Compost Silt Sock

Did you know that North Point Outdoors has a division dedicated to erosion control, silt sock, and compost topdressing? We get a lot of questions about the inner workings of silt sock. If you stay up at night pondering the questions of erosion control you may find this article very enlightening.

What is silt sock? And more importantly, why should I use it?

If you are a site excavation contractor, developer or general contractor there is no doubt that you've seen civil site plans requiring the use of wattle, silt sock, mulch sock or any other variant of products designed to protect low lying areas of run off of silt and debris. Engineers, Architects, Designers, and DES have seen the outstanding benefits of silt sock performance compared to silt fencing when it comes to environmental protection and stormwater management.

The most well-known application of silt sock erosion control is for perimeter control, inlet protection, runoff diversion, bioswale, bank stabilization, pollution removal, stabilization, living walls, as well as farm and garden.

Silt Sock has made a swift entry onto excavation job sites in the last few years. You may have noticed the seemingly endless lengths of black, or orange tubes running around the perimeter of exposed earth, along roadways, woodlines and wetlands. Silt Socks blend right into the environment and are more aesthetically pleasing than the alternate silt fencing.

What is in a silt sock?

The compost silt sock is commonly infilled with a shredded mulch, compost, soil or a custom blend. NPO can make custom blends to meet any DOT, EPA, or DES specification. Most common is a fine shredded wood fiber mulch. Infill material can be enhanced with seed blends to create a 'living' barrier or beneficial plant species. These organic infill materials permit movement of water while trapping sediments. The best part is the cleanup. Simply cut the sock with a razor knife, pull it up and the organic compost can be left in place decompose into the environment.

Why is silt sock a better choice?

Compost Silt Sock is one of the most effective and high-performance erosion control measure available today. To understand why, you need to understand the alternative erosion control products available. Many contractors are accustomed to using silt fence, hay bales and straw wattle and stick with them just because it's what you've always used. Well my dirt digging friends, once you see how compost silt sock is installed and how easy and inexpensive it is to maintain you will never go back.

North Point Outdoors utilizes highly specialized pneumatic blower trucks to install 8", 12", 18", and 36" silt sock in place.

We can install silt sock over ledge, uneven terrain, and over frozen ground during the winter. Try doing that with a silt fence and wood takes! Silt sock molds to the ground creating a positive contact barrier with the ground. Silt sock is heavier than straw waddle and is not easy dislodged. This minimizes blow outs and reduces maintenance requirements.

Reduction in damning, No impact on wildlife, low impact installation, ease of removal, ease of use compared to hay bales, reduction in blow-outs and maintenance, can be installed during the winter, and the list goes on!

Set it...and forget it!

Well...sort of. Compost Silt Sock is not an as-seen on TV gimmick. It takes a professional installer using highly specialized equipment to get the most out of the product. An installation by NPO will save you time, money and frustration when it comes to erosion control measure. An EPA study on true costs of compost silt sock vs. silt fence shows that although initial cost of silt fence installation may be cheaper, the cost of weekly inspection, maintenance, disturbance, and removal increases the true costs by almost 25% compared to installation of 12" compost silt sock. We also offer bio-degradable compost silt socks for projects that will decompose into the environment after a few months and do not require removal at the end of the project.

Why should I have North Point install my silt sock on-site?

The biggest benefit of our compost silt sock installation services in New Hampshire and Massachusetts is the fact that our specialized blower trucks can create continuous lengths of sock reaching up to 200' right in place per plan. This minimizes the amount of gaps or joints that would be there if you were to install using palletized product. Palletized product is great for check dams, basin and inlet protection and when a short 10-20' section will suffice. If you are dragging lengths over rough terrain chances are the sock will be torn or damaged. Our teams have experience installing compost silt sock at lengths over 20,000 feet. We utilize the highest quality Filtrexx silt sock materials to ensure your investment in environmental protection has the best opportunity for success.

Can North Point sell me palletized silt sock and deliver?

Yes. North Point Outdoors offers palletized silt sock in 8" and 12" diameter. The best part is, we will build your order to suit. Let us know what lengths you want and we can build them from you from 4'–25' in length. These socks are palletized, plastic wrapped and available for pickup or delivery to your project site.

How much does compost silt sock installation cost?

Installation costs depend heavily on the length, access, sock size, infill material. For that reason, we provide customers with an detailed estimate for every specific project. In terms or a price range for silt sock installation we suggest you budget between $3-$6/ft for 8" and 12" sock and $6-$8/ft for 18" sock. We can install any length sock from 10 to 100,000 feet. We do have to carry a minimum installation of $1500 to dispatch the for lengths less than 400' installed. If your project is over 1000 feet we will discount the cost per foot as the length of the project increases.

How to get started?

Call (603) 289-8000 or contact us to discuss your project with our estimators. We will point you in the right direction to fit the needs of your specific erosion control project.