Warning: My team laughed when I poured without a vapor barrier.

Standard practice says always use one, but the soil was bone dry and compacted. The inspector's approval shut them up quick.

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3 Comments

dakotajones7mo ago

Dry and compacted is the key. Sometimes the book answer isn't the field answer. Good call checking the soil moisture first.

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jones.nancy7mo ago

Check the soil type before assuming dry is best. Clay holds water and gets slick, while sand drains too fast. Compaction helps but only if the moisture is right. Too dry and it won't bind, too wet and it turns to mud. Field work shows balance matters more than just being dry.

4

the_robin7mo ago

Why do some folks act like "dry and compacted" fixes everything? @jones.nancy is right, clay gets slick and sand drains too fast. You really see that balance mess up in the field.

1