How to Use a Plate Compactor | An Elaborate Guide By Expert

Are you going to build a path or a driveway and want to make an even, durable and professional finish? Then only one thing comes to mind to use a plate compactor. Compaction is a crucial element when you make the pathway or patio as it gives quality and longevity to the surface. Without compaction, you can’t maintain an adequate path as it will need repairing and replacement in less time. Now the main point is how to use a plate compactor? This brief description will explain how you can efficiently use plate compactor and how it helps you in soil compaction.

Sand compaction is also a difficult task due to its composition elements. Due to the composition of sand, water can easily enter the voids. Many ways will help you to compact the sand:

• Roller compactor: This type of compactor consolidates the sand into a high density. It compacts sand very efficiently into shallow depths. This type of compactors mostly used to cover larger areas such as road construction.
• Plate compactor: Plate compactor is a powerful tool used for soil compaction to make it stable. Its vibrating plates turn everything into a more refined form. The use of plate compactor on gravel gives an efficient job.
• Vibratory hammer:  Vibratory hammer compaction works well with the soil disturbance due to vibration moves the soil particles into the denser configuration. The vibratory hammer gives vertical vibration and provides moisture to the upper layer. As a result, the soil loses its frictional grip from the soil clumps.
• Vibroflotation: Vibrofloation is another way of more powerful compaction. The core of vibroflotation is an internal concrete vibrator and water jets. Vibroflotation works as the water jet flooding the soil, which breaks the soil particle, which allows the sand particles to settle into a compact configuration.

What the Plate Compactor is?

A plate compactor is equipment used to soil surface and gravel that requires a stable subsurface. Before using it, you must remember it’s a powerful tool that needs to be handled safely. The machine’s core is a flat plate driven up and down with diesel engines, and it rests on the ground when it’s off. 

How to Use a Plate Compactor?

Safety measures:

• Safety glasses
• Work gloves
• Earplugs
• Steel toe boots
• Dust masks

To make your task easy, it’s better to wear all safety equipment. Suppose you are moving 50kg vibrating plate compactor, then suddenly its bit part drop on your toe, to make it safe you can wear steel toe boots. The other thing is noise and dust, giving you a headache during usage, so wear dust masks and earplugs. To save your eyes from dust, you can wear safety glasses and protect your hand from injury to wear work gloves.

Method:

Identify the size of the area: 

• Before starting a compactor, it’s better to prepare everything.
• To prepare the area, remove all stones and obstructions that can cause to have a big problem.
• Once you started with the plate compactor, you can’t hear anything other than a vibrating plate noise.

Rake or hand tamper tool:

• By using a hand tamper tool or rake, make the area even as much as possible. 
• This step will give your surface a more consistent look and provide you with a path/ outline on which you can run your plate compactor.

Wet or soaking condition:

• If the soil condition is soaking or muddy, then using a compactor is not suitable.
• Sometimes the wet surface supports the compaction. So always keep a hose nearby to clean the base plate to maintain a level surface.

Get started:

• It’s better to start from the corner of the area, now go in the corner and start the machine by pulling the cord.
• Close the choke before priming the engine.
• Hold its handles tightly.
• The sudden vibration of the compactor will make it float over the surface. To prevent any flood on rapid engine start, prime it a couple of times.
• Open your choke once the compactor is running.
• Work in straight lines. In a back and forth until the entire area is compacted.
• Now again, position the plate compactor in the same corner. But this time, work in a perpendicular position. 
• This overlapping trick will ensure a tighter compacted area.
• Repeat the procedure 2 more times.
• If you are using a plate compactor on the paver, the plate compactor will ensure it’s well settled and even once it is installed.

Plate Compactor vs. Roller

If you are looking to buy a compactor, then there are two types of most demanded compactors:

• Plate compactor
• Roller compactor

A plate compactor is a machine containing base plates that vibrate to make an even surface. This type of compactor is suitable for sand and gravel. When its plates work, it makes the soil coarse particles into stable formation. Why it’s ideal for a roller compactor? It covers the larger surface area. It’s also suitable if its plates work in a refined area.

As compared to the plate compactor, the roller compactor covers more extensive areas in less time. Roller compactors are ideal for slit or clay, which have cohesive properties. Rollers are usually preferable to form a layer below pavements, driveways, and parking spaces. If you have any road construction experience where big roller compactors are used over asphalt with other grease material, they even provide stability. An advantage of roller compactor is it covers a larger area of work faster as they travel faster. Their speed makes them a valuable investment for road construction.

Hand Tamper vs. Plate Compactor

A hand tamper or hand compactor is a tool used for soil compaction. It’s designed for small projects. Some people want to keep their grounds simple by just compacting the soil with a hand compactor. The disadvantage of hand tampers it is not useful for professional construction. When you have to use a plate compactor to make sand, even then, you take some steps to remove rocks or, by using a hand tamper tool, make the area even as much as possible. This step will give your surface a more consistent look and provide you with a path/ outline on which you can run your plate compactor.

A plate compactor is a machine containing base plates that vibrate to make an even surface. This type of compactor is suitable for sand and gravel. When its plates work, it makes the soil coarse particles into stable formation.

How to Use a Plate Compactor: FAQ

Can you use a plate compactor on dirt?

Yes, a plate compactor is a type of equipment used to soil surface and gravel that requires a stable subsurface. The machine’s core is a flat plate driven up and down with diesel engines, and it rests on the ground when it’s off. But if the soil condition is soaking or muddy, then using a compactor is not suitable. Sometimes the wet surface supports the compaction. So always keep a hose nearby to clean the base plate to maintain a level surface.

Do I have to use a plate compactor?

It depends on your need for construction. If you are working on a more extensive patio or paver project, then the best option is to use a plate compactor. It contains a base plate, which helps to make the surface stable. In this way, it doesn’t float down. But without compaction, you can’t maintain an adequate path as it will need repairing and replacement in less time.

Does sand need to be compacted?

Yes, sand also needs to be compacted as compaction is a crucial element when you make the pathway or patio as it gives quality and longevity to the surface. Without compaction, you can’t maintain an adequate path as it will need repairing and replacement in less time. But do you know sand compaction is a difficult task? Due to the composition of sand, water can easily enter the voids. There are many ways through which you can compact the sand:

• Vibratory rollers
• Plate compactor
• Vibratory hammer
• Vibroflotation 

Conclusion

To conclude this topic, now from the overall discussion now, we can understand how crucial is the compaction and what advantage and disadvantage you will face if you do it or not. I also explained the full procedure for using a plate compactor, an ideal compaction tool. After using a hand tamper tool to remove all obstacles and make the dirt even, I demonstrate that the use plate compactor contains the vibrating plate, making the subsurface stable.

This step will give your surface a more consistent look and provide you with a path/ outline on which you can run your plate compactor. Also, a roller compactor is ideal for big area projects that cover the distance in less time. I hope I can give you all the necessary information which will help you in buying a compactor.

Read More: How To Use A Compactor