Installation Guide
4640 TRUEMAN BLVD. HILLIARD, OH 43026 (800) 821-6710 www.ads-pipe.com  1
A
IG102  © ADS 2008
The recommendations presented here detail how to install a dependable subsurface drainage or groundwater control 
system. Installation with proper backfill materials, compaction levels, and placement procedures are essential to 
achieve long term system performance. These recommendations assume that the drainage designer used design 
criteria available from ASTM F449 and ADS. The designer should discuss installations involving conditions not covered 
by these documents (poor soils, high loads, or other factors that may affect the performance of the system) with an 
ADS representative. 
Backfill Selection 
•  Only native soil meeting class I, II, or III as described in Table 1, are acceptable backfill materials. 
•  Class I materials can be dumped around pipe. Lightly tamp or knife to ensure voids are eliminated. 
•  Non-cohesive sand, sand/gravel mixes and other Class II or III materials must be compacted to remove voids. 
•  For pipe with burial depths 8’ or less, compaction may not be necessary, provided the trench bottom is shaped in 
accordance with Figure 2. 
Table 1 
Classes of Embedment & Backfill Materials 
  Soil Classification 
Description 
ASTM 
D2321 
ASTM 
D2487 
Min. Compaction 
Required (Std. 
Proctor Density 
(%) 
Graded or crushed stone 
Crushed gravel 
Class I  -  Dumped 
Well-graded sand, gravels, 
and gravel/sand mixtures; 
Poorly graded sand,gravels 
and gravel/sand mixtures; 
little or no fines 
Class II  GW 
GP 
SW 
SP 
85% 
Silty or clayey gravels, 
Gravels/sand/silt or gravels 
and/clay mixtures, silty or 
clayey sands, sand/clay or 
sand/silt mixtures 
Class III  GM 
GC 
SM 
SC 
90% 
Inorganic silts and low 
to medium plasticity clays; 
gravelly, sandy, or silty 
clays; some fine sands 
Class 
IVA 
ML 
CL 
Material Not 
Recommended 
 *Layer Heights should not exceed one-half the pipe diameter. Layer 
heights may also need to be reduced to accommodate compaction 
method. 
INSTALLATION GUIDE 
Sin
g
le Wall HDPE Pi
p
e 
IG 1.02
January 2008



