Make a Geo Cel Grid that's Stronger and 1/2 the Cost. SAVE!

[@appledrains]

One of the Projects to solve Driveway Drainage! Seriously! Less than $50. Little bit of Labor, But I Promise it WORKS!

[@MR-backup]

The real test will be when you do the whole driveway.

[@FreeSpeechXtremist]

I love the concept I am thinking of using it at home it's a fantastic idea but your application is not the correct solution to your problem. Your problem is that a water course is trying to cross your road this solution will just move the soil erosion and silt deposition to a different spot. Your best bet would be to put a ditch and culvert pipe either side of the road you could still do this dig a small channel and run a culvert pipe along the side of your mesh grid. As I said I love the idea but not quite the correct application 20 years as a landscaper and I've never seen this before.

[@roberthartzell7104]

Do you think this system would work here in North east Florida we have sandy soil?

[@MommeeMadre1]

Well.... it was basically free for you because you used existing materials. Well done, you!

[@cha-ka8671]

Isn't it tronger than that geocell ? That stuff is a thin plastic foldable product.

[@ratracerenegade2023]

Perfect! I was just looking at those textiles of grid for RV pads! It's like 3K for a pad. You just cut my cost drastically!! ❤ it. Thank you

[@metroplexchl]

Pure genius. Thank you for this. We've been looking for a cheap alternative to make a passable road on our property in the mountains of OK. This is just the ticket!

[@terigoodwin7531]

Some developing countries cut the side wall off of old tires then fill with road base then either concrete or regular gravel.

[@russellmelling4098]

I have seen a similar idea but for a complete road. They used old tyres instead of pipe.[ they cut one wall off the tyre to make it easier to fill ]

[@greggarrot8132]

I've used the recycle tire method a few times. On driveways that are real really sandy very muddy we keep one side to hold the material but drill holes in it for drainage and cut the other side put down tires open side up and fill full of rock

[@dethmaul]

Good idea!

[@MrTemplefugate]

Decades ago i saw an article in Popular Science or Popular Mechanics showcasing a grid product that had just been patented. You could tamp the grid into your lawn and drive over it without rutting the sod. I guess eventually it was called geo-cell. I like yours better...😁😁😁

[@loumonte658]

Your imagination is gold. Hat's off to you Sir.

[@snort455]

brilliant! I have tons of scrap! KZbin at its best! Im amazed you used had tools! Everybody i know thinks they need a tractor these days.

[@ianbelletti6241]

Even better would be mixed grade, aka crush and run. The fine powder of crush and run helps lock it together. The pipe pieces would help stabilize it for your conditions.

[@TimFegan]

Great video - I've been looking for an alternative to the pre-fab grids and this a nice alternative and something that provides greater flexibility in non-straight designs. Though, not sure this is cheaper. 100ft of this piping covers 33sq ft at $120 (homedepot), and GeoGrid covers 53sq ft for $127. However, if you stagger and space the piping elements 4" apart, then you essentially double the area, and in that case, it does become cheaper.

[@mikepansini4904]

One beach we stopped at in FL had similar soil erosion solution: geogrid. It was actually a diamond shape plastic/poly screen all one piece stretched to fit the area and cut like a chain link fence, ok geo-grid as you mention. Now I need it to work on a hill too. Thanks for sharing your idea.

[@Daniel-n5v5s]

It was actually used first for hills to keep from washing away!

[@williamscott9459]

Super work. I have been working in the same idea. Now my work won't be a test. You be well.

[@normbograham]

years ago, someone used tires, and stone, and $5 landscape fabric. They cut the sides off the tires, then covered with stone in the driveway. Working for 10+ years without any drama. Near their garage, where they were unloading cars. You cannot even tell where the soft spot was. They had previously just been dumping more and more stone every year, but it was not firming up. At the time you could get 2 ton of local stone, for $20-$25. They powerwashed their old stone, and put it back, then topped off with new stone.

[@gregsettle9725]

Genius solution for a long-standing problem!

[@tjjoseph333]

Ya dont look a day over 50 Navy! Keep up the great videos Chuck. We are all so appreciative!

[@danlah1303]

Your money saving ideas for the DIY’er are some of the best Chuck!

[@appledrains]

Thank you!

[@cbdyna]

Wow, thanks for the Idea! Have been shocked at the cost of these grids in my search for something to sit a plastic shed on besides heavy concrete pavers. I may cut mine smaller though and also drill two holes into each tie wrapping each to one another to make square grids for a 6X4 shed pad. Thanks again!!!!!!!

[@noblephoenix6068]

nicely done. well thought out. simpler and cheaper 2 pockets cement mixed into the soil at same depth . that would stabilize the soil.

[@uknowbass]

I’m going to do this on patches of my farm gravel road. Thank you! Great video

[@bryanleverett2830]

Chuck, you should do an update video on this and how it’s doing

[@elainemurphy8793]

Chuck, this was fascinating. I had never heard of geo gridding. Great job! Be well. Elaine in NJ

[@appledrains]

Thank you

[@mmac4047]

if you don’t cut all the way through the pipe and alternate each side it will leave a tab on each one connecting them together and use zip ties to connect them group too occasionally.

[@RobertLBarnard]

That's a great idea

[@j.r7872]

Excellent!!!

[@InJusticeAustralia]

i don’t get it and really want to understand!

[@theredfox27]

Think like a "Slinky". Slice 80% of pipe diameter. Only one lil piece connecting as you fold the pipe to the right, slice 80% open, then fold left, slice, fold, slice.... On and on, forever. 😂

[@travelfeet]

I like it, though you'd need to flip 180 or turn the pipe 90 degrees for each cut, which might get tricky on a long piece. I am sure I would mess it up too and end up with a 3 dimensional pyramid of rings instead of a flat mat.

[@nekomancer9157]

on mining roads they lay down used tyres, tie them together and fill with gravel. the tyres stop the gravel spreading sideways

[@adrianabshire]

What a great idea! Thank you for showing this!!!

[@erikowren7894]

Old tiers cut in half also work well. Easter to cut the side wall out thought. Then bolt them together.

[@leroyvandrie3611]

That sounds great as well Mr. Erik. 🙏💯

[@dorhocyn3]

I’ve got a noisy 12 inch miter saw that I keep around for drain pipe work and I could probably do this super quick ,just put a clamp for a 4 inch stop and then just bang those pieces out one at the other

[@MommeeMadre1]

I read thinking judo how relaxing it would be to crank out those 4" pieces as long as I had a jig.. I would cut all day with my tunes going.... 😊day 2, we'd have a driveway!

[@kylebrown3734]

A spry 67-year-old! Great job. Thanks

[@leroyvandrie3611]

Absolutely one of God’s favourites! 🤷🏼‍♂️. I know you know what I mean! You are doing a real good job when folks reuse your work. I compliment you and see how generous you are by including US when you say, “ remember if you think of something, You Can Do It!” Thanks again n stay well!

[@maxxcolt9458]

Vevor and Techno Earth also make similar products....looks more like plastic straps weaved into a honeycomb pattern so it ships (and stores) smaller but expands like an accordion.

[@DougFentiman-y5q]

Do a search for 'mechanical concrete'. Use old car tires as geo grid. Old carpet or geo cloth makes it work even better!

[@finalmidnight]

From experience, the 80% knitted shade-cloth you are using (the green stuff) is superior to geotextile. It is heavier and lasts longer. I have used it in the past.

[@barrelmitt1544]

Who make the green sun shade material???

[@travelfeet]

I'll add a third option. I just replaced our safety pool cover, which is a very heavy mesh grid, because the seams all went (the thread let go) The fabric is otherwise still in good shape, so I pulled all the seams and now have about 100' by 5 ' of mesh just waiting to be used for for ground stabilization. Depending on your location, I bet there's lots of those covers heading to landfills that could be scavenged from a pool company or similar.

[@Tonisuperfly]

@@travelfeetthanks. I’ve never heard of mesh pool safety covers. Might ask around

[@rubenMarquez37]

Iron knees. 🎉🎉🎉 Great demonstration. Thank you mr. 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@blackoak4978]

While this does provide strength, it also collects water and makes it sit until absorbs into the soil below, which will allow the pad to sink. It ould be better to put in a French drain underneath then this on top. The pad to provide strength and allow water to collect and the French drain to get the water out before it can sink in

[@appledrains]

There is a great French Drain already installed.. this geo cell grid is the best solution and was installed for less than $50

[@jbnrusnya_should_be_punished]

Great try. However, the scale is small. I think that the following may happen in 2-3 years: the surrounding soil will absorb the entire structure. Especially if more than one car will drive on this track. I did something similar to myself at the entrance to the yard, but the relatively intense traffic there made a hole again in a few years, nullifying all my efforts.

[@appledrains]

Right!! Thanks for your reply

[@flyfishing1776]

Totally outstanding 👏 👌 👍

[@lukewand]

This is straight-up awesome...can go over uneven terrain, and variable width.

[@watchthe1369]

Soda bottles sectioned off work too a leather punch can be used to make a bunch of holes too. I would be building it a lot wider so a sort of channel is created like a low flow pipe.

[@SteadyGrowing626]

@watchthe1369 I was also wondering about the same thing! Substituting the tubing with 2-liter bottles cut 4" high with holes on the sides for drainage should theoretically work to hold gravel in place. Have you done this before and can confirm that it would work?

[@samnjoeysgrama1]

Looks like some time has passed. Will this hold the heavy weight of a propane truck?

[@phillipbonner5215]

Awesome project keeps you out of the mud😊

[@appledrains]

Hi Phillip Thanks for watching 👍

[@phillipbonner5215]

@@appledrains I always watch your videos they are so helpful

[@philrollick2190]

Killer idea - amazing how sometimes the simple things just work

[@DJPacoRamirez]

Widing the grid and futhur add more rock over filled on top. And you have a soild underlayer

[@appledrains]

Great tip

[@jamespossible2601]

Brilliant solution.

[@tonyhardy-kp4os]

Interesting. You said you already tried gravel but yet you are using gravel, and i don't see gravel in that mud you call a driveway. I like that quick ideal you have to make top soil drivable. But that is the actual problem, it is top soil you were driving on. But that ideal looks like it will work for a long time. Another ideal is to dig out the mud and top soil where you want the driveway, similar to what you had to do anyway to install the geo grid thing, then fill with sand back to the height even with or above the existing soil around the area. Then put a thick layer of gravel, at least 4 inches, it will raise the actual driveway above the existing area now. That top layer of gravel needs to be a road mix gravel, it will have some clay to bond it together once you pack it down after you lay it on. The sand underneath is what is being used for draining the water away from the surface. In the water problem areas put more sand, like 6-8 inches thick, and you can still have French drains in the area if you think you need, but the huge layer of sand and gravel will drain the water too if you give it the place to go. Sometimes you need to run a french drain to lower dryer ground to get it draining.

[@LordoftheCats]

Great idea, Chuck! Can you fill over the top of this with another layer of cloth and then put soil on top of that? I have a hill that is bad for erosion and looking for ways to fight that and still have grass.

[@delektrik1]

Great video. Do you think this would work as a shed base? Thanks

[@appledrains]

Yes

[@fraydnot]

I was just looking at doing something like this. I purchased 4 100' rolls of the 4" perforated for $7 a roll at a Lowe's clearance sale (6yrs ago). How big was the area you put your geo grid? Thanks for the upload

[@The45thClown]

It was 4 inch pipe. Looked like 26 rows by 6.5 (104 x 26 inches)

[@briantrego2409]

Be a good idea for extra filtration/protection if used on top of a French drain wouldnt it?

[@Ninjump]

That is a phenomenal idea 💡 wow

[@lucasmangualde]

Amigo você me ajudou demais! Vou usar aqui tubos de PVC de 100mm. Um abraço! Cidade de Brumadinho, estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil 🇧🇷

[@driftwaterproofing1328]

Perforated pipes only work as an air void if they are left open. When you fill them with gravel there is no more air void so they aren’t really serving their full purpose. Essentially it’s just pit wrapped with filter fabric and filled with gravel which will also work but just not as well as with air voids for more water capacity. Smaller diameter sections of pipe laid horizontally would work better without stone filling them (more air voids and still stable) Cool video though thank you.

[@stubrakon9683]

Great idea!!! 👍

[@lorriebuxton2041]

And calling it a geo drain it sounds cool

[@WhoDoUthinkUr]

Great Idea Ill keep this one in mind. Thanks

[@appledrains]

It works

[@davids1681]

I salute you for trying this, but I don't see it working for long, simply because each of the cells can move (down, specifically) independently of the others. When the subgrade turns muddy from water accumulated in the gravel within the cells, why won't your tires just transfer the load right down to almost the same area and cause...slightly more smooth ruts? Now, if you had some ghetto way to splice all those offcuts together, well THAT would be something I'd consider doing. As others have said, a followup after a rainy season would be useful.

[@appledrains]

Coming soon! Spoiler Alert ‼️.. Working better than concrete

[@jameswarner7435]

I had the same concern when watching this. Heck, It wouldn't take much to tie the things together. Cable ties might even work

[@appledrains]

Coming soon!

[@Raj-yy7xx]

Better still is "mechanical concrete" the fancy name for tyre cylinders with their walls cut out. Doesn't crush and extremely strong enough for large heavy trucks and machinery. You can fill them with sand, gravel etc. Lay geo fabric underneath.

[@singpraise16]

This happens in my back ally where the garbage trucks squish out the gravel making it a perpetual mud hole. Could i use cut plastic bottles? Or even empty food cans? Wonder if this project could be done by young supervised boys?!

[@NeonAvantium]

Old car tires cut in half and bolted together and filled with gravel work great for heavy trucks. Cut plastic bottles won't work great cause they won't pass water side to side, just down.

[@AM-gm3zx]

Excellent

[@appledrains]

This is a great DIY project

[@armedmariner]

3-4” 5 corner stone. Tamp it down with an excavator bucket. Leave it alone for a few rainstorms. Come back with 2- stone and tamp that down. Cover with fines and drive over it with tracks of excavator. Problem solved.

[@madmike_9343]

So here in Texas I used crushed concrete, 50 bucks a ton

[@appledrains]

Nice!!! 👍

[@metafeedburner]

Use tires with side walls cut off

[@Kevin-ht1ox]

How about a follow up on how this holds up?

[@appledrains]

@@Kevin-ht1ox coming soon

[@travisn2it]

I wonder how well this would work to keep gravel on a slope.

[@NeonAvantium]

Not well unless you do something to attach the cells to each other. It will all just drift apart.

[@jomangeee9180]

do you cover it up, or just leave the gravel exposed?

[@H0kieJoe]

Cover it with the geo fabric and top with your preferred road surface.

[@royrussell8531]

Love your videos!!! I wonder how it would be if you use 4" round PVC pipe cut into 4" sections? Is PVC cheaper than drainage pipe? I would drill holes in the PVC pipe to help with drainage. Let me know your thoughts!!! Thanks for sharing.

[@appledrains]

I actually tried PVC 1st., it was very difficult to cut clean without shattering.. end results are use perforated Corrugated pipe for best geo grid

[@royrussell8531]

Thank you!!!

[@appledrains]

@@royrussell8531 you’re so welcome!! 👍

[@highlanderthegreat]

something else you can do/ use. get some old used car tires, cut the side walls out and put them down like you did with the cut hose and full the tires in with the gravel / crushed stone like you did..

[@demetriusgallitzin8859]

Odd voids could be filled with smaller diameter pipe. I like 3" corrugated pipe for some drains, but this looks really good for driveways if it can hold the weight of the car over time. Those plastic geogrids for sale are just far too expensive to be useful.

[@appledrains]

Great idea

[@demetriusgallitzin8859]

@@appledrains I wonder if old scooter or motorcycle tires could be recycled this way by using them instead.

[@idoewannautewno]

I must've missed something. If you put a tarp under it wouldn't that hold the water kinda like a swimming pool?

[@InJusticeAustralia]

it’s not an impermeable tarp, it is permeable material

[@drumcrazy72]

Nice work. Nailed it.

[@H0kieJoe]

A few questions Apple Drains: 1). How well would this stabilize a soggy area in red clay? I'm trying to prevent my zero turn mower from getting mired up. 2) Could you put top soil over this and grow grass? 3) Is this installation still working well?

[@appledrains]

Yes

[@H0kieJoe]

​@@appledrains Excellent! Thank you for the reply!

[@frankwood3632]

I'm a bit confused by the numbers here. Cutting up a 10' stick of flexible pipe into 4" sections will yield 30 pieces. Using two lengths should yield 60 pcs, except the video shows over 150 pcs, not to mention some yellow ones. 150 pieces would be at least 5 10' lengths of pipe, making pipe costs alone more like $50-$75, not $20.

[@bevonostro................]

Filling the voids - why not clip the side of the black cylinder and then compress those instead of using yellow ones?

[@demitaylor8873]

Im in eastern tn are find that the crush will all but disappear after 1 yr. I've lined the drive with railroad ties, filled with crush but it still disappeared. I am hoping that this method might be the an. It's a mtn, with a jungle style rain and humidity near Chattanooga. I've 1000ft of drive to work on so i am picking the worst spot to try. I'll let you know 😌

[@StevenfromTX]

Gotta be 50 feet of pipe used if they are 4 inch long sections.

[@antonkukoba3378]

I didn't understand what keeps it from sinking into the ground. To me it looks like it will just sink into the ground it a year or two.

[@dorrinwinn3045]

Is the safety guard taped back and exposed? I saw several times your hand pass near the blade, though, thankfully, the blade wasn't turning. How many DIY'ers could still slash the back of their hands as they move back and forth?

[@appledrains]

Yes

[@conisims1728]

I have a question…because you lined your project with two layers of the black material then two layers of the blue material wouldn’t this cause water to stay within the grid and disperse out into the surrounding dirt area? I must be missing something and did not see this in other comments so I get that it’s my misunderstanding but before I try this can someone explain what happens to the rain water running down through the rocks, into the cells then hitting the four layers of almost waterproofing fabrics? Thank you!

[@appledrains]

It’s not about drainage. It’s about stability of the soil

[@michellebaker4247]

Ty

[@bluearcherx]

good idea but I think I'd do it with sch80 instead. the compressive strength of that corrugated has to be minimal at best. not a fan.

[@alfa0mega74]

if l fill it with my old iphones is it 0 cost? I am not using them anyway

[@appledrains]

@@alfa0mega74 good one😀

[@DumpsterDivingDragon]

WalkingWay & DriveWay ~ 'Way Nice Now!' ~ i bet! TY, A.D. ! Just now ''Subbed" you, T00 !=j^.............. YAY!

[@hottractor1999]

Is that left over material the customer paid for? I'm thinking of trying that on a spot in my driveway, and see if i can bring the grade up.

[@teslabulls1238]

nice job.

[@BobCampbell530]

Sure, you did it with free materials, but that minuscule amount of GexoTex is not twice the price of your materials. You might even be able to find a scrape that size for free like you did with your free materials.

[@sheilamailhes3329]

How many times did you say the word, geogrid?🤔

[@CMAenergy]

It probably would have cost much less had you done the following Get all the old tires you can find, Cut one of the sides out, Place them in that area and then some, Just fill it with lots of crushed broke or pea type rock

[@appledrains]

Do you know how hard it is to get that many tires?

[@CMAenergy]

@@appledrains Just go around to the tire companies and garages, and put an ad on kiji , craigs list and you will find lots, Just say you will gladly cart them away ! Then go to the land fill I'm sure they don't want them, if you can use them . By the way, if its that hard to find tires, where do you live ? On some other planet ? ! "?

[@rodmills4071]

See it done using tyres with the walls cut off.

[@enriquealvarez378]

I couldn't help to notice your knees are stronger than the Geo grid n been around much longer than the rotten gravel bags.

[@roseymalino9855]

All interesting, but GEO-cell is not a solution for the problem. You need to solve the problem to use the GEO-cell. I wish you all success. I've been struggling with a driveway problem for years.

[@corrugateddesigner]

This is not a good application of 'geo-cells'. The real product is meant for grade holding. An aggregate surface high enough to not get mucked in again, set on the fabric base, would do fine. Mechanical compaction would also be good. There is also plastic grass parking grid, meant to replace the aggregate base.

[@appledrains]

How to make your own!! Working So Good Thanks for your input

[@jimhendrix7776]

Not really sure how thus proves it functions as id imagine the geotextile fabrib woulda done the same by itsekf

[@barrelmitt1544]

Who makes the sun screen shade???

[@alexleeman8277]

Wow what cost apple drains $40 in the USA Well in the UK at BnQ the 20m of perforated 4inch pipe would be £111 and the 4 bags of stone at £1.75 each would be £7 🟰 £118 which is around $138 so that is 3 times more expensive to do in the UK privately from local Depot. We British are been ripped off for everything here on this island If you had to buy the membrane aswell that would be £19.99 for 14m taking you to a grand total of £137.99 🤯

[@kekipark77]

nice

[@metal422life]

I thought this was battery thing when I clicked on it

[@SoulExistence00]

Anyone else get heart palpitations when the video suddenly went fast? I thought the boy cut his hand

[@Can_non69]

Cut somewhere that you don't lose all that plastic dust into the soil.

[@89clavos]

Smart

[@aprilgeneric8027]

0:25....that's not a drive way, that's straight up lawn grass. you need to talk to some farmers. golf courses use a mole plow, but you straight up need drain tile to move that water to some place you want it to drain out at. also your gravel failed because you didn't establish the right gravel layer first. you see what trains drive on...yeah millions of tons drive ontop of that thru swamp in canada and the upper usa.... the bigger the rock the more weight distribution to soil contact...it's literally they way concrete patios and drive ways work except with out cracks for water and plant root penetration

[@jussikankinen9409]

Knife cuts better

[@honumoorea873]

This is not what a geogrid is.... Geogrid got horizontal coherence in each direction, it's called gravel grid, not the same goal. It will get messy too....and while not expensive it's already too much for the time it will be usefull.

[@tara7088]

❤❤❤

[@flyingsodwai1382]

I'm giving a thumbs up for having real cut-offs.

[@jfruser]

Florida, mannnnn...