“Soil Compaction” is the practice of applying mechanical compaction pressure to increase the density of the soil. This removes void spaces between particles and is an important part of the construction process whether it be underground plumbing work or building a home.
Most of our projects require some digging. Whenever we dig, we eventually need to backfill. Backfill is the process of returning material to the hole. As we backfill, we usually compact the returned material in layers so that the result is a solid surface that can be used in the same manner as before we dug.
The level of compaction will depend on the project and what the ground will be used for. A leach field line, part of a septic tank system, will get no compaction as its purpose is to drain water into the surrounding soil and compaction would be counter productive. Ground that needs to support asphalt or the weight of cars needs to be compacted to a high level.
