Old Tires for backfill?

[SouthernThunder]

I've got a poly tank I want to bury for freeze proofing but I don't think it is supposed to be buried more than 1/3 of the height of the 12' tank.

In the past, I have buried old tires next to cisterns and storm shelters in areas with expansive clay and the concrete structures seem to hold up well without cracking. However, I am not sure if this will work with a plastic tank. Any thoughts?

[Madfarmer]

It would be illegal in many parts of the country.

Madfarmer

[Wis Bang]

Can't you wrap it w/ foam and then build a surround over the top portion to insulate it?

I've seen a tire retaining wall filled w/ dirt & covered w/ vines but I really don't know if you can still do that.

[travis91]

i know in these parts you can do pretty much whatever on your land. no ones gonna say anything. i dont think it would be a big concern on legality

[beaglebiz]

dont tires leach some sort of poison into the soil, which can contaminate your land and water supply? Maybe I am wrong, but there was a big deal locally about a guy with a used tire business

[arabian knight]

Originally Posted by 4animals

i know in these parts you can do pretty much whatever on your land. no ones gonna say anything. i dont think it would be a big concern on legality

Geesh just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD do it~!!

[country friend]

The earthship was built using tires and is considered a green building material at least it used to be. Do not see this would not work for you the tires would hold back the weight of the dirt from your tank . just my 2 cents.
indiana Country Friend
P.S. Go to eartship to see how they did it !!

[rambler]

Would pretty much be thrown in jail & horsewhipped if you did that here. These sorts of EPA rules are becoming national as we speak, and if you have these sorts of issues on your property, you might want to get them cleaned up quickly & quietly - once it's a govt deal you get to pay for others to do it to govt specs for you. Just think about it.

I've seen tires used for retaining walls in the mags, the rick is to tamp them solid full of sand or dirt.

If you burry them without filling them, frost will push them up to the surface over time. That's what happened to the older landfills around here - 20-30 years after the fact, tires would pop out.

So, I do not see any value or help at all in using old tires for a cistern lining? Would just be a headache in several ways, at least in my climate. Many more problems because of them.

--->Paul

[texican]

I always thought there was a 'leaching' problem too... then earthships came along, and they were supposed to be the greenest things imaginable.

So what's the facts?

One of my first internet posts was about putting old tires in ponds, for spawning purposes... don't recollect anyone every saying specifically if it was kosher or not...

[fantasymaker]

not much in a tire to leach out....except the tire will leach right out of the ground!

[Jim-mi]

At the MREA headquarters in WI a rammed earth tire retaining wall was put in. Its really neat and certainly does a good job of making a nearly vertical super strong "wall".

I have known those good folks for over 15 years, and more than a few you might call "enviros", so I highly doubt that if "leaching" into their well was a issue, they sure as heck would not have put it (the tire wall) in.

[Harry Chickpea]

Tires, IIRC, are pretty much rubber, carbon black, fiber and steel cords. I've seen mention of them being used for artificial reefs (that didn't work).

Our 1100 gal poly tank is nested into the side of a hill with straw as an insulator and a black poly tarp over it to reduce exposure to UV light. Seems to work fine. If the straw packs down, I'll add more.

[Wis Bang]

They add an insecticide to the rubber to limit mosquito breeding in tires. We get to breath it w/ the rest of the rubber particles that are shed while driving.

I think they punch holes in the sidewalls b/4 packing them w/ dirt to make a wall. Such a wall would insulate the tank. Leaving a gap ffilled w/ straw/hay woild be good insurance.

[farmerjon]

Not sure where I saw it, but not long ago a guy had a site with his farm on where he used old tires from everything from walls to fences. Im not sure if he burried any, but im sure he filled the tires with dirt to hold them in place. I'm talking thousands of tires. Just wish I could find that site.

[Joshie]

Repeated exposure to latex can increase one's chance of becoming allergic. If you bury these and latex leaches into your water system you may be causing future problems for your family.

My daughter had a lot of medical intervention at birth and she is now latex allergic. I'm a nurse and am now latex sensitive. Ask my daughter or me neither allergy or sensitivity is fun.

[Harry Chickpea]

From what I've read, the latex allergy correlates to the corn starch used as a powder on latex gloves, and people who used gloves without the cornstarch were far less likely to develop the allergy. Not saying that an allergy to tire rubber isn't possible, merely that there is some other odd vector that goes on in latex allergies that might not be present in this use of rubber. Still, I suppose it is something to consider.

BTW, N.A.E.T. treatment for allergies works amazingly well. It sounds like unscientific hocus pocus, but it really did treat some strong allergies I had developed. I first heard about it from a nurse who had similar problems.

[Joshie]

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

From what I've read, the latex allergy correlates to the corn starch used as a powder on latex gloves, and people who used gloves without the cornstarch were far less likely to develop the allergy.

BTW, N.A.E.T. treatment for allergies works amazingly well. It sounds like unscientific hocus pocus, but it really did treat some strong allergies I had developed..

I've never used powdered latex gloves. My daughter became allergic due to intensive medical intervention at birth. It wasn't the gloves, per say, but the endotrachial tube (on vent), feeding tubes, etc.

Latex (and peanut) allergies are different from other allergies as they can so very quickly become deadly.

[piglady]

I remember in college we were told that a tire never stays buried. It's coming to the surface if given long enough. Don't know how true, I've never buried a tire.

[artificer]

Originally Posted by piglady

I remember in college we were told that a tire never stays buried. It's coming to the surface if given long enough. Don't know how true, I've never buried a tire.

Ask any farmer thats picking rocks AGAIN. Any area that has frost heaving will cause rocks/tires to rise up through the ground, unless there is some means of keeping them buried. Possibly the same with expansive soils and seasonal rains.

Michael

[HermitJohn]

I dont think tires leach anything dangerous. Think main thing with the rules is there are some that were creating huge mounds of tires in rural areas as a way of disposal for their buisiness that then were fire danger. You get a mountain of old tires on fire and there is no putting it out.


Then of course there are those that want to force their aesthetic values on their neighbor in the holey name of maintaining property values, down to telling them what color to paint their house and what color curtains they can have. So piles of misc in neighborhood for sure arent welcomed by that type person.