Just make sure you get the gravel under the shoulders (bottom of pipe up to center line) when bedding it. I really wouldn't bother with the rocks unless you just need to get rid of them somewhere...they can actually condense the load in some cases. As long as you aren't driving anything real heavy over it (concrete truck, etc) you should be fine. If you do have to drive over it on the regular or real heavy you could beef up support in the area with some steel casing, etc.
I just went back to the beginning and flew through this thread. Looks great Chaz and Chazsbetterhalf ! Congratulations!
Heaviest thing going across would be the 'bota. But yeah, I have a chit-ton of rock to put somewhere, and this would work great as a drainage ditch. Thanks Gasifier Been years that we've wanted/needed this outbuilding.
Heh.. BIL already asked if he could store his boat there over the winter. Umm.. NO Nope, pretty empty, for this year it'll likely just be for working firewood, next year I intend to have a floor plan for a functional workshop.
The big rocks aren't really going to help the ditch, as far as protecting the pipe from being crushed. There's a better chance of damaging the pipe (or egg shaping) if the rocks get near it. Save the rocks for fill somewhere else.
Hmmmm... Well, the large rocks were only meant to help facilitate drainage. I have no issue with using them elsewhere. I do have other drainage requirements. But I still have plenty of rock in the clay removed, and no way to screen it. The only way I can really avoid rocks is by bringing in a load or 2 of screened topsoil. I'd have to dig out what I already backfilled as well.
When we ran new water pipes here from the well to both houses we back-filled around the pipes with a coarse sand for several inches and then put back what we trenched out - gravel and rocks. It really doesn't matter what you back-fill with as long as the pipes are protected - mostly from frost/thaw cycling as the trench is going to take ten years (or longer) to re-compact. The rocks all weigh the same volume-wise, doesn't matter if it is a grain of sand granite or a granite boulder - per cubic inch they weight the same. Just don't fill with boulders and expect sand to wash into the crevices overnite- it can take years. Get a good mix of boulders and <dirt> so there are no voids.
For the water line, I did use sand and the small gravel before backfilling. I don't have enough sand for the waste water line, so I just used the small gravel. This is ultimately just to be hooked to a single sink. Probably won't see much use during winter, aside from game cleaning. I just don't need the line bent or pinched to where it no longer functions. The line is currently about 4 ft deep, 3 ft + a couple inches at the polebarn itself. Thanks for the input guys. It is appreciated.
Gravel, stone, 1B, 2B sandstone, limestone...anything up to the size of a quarter, is perfect for pipe bedding. A few inches under and a few inches over is best. And the added benefit of drainage that you gain is awesome. I've dug up pipes bedded in stone where there was a river of water (literally) following the ditch. As long as the water has a place to go, that will really help with you water problems, Chaz. Edit, sand is good pipe bedding also but won't drain like stone. Schedule 40 pipe is way better at (not) egg-shaping. (Egg-shaped pipe will still drain the same amount of water...)
Nah, that's too expensive... If you wanna top dress with topsoil to plant grass, that fine. Clay sucks for planting grass.