Garden Wall Project - help required

[r896neo]

Yes the medium will be fine. you can't go over it too many times though. The plate will start to rattle and bounce ever so slightly when it wont compact anymore. you'll see the difference.

as for levels you need a self leveling rotating laser level. It will come with a staff and receiver.

 

[spiidey]

Thanks once again. Any other hints and tips for using the machine (which we now have for the weekend).

 

[spiidey]

Ok, so have had the medium compactor on hire for the weekend, was working fine until late this afternoon when the starter cord burst (the knot that is tied in the plastic handle snapped).

Managed to open up the compartment that the cord is housed in (the red, vented, circular compartment in the first pic below), and pulled enough of the cord back out so we could then pull it back through the housing of the plastic handle and tie a knot in the cord again.

We reattached the compartment to the machine and when the starter cord was pulled, the machine started and operated correctly; however the automatic recoil of the cord back to the machine didn't happen (i.e. we were left with a length of cord of c. 30cm protruding from the machine to the plastic handle, as can be seen in the first pic).

Have we done something incorrectly, that is stopping the automatic recoil mechanism on the machine from pulling the starter cord back and working correctly?

Pic of machine below.

 

[r896neo]

If the string broke and wound itself back in it will have taken up all the torque of the spring. you may need to rewind it.

There are lots of videos on youtube how to do it. that machine has a honda gx120 or maybe 160 engine so just search honda gx160 recoil fix etc.

If its damaged they won't charge much if anything to fix it as its a wear and tear item really.

 

[spiidey]

If the string broke and wound itself back in it will have taken up all the torque of the spring. you may need to rewind it.

There are lots of videos on youtube how to do it. that machine has a honda gx120 or maybe 160 engine so just search honda gx160 recoil fix etc.

If its damaged they won't charge much if anything to fix it as its a wear and tear item really.

Thanks. We took out the damage waiver at an additional 10% so should be covered.

Ended up running out of type 1 anyway - 9 bags in the ground; now need to order another 6 or so more; massively underestimated what was needed.

 

[spiidey]

Ran into a bit of a problem in our step section - last year when laying the treads on the step section, I laid the top course of slabs and somehow I've got the measurements all wrong, they're laid squint (massive facepalm), and I need to get them back up and lay fresh treads.

Some pics below. Is this a stihl saw job to try and cut away bits of the tread piece by piece? I'm not fussed whether we end up cutting away some of the riser underneath, as long as the actual front face of the riser underneath is not damaged.

 

[r896neo]

they will detach from the mortar relatively easily easily once they are free on two edges. Just hit them with a bolster from the side of the flags (not the front overhang)

If you have no spares running a grinder or saw through the joints will help lower the risk of breakages.

 

[spiidey]

they will detach from the mortar relatively easily easily once they are free on two edges. Just hit them with a bolster from the side of the flags (not the front overhang)

If you have no spares running a grinder or saw through the joints will help lower the risk of breakages.

If I do that (the bolster method), is there a risk that the brick riser underneath will shatter too?

 

[spiidey]

Is it ok to use the (vibrating plate) compactor if it's raining ie does a compactor work just as effectively when it's wet outside (and the Type 1 is wet) as it does when both are dry?

 

[spiidey]

Is it ok to use the (vibrating plate) compactor if it's raining ie does a compactor work just as effectively when it's wet outside (and the Type 1 is wet) as it does when both are dry?

Anyone able to help with this?

 

[r896neo]

Light rain doesn't affect it.

However, if the type one gets very wet before compacting it will not work at all. The vibration draws all the water out and the plate will just dig itself into a sludge/ hole rather than propell itself forward.

This is especially problematic in areas of deep uncompacted fill.

As a general rule when rain is expected you never spread type one unless you also have time to compact it.

If its already spread but not compacted all you can do is wait for it to dry.

If its already compacted rain will have no effect on it, but the plate may do as above and just sit there.

Basically as long as the plate is moving normal, crack on.

 

[spiidey]

Thanks.

When levelling off the sub base, is 20mm too little for the mortar bed for the flags?

 

[r896neo]

30 would be better. 20mm is so thin that all it takes is a small high spot and your only have 10mm.

A thin bed has very little strength.

I aim for 40mm usually.

 

[spiidey]

30 would be better. 20mm is so thin that all it takes is a small high spot and your only have 10mm.

A thin bed has very little strength.

I aim for 40mm usually.

I was hoping you WOULDNT say that!!!!

Stupidly, I've asked the question (in my previous post) AFTER levelling off (d'oh!!) - we've ran the entire level on c. 40m2 allowing 20mm throughout. We've got all our falls at 1:60 throughout, measured and levelled. Everything compacted.

How would you suggest we proceed?

1. Scrape all the levels back by 20mm throughout (therefore giving 40mm for the mortar throughout) and then rehire the compactor?

2. Go with the existing/current 20mm throughout and scrape out any high points when laying the flags/mortar?

3. Third option that might work is that the area immediately surrounding the base point for all the levels / falls could have an upward slope at 1:40 transverse (as opposed to the currently measured 1:60 fall) which over a 2 metre span would give us an additional 17mm to play with in height (and so 37mm in total for the mortar) for the remainder of the 40m2 area - I could just about make this work in terms of where the slabs meet the walls at the perimeters. No furniture to worry about (in terms of falls) on this section either.

4. Something else?

 

[r896neo]

Its up to you? live with the compromise of the extra falling section or scrape it back a bit.

You shouldn't need to hire the plate again as long as you just scratch at it with rakes and get it to 30mm. you can then just trample it back down flat and go over it a bit with your hand tamper.

If this doesn't work and you need to loosen it with a pickaxe or similar to remove a bit then you would need to re-compact it