Sandbag Locations

How to Sandbag

Safety

Remember to stay safe when you build your sandbag wall. When building your wall, you should:

• Use proper lifting techniques when carrying sandbags. A filled sandbag can weigh up to 22 lbs.
• Remember sand is heavier when wet.
• Wear gloves and eye protection.
• Use rubber gloves if you’re coming into contact with storm water.
• Do not build a single-stack sandbag wall taller than three layers in height, which is about a foot tall. If you need to build higher than one foot tall, construct a pyramid berm.

How to Build a Sandbag Pyramid Berm

• The sides of your sandbag berm must be sloped inward with the base set on firm ground.
• Do not build your berm higher than five feet. It should be four times higher than the widest part.
• Key into the ground at least one sandbag deep and two wide with plastic sheeting threaded through the layers. Do not put sheeting on the outside of the berm.

To create a pyramid berm that’s two feet tall, you’d ideally have a base that’s about four feet wide. A four-foot tall berm would require a base about eight feet wide and so on (see illustration above). In most cases, one to two feet is enough to redirect water and debris flows.

When You Build Your Sandbag Berm

• A tamped sandbag is about 6" high x 10" wide x 20" long.
• Bags should be filled to two-thirds full (about five or six shovels full). A properly filled sandbag weighs 40 lbs.
• Lie the bags in a horizontal course of headers and stretchers. Start and finish the wall with headers and stagger joints in adjacent courses.
• Do not place bag necks or side seams on the outer face of the berm. When each bag is in place, beat it into shape with a pick handle or similar tool.
• Tie the necks for transport only. Untie and flatten the necks under the next sandbag.