We rented a vibratory plate compactor for our 24inchx2inch trench of 3/4 inch crush that goes around the outer rim of the pool for our legs (not using pavers, due to frost heave). Anyway, it rained earlier today which we thought would be great as I understand it should be wet to compact. It went from a nice, flat gravelly looking texture to looking like gross slurry brown mud. Is this just the way it is suppose to look when you compact wet crush?? We need to return the machine, this is our only evening with it, so we don't want to keep going if it is too wet...but we also have no idea how it looks when compacted!
FAST HELP! Compacting crusher...looks like mud now?
- Thread starter StephL
- Start date
Feel very free to ignore this now......it was all in the technique 
I think that initial section had just been over-done as he played with how to actually use the machine...it looks very, very nice now!!
I think that initial section had just been over-done as he played with how to actually use the machine...it looks very, very nice now!!
Ah, I agree!! The mudhole was repaired by the time I even finished posting! I can describe it to you....brown, muddy, like a hole full of sadness and despair. Now the crush is nice and firm, but we can't level it until dark because we cheaped out and bought a laser level you can only see in the dark....Tick tock!
Alright .... follow-up question. How do you level the compacted crush? It was level before, then we compacted it, and now it's clearly not flat or level any longer. So, we add more, compact again, test for level...this seems like a never ending cycle. Is that the process??
Synergy2
0
Yes, you have it correct. You start with somewhat level soil then spread your stone around trying to keep it still somewhat level. Then run the plate around a few times. Now you need to see where you are at. Find the lowest spot and run your level from there, adding stone where necessary and then run the plate again. This is where a laser transit and helper come in handy. I had my 6 year olds with a 2x4 and level and it worked out good. They even ran the tamper!!
Fabulous little helper, Synergy2! It's amazing what they can be motivated to do when there is a pool at the other end of the work
We got 'er done...we placed the laser level tripod in the middle of the circle, and I walked around stopping with the tape measure every 3 inches while my husband carried around a shovel full of crush. If we were a 1/2 inch out, he dumped some crush. Once the circle was complete, we ran the compactor over it again, and then started the measuring process again. Not as painful a task as it looked when we were actually starting out!! Now the entire outer circle trench is level to within 1/4 inch.....deep sigh of relief!
We got 'er done...we placed the laser level tripod in the middle of the circle, and I walked around stopping with the tape measure every 3 inches while my husband carried around a shovel full of crush. If we were a 1/2 inch out, he dumped some crush. Once the circle was complete, we ran the compactor over it again, and then started the measuring process again. Not as painful a task as it looked when we were actually starting out!! Now the entire outer circle trench is level to within 1/4 inch.....deep sigh of relief!
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