wrote in message
...
Hi,

We dug a trench to lay some wires in a 2" conduit a foot deep and a
foot wide. After we refill and put sod back on it, how much settlement
can we expect? In other words, how far above level should we leave it?

Thanks!

Aaron

Assuming the eventual same soil compression as before you dug the trench and
lack of air voids, eliminate the volume of the conduit in terms of soil.
Place the remainder of the soil over the trenched area. Tamp down and stomp
on as required. Pile the rest for oops factor.

I did this in a 300' trench from pole to the detached garage. Soil was
primarily gray clay, gravel, and rock. I eliminated the majority of the
rocks when backfilling. Dug trench with a rocksaw. The meter loop is on
the pole, not the house.

The depth of the electrical conduit is a local municipality code requrement
in this State, TX. There is no statewide requirement as its delegated to
the local municipalities by TX state law. Other States have their own
requirements, along with their corresponding local municipalities.

Refer to NEC and IRC for help if you live in an area with no real
requirements. There's less chance of settling and damage from heavy traffic
in "soil" that is very rocky and if the rocks/gravel/soil tend to interlock
horizontally. Just be sure to avoid air voids when filling. Use some
common sense if determining depth of the trench in that case.
--
Dave