Getting roof and surface water away
Water that lands on a roof or a parking lot has to go somewhere, and where it goes decides whether a foundation stays dry. Storm sewer and roof drains carry that water off the building and away from the footings, out to a place that can take it. Done well, nobody ever thinks about them. Done badly, they announce themselves in a basement.
The craft is mostly in the fall. A drain line only works if every foot of pipe slopes the right way, so the trench is cut to grade, checked with a laser level and set on a firm bed before any pipe goes in. Downspouts connect to solid pipe rather than a shallow, loose run that clogs or heaves, and the outlet is placed where the water will keep moving rather than sit.
Elwood B. Shughart & Son Excavating, Inc. installs storm sewer and roof drains for commercial and residential properties around Carlisle, PA. Surface drainage across the lot gets looked at in the same visit, because roof water and ground water are one problem.
Sanitary sewer and waterlines in the trench
Sanitary sewer and waterlines are the lines a building can't live without, and the ditch they sit in is where most of the work happens. The trench is cut to the depth and width the pipe needs. The bottom is leveled and bedded with washed stone so the pipe rests along its whole length instead of on a few high spots. Then the pipe is laid, joined and checked before anything covers it.
Backfill is where good lines are won or lost. Stone comes up around the pipe first, placed so it supports the sides, then the trench is filled and compacted in lifts so the ground does not sink into a long, shallow valley over the line next spring. Sewer and water often share a corridor, and keeping them organized in the trench makes any future repair a short job.
Which materials, depths and connections apply to your property depends on the job and the project plans, and we work to those. That is settled in the consultation, not assumed.
Finish grade restored over the lines
A utility job is not finished when the pipe is covered. The ground over it has to go back the way it should be, so the lot grades cleanly and the trench line disappears. That is where utilities tie into site prep and grading: the lines go in at the right depth, then the finish grade is restored over them to the shape the rest of the site calls for.
Because we do the excavation, the grading and the lines, the crews are not guessing at each other's work. Pipes go where the grade needs them, and the grade is built knowing where the pipes are. On a commercial site that means fewer surprises for the general contractor. On a house lot it means a yard you can mow.
We will not do any work without the project manager's go-ahead. Call (717) 385-1863 to set up a free on-site consultation, and we will look at the ground, the plans and the route the lines need to take. Family-owned in Carlisle since 1970, PA license 018852.
