# Unplugging culverts



## Jim Hefner (Sep 8, 2009)

My trails have several culverts that are completely plugged with dirt. (approx. 12" x 10') Anyone have a good way to 'unplug' them?

Thanks


----------



## Walt Dizzy (Aug 18, 2003)

I've never dealt with this problem.

My guess: dig 'em out and replace them with grade level crossings.

Walt


----------



## highdelll (Oct 3, 2008)

Walt Dizzy said:


> I've never dealt with this problem.
> 
> My guess: dig 'em out and replace them with grade level crossings.
> 
> Walt


if they're already completely filled, then why even dig them out?


----------



## Jim Hefner (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks for the replies. The culverts are all in vital places so they can't be left plugged or in place. Digging them out is def the obvious and perhaps only option. I did find some info/companies on the web that use either water or long auger bits (or both). I dunno but I gotta get something going...


----------



## Loren_ (Dec 3, 2006)

At 12 inches, you might be able to get far with a conventional post hole digger working from each end...


----------



## Jim Hefner (Sep 8, 2009)

The post hole digger is a pretty good idea. It's just the shortest culvert is about 10' long. Also, once I get in a couple feet I won't be able to open the handles of post hole digger to get the dirt out. I was thinking maybe a team of gophers...


----------



## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Water supply ?


----------



## Jim Hefner (Sep 8, 2009)

AZ.MTNS said:


> Water supply ?


This is great question. A couple of them have kazillion gallon water tanks within 100'. I don't think they're going to allow me access tho.  Water would have to be hauled/trucked in. Fire/service roads are relatively close to the culverts.


----------



## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Hose pump , 1/2" x10" p.v.c. pipe on the end of the hose . Pressure wash it out from the downstream side .


----------



## highdelll (Oct 3, 2008)

water would be safest, if the culvert has an unknown 'sag' to it and/or the auger operator mis-calculates the pitch/angle, that culvert could turn into a galvanized twisted ribbon


----------



## TFitz (Jun 21, 2008)

no suggestion for unplugging, but assuming you solve that problem, maybe a rock-lined catch basin/settling pond at the upstream end might reduce/slow down the build-up of dirt. And a nice clear drainage course on the downstream end so things don't back up and settle in the culvert.


----------



## mtbikernc69 (Mar 23, 2004)

Take the culvert out and build a bridge or an armored crossing.


----------



## LititzDude (Apr 3, 2004)

I've dealt with them.

My experience is that I thought they were fully plugged, but after I dug it out (Up stream) it was only about 18" in and then tapered to nothing.


----------



## fishbum (Aug 8, 2007)

I too was going to suggest that only the very ends are plugged...


----------



## Jim Hefner (Sep 8, 2009)

I was actually fantasizing that only the ends would be plugged. Thanks for offering that up. I'm psyched to get up there and check them out. I'll report back when I do.


----------



## LWright (Jan 29, 2006)

Know anybody with a Dachshund? Stick its nose in there and sit back and wait.


----------



## highdelll (Oct 3, 2008)

LWright said:


> Know anybody with a Dachshund? Stick its nose in there and sit back and wait.


ahahhah!
that's true!


----------



## Jim Hefner (Sep 8, 2009)

Not having a weiner dog at my disposal but still full of enthusiasm it might be an easy 'fix' I cruised up there in the dark last night ahead of the approaching rain. A couple of hours of digging and moving a couple yards of dirt, it turned out to be not just at the opening of my primary offending culvert. It seemed like I was gonna get lucky cuz' as I got close to the opening the dirt started falling away and there was definitely a big air gap inside the opening. However, after getting it all cleared out and shining my flashlight in the opening it revealed it's plugged about 15' down. The offending dirt starts at about 1" thick and slopes up to about 10" thick over about 10'. At 10' in, the pipe plugs completely up to it's full 16". The next question is how far in does the 'full plug' go down? This particular culvert is close to 40' long and getting to the downhill side is tough. There appears to be a 45 degree elbow near the outlet as well as being in a poison oak forest. I think next I'm gonna try drain auger attached to my portable drill from the uphill side. I'm hoping that if I can get it open, flowing again, and slow the dirt from entering the darn thing, the future rains might help clear it out. This last part is very wishful thinking but it's all I've got at the moment. I'm meeting with the land manager (responsible for the 'maintenance') next week and we'll see if he's got any tricks up his sleeve. I've got a zillion other issues to discuss with him as well.


----------



## Loren_ (Dec 3, 2006)

6 inch diameter ice fishing hand auger with some extensions?

https://team.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p6936454nm.jpg


----------



## Jim Hefner (Sep 8, 2009)

Loren_ said:


> 6 inch diameter ice fishing hand auger with some extensions?
> 
> https://team.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p6936454nm.jpg


This could be great! I'll have to check them out. Thanks


----------



## Jim Hefner (Sep 8, 2009)

The ice augers are going to be tough to use as I don't have a 'straight shot' into the opening. I could probable get them into the opening but will be really hard to turn. The look pricey too. Gotta weiner dog?


----------



## Landahl Calrissian (Nov 14, 2006)

I'm curious as to why the culverts are so long for a trail application?

Are they old road beds that became trail?

Could you shorten the length of culvert so it's easier to clean in the future?


----------



## Dickweed (Jul 14, 2009)

I have several culverts on my trail system that used to plug consistently, mostly with leaves, sticks, etc. What i found was that if the culverts were at ground level, they would clog. When I reworked the ditch and stream crossings, I raised the culverts so that the bottoms were at least a foot, and often as high as 3' above the lowest part of the ditch. This would allow the leaves/sticks/dirt to settle into the mouth area until we got a real gully-washer that blew everything through the culverts. The light rains were the ones that plugged the culverts - they were enough to carry the trash to the culvert, but not blow it through.

So now, I've essentially created some small still water ponds in my ditches and creeks, and they actually made the trails and various bridge crossings that much more interesting - and no more plugged culverts and washed-over trails.


----------



## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Dickweed said:


> I have several culverts on my trail system that used to plug consistently, mostly with leaves, sticks, etc. What i found was that if the culverts were at ground level, they would clog. When I reworked the ditch and stream crossings, I raised the culverts so that the bottoms were at least a foot, and often as high as 3' above the lowest part of the ditch. This would allow the leaves/sticks/dirt to settle into the mouth area until we got a real gully-washer that blew everything through the culverts. The light rains were the ones that plugged the culverts - they were enough to carry the trash to the culvert, but not blow it through.
> 
> So now, I've essentially created some small still water ponds in my ditches and creeks, and they actually made the trails and various bridge crossings that much more interesting - and no more plugged culverts and washed-over trails.


What if any issues do you have with insect control and if if there are issues , how do you address them ?


----------



## Dickweed (Jul 14, 2009)

AZ.MTNS said:


> What if any issues do you have with insect control and if if there are issues , how do you address them ?


Zero problems with insects. I put a bunch of cheap goldfish in the resulting "ponds" to keep mosquitos away, but I doubt they were necessary....


----------



## LWright (Jan 29, 2006)

How about a hand crank plumbers snake?


----------



## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

Try a soil sampling hand auger. Soil testing firms use them.


----------



## Jim Hefner (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks for the tips on the ice augers, plumbers snake, and soil sampling auger. Also, the tip on having the culverts 'above' the ground level. If/when I have to rework them I'll keep that in mind. It turns out the one I'm working on is only about 20' long and is perfectly straight. It's not 40' with 45 on the end. That was another culvert exit right next to the one I'm working on. Also, the exit on 'mine' is 80% plugged and fully grown over. I'm gonna clear the brush, dig out that end, and send in a plumbers snake run via my cordless drill.


----------



## mtb777 (Nov 6, 2005)

Dickweed's idea is great in that it works like an Emergency Overflow Scupper or Drain on a roof. He is perfectly correct in that the the light rains will usually clog and that the heavy rains will push the materials though. I like the idea of an open short bridge over rock as the best long term answer although the bridge is another maintenance issue in itself. one thing I do not like about corrugated pipe or culverts is the perpendicular ridges in the pipe lend themselves to collecting trash and leaves and sticks. Smooth pipe and lots of pitch work best!


----------



## Francis Buxton (Apr 2, 2004)

Definitely clean out the ends. You can use a variety of shovels to break up the soil/rock/blockage and drag it out. Make sure your downstream end is clear after the pipe. What kind of slope does the pipe have (is it steep or flat)? I'm going to assume it's flattish (hence the clog). Your key is to keep a decent velocity moving through the pipe. If water doesn't stop, it doesn't drop sediment.

The suggestion above regarding building a small check dam upstream of the pipe is a good one. This will provide a location where the water can slow down and deposit sediment before it gets to your pipe. You can even do a series of check dams above the pipe. I generally use some larger rocks that will allow water to filter through and over, but still encourage the water to "stop and drop".

Once you build a check dam and clear out what you can from both ends, wait for rain. If you can, go out there on a rainy day and use a rock bar or long pole to poke in there and break up the blockage. The water flowing through the culvert should help to wash it downstream.

There are companies out there that specialize in this type of work. They use a piece of equipment called a "Jet Rodder". It is basically a big nozzle on the end of a hose that shoots water out the front and/or back (depending on its intended purpose) to clear blockages in sewers. Your land manager could contract with them to clear them all, but you're likely looking at $2000-5000.


----------

