell

[Rick Hughes]

On 30/06/2013 21:41, Gazz wrote:

> somewhere like machine mart sold a rotary sieve thingy, something stupid
> like 200 squids, and something that could possibly be knocked up fairly
> easily.

>

> Wonder if someone could make up a sieve barrel or a cement mixer, just
> pop the cement mixing barrel off, pop the sieve cylinder on, away you go.

I had one of these for sieving 30 tonne of top soil .... great machines,
and you had a choice of mesh liners.
Picked mine up on eBay ... did job and sold it for more than I bought it
for.

[fred]

Round here they just erect a mesh screen @ 45 degrees to vertical and throw the top soil at it. Suitable container behind to cart it away is handy. As these screens are light they are easily moved to where the soil is. Not perfect but cheap. Mind you I'd prefer what you had.

[wol...@hotmail.co.uk]

Same issue.
Finally settled on a quick dry sieve to reclaim some soil.
Then raked back and forth in a wheelbarrow of water.
I was in the process of making a drain and was able to pour away about 40 barrows of muddy water without blocking anything.
Each 1/4 barrow of gravel used 1 barrow of water (in 2 lots), and left 1 shovel of sand.
If you can't dispose of the muddy water, leave it to settle for a day and the silt will drop out.
Best of luck

[Tim Watts]

What?

[Graham.]

On Sat, 19 Mar 2016 22:58:53 +0000, Tim Watts <tw_u...@dionic.net>
wrote:

Looks like it's a late follow-up to a 30/06/2013 OP

No quote included to give context

Even the Re: was removed for some reason.


--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think they are putting something in the water supply.

Listen to this gem from a linux group today...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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errors a 4-disk unit. It working afterrors a Netgear. I especially.
Then the first works. I has tech support a Netgear. It is similar 2.
It was been quite stable. All of the did now. I especially died Backup
program; it degrade recovery from serience with the first did no
personal expersonal experious (user tech support a caked; it did no
perious (useriously disk unit, for 4 year 2. It took to Apply died
Backup prograde recovery from seriously disk unit, for 4 year. It has
made recovery from serious (userious (use, and has made recovery from
serious (use, a 4-disk unit just year. We have croaked; it was made
recovery from serience with their took though. I concur. I especially
like to Apple's Timed Backup progracefully we have no personal
experious (use, and had a 4-disk drives failed Backup progracefully
week their Timed. It had Synology NAS (model DS411+II), a caked; it
works. I especially. Their Time Machine. Then the first works. I
especially. I company: Drobos. We had a Netgear 2. Then this concur.
It is concur. Previously week to use, a Netgear to use, a caked; it is
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drives failed in this concur. "
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

All your bases are belong to us....?


--
He who shits in the road, will meet flies on his return.

"Mr Natural"

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo <nckruq$895$2...@news.albasani.net>, The Natural Philosopher
<t...@invalid.invalid> escribió:

>All your bases are belong to us....?

An early Usenet post run through babelfish.altavista.digital.com* at a
guess.

* an early attempt at an online translator.

--
(\_/)
(='.'=) Bunny says: Windows 10? Nein danke!
(")_(")

[harry]

On Sunday, 30 June 2013 18:17:51 UTC+1, MrWeld wrote:
> A relative has about 80m² of gravelled areas around their house. Over
> the years, the gravel has become very muddy, and is now coverered with
> weeds.
>
> Is there a cost effective way of washing gravel? I've tried putting it
> in a handheld steel sieve sloshing it around in wheelbarrow of water,
> but that was very slow, and generated large quantities of muddy water.
>
> I suppose I could just put a membrane on top of it, followed by more
> gravel, but I'd like to re-use the existing stuff.

Gravel is a cheap solution to create a hard surface and will always be a problem. The mud has likely come up from underneath due to a poor job to start with.
Usually put down immediately before selling a house to "tidy up".
You can do what you like, it will be as bad again in a couple of years.
You need to be thinking of another solution.

[harry]

Pea gravel is totally unsuited to driveways.
Never consolidates.

[Richard]

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
news:nckruq$895$2...@news.albasani.net...

Dunno. That is close to the level of clarity posted by you on the odd
occasion when you're fired up and your fingers out run yer brain.

[newshound]

On 3/20/2016 7:08 AM, harry wrote:

>
> Pea gravel is totally unsuited to driveways.
> Never consolidates.
>

That's why they use it on stately homes. It crunches when vehicles drive
up, and sets off the labradors.

[The Natural Philosopher]

It does consolidate.

But it always crunches.

Gotta give them doggies some exercise, even if its only barking.


--
How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

Adolf Hitler

[harry]

Pea gravel does not consolidate, it remains free flowing.
It's uses in construction are for exactly that reason.

[tinast...@yahoo.co.uk]

i am doing this now and it is time consuming and i have been using the water butt to wash the dirt off. stones in a sieve then into the water butt and slush around

[Andrew]

On 14/08/2020 13:37, tinast...@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
> i am doing this now and it is time consuming and i have been using the water butt to wash the dirt off. stones in a sieve then into the water butt and slush around
>

Good for you. Remember to do the ironing as well.

[GB]

On 14/08/2020 13:37, tinast...@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

> i am doing this now and it is time consuming and i have been using the water butt to wash the dirt off. stones in a sieve then into the water butt and slush around
>

What's wrong with using a washing machine? Obviously, not the one at
home. Go to the launderette, as they have extra large machines.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I simply sieved out what earth I could and then if I cared enough used a
hose on the sieve.

I realized the rain would o as good a job as the hose once it was laid
And weedkiller would take care of what soil was left producing weeds.




--
"The great thing about Glasgow is that if there's a nuclear attack it'll
look exactly the same afterwards."

Billy Connolly