Ok, I am estimating now, pretty impressive for a guy that can bearly count to 21 naked. Is there a standard chart that anyone can provide access to for pipe bedding by pipe size. The rest of the estimators are using an old calculation, and on my last job, we are half done and out of bedding. If anyone can offer advise I would appreciate it. Seems like the old spreadsheet is out of wack. Thanks Graham
we never take into acct the pipe when calculating bedding material. and we always add from calculated volume 20% to that #...bedding material just plain "disappears"....it gets compacted into the sidewalls and bottom of your excavation, you waste a bunch dumping/hauling/applying....there is no magic way to do it. 27 yrs has taught me to do it this way, and it's surprising how close it is.
Sounds like either the estimator should be fired or the operator for overdigging and wasting material.
guess what the spread sheet that the estimator uses has never done, been in the ditch, it works in a perfect world! We don't work in a perfect world!!!!!!:Banghead I always use this as a guideline. If I need 1' of bedding material and I need to come up the pipe 1/3 of the diameter for chinking, I will figure my volume as follows I figure the ditch length x width x depth x 10 > 20% (depending on the material) for compaction and loss divided by 27 = volume in cy's from the bottom of the pipe down. For my chinking up to 1/3 the diameter of the pipe I figure the ditch Length x width x depth ( a 1/3 the pipe diameter (pipe is 24"d/3= 8"))divided by 27 for the volume from the bottom of the pipe to 1/3 the diameter I do not figure the volume of the pipe and deduct (By doing this you account for compaction and loss.)! Add the 2 together and you have an estimate of the total bedding volume you will need in cy's. However this does not take into account boneheads running the crew, you could have to add depending on the crew another 10%, and no I am not knocking a green crew leader, I was one once!!
bedding Sounds like very good advise from somebody who would know. :thumbsup
gd10r, I'm no expert, but this is how I do it. If I am laying 8" pvc sewer main piping, I figure one 25 ton load of crushed stone (we generally use 3/4 minus crushed limestone) per 100 lf pipe-this figures to completely cover the pipe-not to the springline. When the pipe size increases to 12"-15" I generally figure one 25 ton load per 50 lf pipe. The larger the diameter, the less footage per load of bedding. If you are figuring to just the springline, then one 25 ton load should net you almost 150 lf per load, and so on. I have used this simple method for about 14 years and it works well for me. ZAXIS