Start at the bottom with a little water in the ditch and carefully remove silt so the water "follows the bucket". The water is in effect showing the level as it creeps back up the ditch. This is on level ground with virtually no fall.
I have some of this on video some where as a lot doing this work for the first time just don't get it. I had to explain this to the digger driver who did the last job for me and once he understood the idea, he got on really well. It has really dried out ground that used to flood.
I'll try and find that video footage.
just got to 'keep them clean.......No problem. There isn't that much fall anywhere in the fens!
Hand dug by French prisoners of war here. Fall was the thickness of a sixpence per chain, so they tell me.
1.4 m is like Niagra Falls.
Avery satisfying jobYes but I wonder how long they worked for. I keep finding the little ones but never seen one running yet. I even made a extra small screw so I could rod those old ones but still they won't run.
The drains on this ditch were installed in 1975. The field on the right is now riddled with black grass and I recon the drains could not have run for twenty years by the amount of silt over them.
When I uncover these one they look like they are brand new.
View attachment 275388
Hand dug by French prisoners of war here. Fall was the thickness of a sixpence per chain, so they tell me.
1.4 m is like Niagra Falls.
Why "French" pow's?. Weren't they on our side? My dad did a lot of work with German and Italian pow's
Napoleonic wars.
I think this is what I have been doing but I was worried that the water has the energy to flow up hill a little as I'm taking over a foot of silt out of the ditch. So it's has 1 foot of head behind the water which pushes it down the ditch initially. But if I dig for a bit and look back I get standing water in the ditch.
I brought a laser level this afternoon so I should have a better idea of were I'm going now.
The video sounds interesting.
I laughed as well!Can you tell me how to make that work