Building a Home Mud Pit - what to use

[QSMud]

The place I went is a well supply company. The “extra high yield bentonite” doesn’t have any additives I don’t believe.

[Fred588]

That ought to do it.

[mud_dreamer]

First of all, I want to thank Fred588 for sharing his many years of experience creating mud pits. This is such a nice thing for him to do and I really appreciate it. If not for the information in this thread I would feel a little uncomfortable starting a project like this.

Today I found the best location on my property for a mud pit. There are some large rocks in the area but with any luck I will be able to dig a hole deep enough and wide enough. I definitely want to go deep enough. My goal would be 6 feet as I am 5'6" but 5 feet would be good, 4 feet would be just ok. I am thinking that a surface opening of 4 X 6 tapering to 2 X 3 at the 5-6 foot depth. I plan to use a relatively loose bentonite. As was mentioned, if needed I can always add more over time.

I am leaning toward skipping the liner as this soil typically has a high clay content already. I plan to start digging in the morning. I'll start with a test hole and if I can get to at least 3 feet before hitting a large rock it may be ok to venture further. I doubt that I will hit solid rock... just loose but large rocks. The location is on a steep side-hill next to a rocky eroded bluff. The excavated material will help create the needed depth.

I am not even going to figure out how much the bentonite will cost. I will just pay as I go.

I also like Fred's input about putting a garden hose in the bottom for heating. The pit will be close to a lake which gets to be 70+ F in the summer. I should be able to rig up a small electric circulation pump. Another idea would be to have a wood stove with a heat exchanger inside.

First things first but I do plan to put the hose or some metal piping in the bottom of the pit before filling it with clay.

The first shovel-full will happen tomorrow. No way to get an excavator to this location. I love to dig anyway.

[Fred588]

I think you will find an electric water heater to work a lot better. You will have to keep feeding wood into a stove and it will cool down as soon as you stop. Just make sure, ABSOLUTELY SURE, to use a GFI protected circuit and to build a little shed for the water heater.

[mud_dreamer]

I was able to locate a Wyo-Ben (Wyoming Bentonite) distributor near me. The only bentonite product that they carry is named Tru-Bore for HDD (Horizontal Directional Drilling).

Fred588 are you familiar with this product?

I purchased 3 - 50 lb bags at $10.80 each. I plan to use a cement mixer to hydrate it. I'll keep track of how much water I add to get it to the consistency I am looking for. Then I will pour it into a large round container and determine the volume. I'll also stomp around in it to be sure.

Since my pit is down a steep bank, dragging the 50lb bags there and mixing them in the pit would take a huge amount of work. I would much rather mix it in the mixer and then "pipe" it to my pit using only gravity. I plan on using a 4 inch diameter corrugated plastic drain line. I plan to dump the bentonite into a plastic sump pit modified with a connection on the bottom that will adapt to the corrugated line. Of course I will need to secure the line to trees along the way down to the pit.

This is were choosing the right viscosity is key to making this work. I may need to make it thin for awhile to insure it does not plug and then make it a little thicker if needed. I could also add bags directly to the pit. Using Fred588's estimate of 3 cubic yards per 50 lb bag, my 90 cubic foot pit will need 30 bags.

Amazingly I was able to dig the pit to the halfway depth today. I encountered just a few large roots and some small rocks. The first 1 1/2 feet was black dirt and the next 1 1/2 feet was dry clay which was very easy to dig only because it is dry. No rain in the forecast. I plan to finish the dig tomorrow.

I have decided to use a pond liner. I like the idea of having a slippery side to the pit. I will need some sort of ladder to get in and out.

[barefooter]

But remember - if you fill it with clay - you will must to do permanent watering!!! If you will stop water supply for a lot of days - clay start to dry and will very hard to soak again!!!

[WesternSoupyMud]

Good luck @mud_dreamer !
Please keep us posted on your progress. Probably too late to recommend photographing as you go (although a blow-by-blow guide for others to follow / be inspired by would be something to consider!).
Very exciting to see more people making their own pits.

[mud_dreamer]

Good luck @mud_dreamer !
Please keep us posted on your progress. Probably too late to recommend photographing as you go (although a blow-by-blow guide for others to follow / be inspired by would be something to consider!).
Very exciting to see more people making their own pits.

Thanks WesternSoupyMud.
MY inspiration came when a heavy rain absolutely destroyed my plans of getting out a few more times this season. My 2 or 3 decent stream/river locations are currently under 3 feet of water.

I also want to be able sink in the nude without worrying about being seen.

I am taking photos and I do plan to post them here at some point. I realize now that I rushed into this (which is a characteristic of mine) but I am glad that I started. I am going to slow down a bit to avoid any major mistakes. So far I am happy with how it is going. I am especially happy that the soil is almost perfect.

One thing that I am noting about bentonite pits from the QS videos is that it is relatively thin and very slippery. I keep noting that the models typically slide carefully up to the edge and carefully drop vs slide in. This is making me concerned that my original plan has too steep and deep of sides. I am also noting that many of the bentonite pits are not very deep. This allows one to essentially take a mud bath in the pit versus simply standing up in it. I realize that some of that is to show off the sexy models when they are covered in glossy grey clay.

So today I am going to rethink the design. I am at 3 feet deep. The opening is 6 x 4. My tendency at this point is to stretch the 6 feet out to 8 or even 10 feet and create steps. I may not go much deeper than the 3 feet at the deep end. I am glad that I do not have any large trees at either end.

[mud_dreamer]

But remember - if you fill it with clay - you will must to do permanent watering!!! If you will stop water supply for a lot of days - clay start to dry and will very hard to soak again!!!

Thanks barefooter. I will note that and to reduce watering needs, the pit will be lined and it will have a plywood cover. There will be a frame around the opening that the cover will seal tight on. I will use a seal to block insects, dirt, and rainwater. The cover will be padlocked to the frame.

If anyone accidentally discovers it and asks what it is I will say it is a deer blind that the previous owner used.

Thanks for all the comments. This will help me improve the design and the storyline.

BTW, right now the pit is designed to be 8 long x 4 wide, with steps at 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet. Max depth 5 feet. I am skipping the step at 4 feet because the bouyancy at that point should make it unnecessary. This also makes room for 2 people in the deepest location. My hope is that my wife will recognize that this is a mud spa that her very romantic husband has created for her.

[WesternSoupyMud]

Wise decisions so far. Appreciate the WiP photos too!

If your intention is to sink alone (guessing at that with the notion of nudity!) then having a safe way out is best. Whilst I think we would all enjoy the struggle and helplessness of being stranded without anyone to offer assistance, there is some reality to escape the pit whilst still breathing.

Steps are a good plan, provided that you can get enough traction on them without slipping or piercing through the liner.