Question: Why doesn’t XGD use gravel/peastone backfill?
This query comes up quite a bit in my travels. I believe it gets asked because it goes against everything learned or taught to golf course superintendents. To most outsiders looking in drainage moves on a top down basis through the soil?
Really. Well yes it does in surface flow catch basin situations dealing with excess surface water after the pore space in the soil is filled with gravitational groundwater.
Otherwise, we here at XGD believe groundwater moves from the bottom upwards through the soil.
Hence, a peastone/gravel layer sounds good in theory, but practically water moves from the bottom upwards.
More specifically though the blog topic is “Why doesn’t XGD use gravel/peastone backfill?”
1. Pipe design is for direct sand backfill. Folks, the micro-slits are a unique concept.
2. So, why initiate a step in our process when it is not required?
3. Our own studies have shown that over a period of over 15 years, our XGD pipes have remained open and operating, and completely clean, without gravel!
4. The concept of peastone backfilling or enveloping the pipe is old and tired in the golf industry. Case in point, Farmers have been using native backfill without gravel backfill for 100’s of years, and billions upon billions more miles of drainage tile, than golf courses.
5. Peastone/gravel backfill is also used by XGD knockoffs to help in grade errors in their trench? Again, XGD guarantees 1%slope on all their pipe installs, and we don’t require the use of peastone to fix grade errors, because we don’t make them.
6. This question is tied in to guaranteeing XGD clients receive a long term agronomic tool for their golf greens. XGD realizes our process is a significant expense for each club, but each club will realize a minimum 20 year return on their original XGD investment.
In conclusion, XGD is unique and different from all others in the industry, and we are constantly striving to be more efficient, and come up with new ways to service our clients. Please feel free to pose any more questions on this topic and/or initiate a discussion.
Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer
