Water control structures

[Full Throttle]

I have flashboard risers in my 2 wetlands and despise them. Always leaking, boards warping, taking boards in and out is a pita. Who has used screw gates? Are they better? Osceola machine sells a decent looking one. Any other structures worth looking at? I don’t like the looks of flap gates.

[aTm8]

Are you tarping the boards?

[Full Throttle]

No I haven’t. Needing to add 1 more structure and trying to figure which way to go.

[aTm8]

I do not personally have experience with the screw gates as they are just not commonplace where I am. We have some that are similar and just pull up/down. They can be a real pain in the ass when they get vegetation in the bottom, or get bent. To open even a little it starts at bottom not too. Going swimming in December is not fun. I don’t think I have ever seen a flash board setup that didn’t leak some. We tarp all of ours.

My 2 cents would be there may be a reason none of our farmers use them.

[Agduckhunter]

Screw gates are a MAJOR pain in the butt. Don't do it.

Get aluminum boards for your risers. Problem solved.

[Full Throttle]

Screw gates are a MAJOR pain in the butt. Don't do it.

Get aluminum boards for your risers. Problem solved.

Any idea who sells em?

[Full Throttle]

The other thing I didn’t think about is with a huge rain, water can still flow over the top of the flash board riser instead of washing my levees out.

[toledo]

Ive seen the aluminum boards leak. Id think you could run a bead of good caulk in the groove between each board and let dry. Then it should work as a gasket when installed.

I just did stand pipes with a gasketed 90 at a couple places. Just twist them to the side to raise or lower level. 3-4 sacks of concrete with some rebar scraps for seep collars. Zero leaks.

I have been paranoid that the 90 could pop off when you adjust it and drain the whole place. Been considering cutting a groove in the 90 and putting in a set screw to lock it on.

Stand pipe is really just to control water level. Still need a quality overflow on your levee for rain events.

[Agduckhunter]

The other thing I didn’t think about is with a huge rain, water can still flow over the top of the flash board riser instead of washing my levees out.

Bingo. Not an option with screw gates. Another issue with screw gates, or at least the ones I've seen, is they open from the bottom. Three only way to control the water level is by opening and then closing once water is where you want it. With flash boards, you control from the top and you can control 2 inches at a time.

Check with ducks4breakfast...his company may sell them. If not, I got mine from sea breeze culverts in Winnie.

[toledo]

My opinion, the levee almost always needs a properly designed overflow. If not, at some point a big enough rain will wash out your entire riser and everything.

This guy has a simple and cheap idea for controlling level.

https://youtu.be/7nZJmy8AcEA

[Im4duks]

I use expandable foam in a can at the channel holding the boards and in between boards. Seals it pretty tight but, you do have to cut it out to remove the board’s.

[JHerr]

We’ve used a piece of poly pipe to wrap the boards. A black trash bag might work. Wedge top boards in with a wedge on each side. Use a chainsaw to remove. I’ve seen plastic snap together tongue and grove, too. I’d go wood because you can use a chainsaw to remove.

Osceola makes some light weight shit.

[Tmac3]

Screw gates are to be used to control water entering your field not to damn water up.
Flash board risers are made to impound water and should be shot into grade at the maximum water level you wish to obtain but never higher than the levee at the bottom of your field. Heavy rains will wreck your levee if your riser is too high or too watertight.
Flash board risers are going to leak, don’t worry about it, the amount of leakage is insignificant compared to the amount of evaporation you will have on any given day.
If them leaking keeps you awake at night, you can try tarping, but the only thing that really works is dirting them in about 3 ft in front of the riser.

Aluminum boards are the best, but tongue and groove treated 2x6’s work great, especially if they are dry when you put them in, they will swell up like your pecker did when you where 16 as they absorb water and decrease the leaking.

[Iluvlabs]

Screw gates are to be used to control water entering your field not to damn water up.
Flash board risers are made to impound water and should be shot into grade at the maximum water level you wish to obtain but never higher than the levee at the bottom of your field. Heavy rains will wreck your levee if your riser is too high or too watertight.
Flash board risers are going to leak, don’t worry about it, the amount of leakage is insignificant compared to the amount of evaporation you will have on any given day.
If them leaking keeps you awake at night, you can try tarping, but the only thing that really works is dirting them in about 3 ft in front of the riser.

Aluminum boards are the best, but tongue and groove treated 2x6’s work great, especially if they are dry when you put them in, they will swell up like your pecker did when you where 16 as they absorb water and decrease the leaking.

I don’t know much on this stuff. But my brain said let it piss a little. No big deal.


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[Dog N Decoys]

For aluminum stop logs call Seabreeze Culvert in Stowell, Tx.

My wetland has an aluminum flash board riser from Seabreeze and it seals up well if you know the trick. Seabreeze will tell you it will seal up on its own or to put sawdust on the wet side in front of leaks. Did that but was not much help. First year I tried the calk as Toledo suggested. Mediocre results and a PIA when it’s time to dewater and clean up the stop logs. Was talking one day with a wetland bio and he gave me the solution. Thin coat of water proof bearing grease on the contact surfaces of the stop logs. Seals like a champ and cleans up easy. Just put a fresh thin coat on with a putty knife when you set up each fall. I do not even see an oil sheen on the water by the risers so no contamination issues.