I’m starting to think I might have used these sandbags the wrong way?? How do ya’ll keep rainwater from completely flooding your homes??
by Farmer_Kush
I’m starting to think I might have used these sandbags the wrong way?? How do ya’ll keep rainwater from completely flooding your homes??
by Farmer_Kush
4 Comments
Mmmm
Trench
Sloping also helps
Looks like the bags are both too full and are stacked on top of one another instead of being offset a bit so that they can fill in the gaps.
Oof. Flooding sucks.
That one looked tall. You need it to be more like a pyramid – wider at the bottom than tall. The base width should be about three times as wide as the height. They have to be very tightly packed together. Stamp them down, make sure there are no gaps. Stagger them like bricks. Make sure there are no gaps at all.
You can make it much stronger by putting some kind of plastic sheeting on the water-facing side. The sandbags hold weight, but they are generally not watertight. use the sandbags hold the sheeting in place. Make sure the pieces of plastic sheet have good overlap between sections, at least a foot, and are pinned down by dirt or sandbags.
Here’s a guide from North Dakota State University: [https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/sandbagging-flood-protection#:~:text=The%20finished%20dike%20should%20be%20sealed%20with%20a%20sheet%20of%20plastic%20to%20improve%20water%20tightness%2E](https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/sandbagging-flood-protection#:~:text=The%20finished%20dike%20should%20be%20sealed%20with%20a%20sheet%20of%20plastic%20to%20improve%20water%20tightness%2E)
Sandbags are for diversion, not a watertight seal. You need to stagger them like bricks and tuck the flaps under to create a proper barrier. Look into swales and berms for a long-term solution!