Getting aggreagate soon. Best way to clean it.

[Joe Bifano]

I will be picking up a load of 3/4" lava rock in my pickup. Whats the best way to get all the sand and junk out of it? 

 

[Vlad Jovanovic]

Joe, someone else might chime in with 'the best' way, but I just finished rinsing 2,600 liters of media. The 'best' thing about it is that I will (hopefully) never have to do it again...I used a 40 liter basket I had lying around, and 3 'dunking tanks' full of water...hand dunked a basket full of media in each tank a few times, lots of silt and sand comes out...by the time you get to the third tank though it's pretty clean. Although this works really well, there is probably an easier way. If your not trying to be water conscious you might rinse it while on the bed of your truck, then once again on the driveway?

[TCLynx]

Nope Vlad, I think the method you just described is best.

 

Now if the stuff isn't too dirty you might get away with only swishing in two bins of water.

I use a square plant basket and I swish the media in one bin of water then in the next bin of water then into the grow bed.  With lava rock, you should probably swish in three bins of water since that stuff can be really dusty.

 

Important.  Make sure your gravel washing station is set at a good working height so you are not bending over while swishing or you may never stand up straight again.

[Rick White]

I have, in the past and not for a 'ponic' situation, taken my truck load of gravel to the car wash. I brought two tire ramps. I dont know what they are really called, but they are heavy duty metal and allow you to pull the front tires up onto them, creating quite a slope backwards. Two of us working, one raking one spraying, were able to rinse off quite a lot of dirt/dust, with it all draining out of the back of the bed.