EASY DIY: GRAVITY-BASED Landscape Rock FILTER SCREEN - Remove Dirt & Debris QUICKLY and EASILY! 

Hi juantwog, thanks for your comment! Working with landscaping rock is tough heavy work, so please let me know if this simple homespun system works well for you. All the very best with your DIY projects!

You're very welcome, and thanks for your encouragement and feedback Micah! This method worked very well for my son and I to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock and then buying new material. Hope your DIY projects are a great success! All the very best to you!

My rock bed started sprouting only a year and a half into being laid out. I kicked myself and wished I had opted for the cement job instead of landscape rocks after having my french drains installed. Its just too much to maintain with the amount of trees around.

Thanks for your encouragement and feedback, michael! This method worked very well for my son and I to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock, and then us buying new material. A great suggestion was made by one viewer to put a garbage can underneath the filter screen to catch the debris as well for disposal - so I'm passing that idea along to you as well. Hope your DIY projects are a success! All the very best to you!

Thanks, misgapeach. All the very best with your own DIY projects!

Thanks for your feedback, ddesroches! Glad this method worked very well for you too! My son and I were able to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock and then buying new material. All the very best to you!

Hi Ricky G., glad to be of help! Working with landscaping rock is tough heavy work, so please let me know if this simple homespun system works well for you. All the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks so much for the tip, Andrea! (What a great way to utilize all the separated organic material!) All the very best to you.

Thanks for your encouragement and feedback!

Thanks gyrojomo! Appreciate your response - and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks, JAY RYAN! Really appreciate your response - and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks very much, 20BELG! (And sorry for my late response.) The simplest approach is often the best. All the very best with your DIY projects!

You are welcome, Jo Sam! (Sorry for my late response.) All the very best with your DIY projects! I'm glad we could be of help.

Thanks Kyle Bennett! Appreciate your response - and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks for your feedback, camgreer! This method worked very well for my son and I to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock, and then buying new material. A great suggestion was made by one viewer to put a garbage can underneath the filter screen to catch the debris as well for disposal - so I'm passing that idea along to you as well. Hope your DIY projects are a success! All the very best to you!

I don't have wood to make those sifters everyone shows. I do have extra chicken wire, ladder, and some hemp twine. All I needed was some inspiration from a clever engineer.

Hi @conracewhatever5224. Sorry for my very delayed response, however I did want to say "thanks very much" for your feedback - and all the very best with your DIY projects! Let me know how this solution works out for you... if you try it. Cheers!

Much appreciate the feedback, and thanks again for the tip (above) on how to improve it!

Great, Jeff. Let me know how everything turns out! All the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks JULIA NAJJAR! Appreciate your response, and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Hi @GaiaCarney. Sorry for my delayed response, however I did want to say "thanks very much" for your feedback - and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Thank-you, Ada Fung! (And sorry for my late response.) All the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks for your encouragement and feedback, papalasanga! (And sorry for my delayed response.) This method worked very well for my son and I to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock and then buying new material. All the very best to you!

Thanks for being willing to give this a try, Daniel. (And sorry for my delayed response.) This method worked very well for my son and I to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock and then buying new material. Hope your DIY project was a success! All the very best to you!

Thanks very much, K B! (And sorry for my late response.) All the very best with your DIY projects!

You are welcome, namonation! (And sorry for my late response.) I'm glad we could be of help. All the very best with your DIY projects!

You are welcome, WatchMeeDoStuff! (Sorry for my late response.) All the very best with your DIY projects! I'm glad we could be of help.

Thanks r g! Appreciate your response - and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks Jeremey - and sorry for my delayed reply. Appreciate your comment! All the very best with your DIY projects!

Hi @pkp2023. Sorry for my delayed response, however I did want to say "thanks very much" for your feedback - and all the very best with your DIY projects! (Let me know how this solution turns out for you!)

Thanks, Michael. Appreciate your comment, and wish you all the very best with your DIY projects! (Glad we could help with some ideas!)

Thanks for your encouragement and feedback, R Edmonds! This method worked very well for my son and I to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock, and then us buying new material. Hope your DIY projects are a success! All the very best to you!

EASY DIY I’m going to need to know exactly what kind of screen that is. Where did you get it? Much appreciated!

Hi @@rogeesatburn2046, I believe it was 1/2" wire mesh from either Home Depot or Lowes (in the fencing section). The square holes should be just big enough to push your smallest finger through - but probably no bigger. Hope that helps. All the very best with your DIY project! Glad to help!

EASY DIY excellent size description!

Thank-you! It really is a super-easy way to use gravity to accomplish the task instead of human effort to agitate a filter. The separated dirt can also be re-purposed for gardens. Nothing is wasted! All the best to you.

EASY DIY exactly it could be used as a mulch or in making compost thanks again and all the best to you too :-D

Hi @MattFitVlog. So sorry for my VERY delayed response, however I did want to say "thanks very much" for your feedback - and all the very best with your DIY projects! You are no "dummy" I'm sure. We all gain so much from listening to (and learning from) the great ideas of those around us. Let me know if you try this solution, and how it works out for you. Cheers!

Hi Tina V., glad to be of help! Yes, working with landscaping rock is tough heavy work, however do let me know if this simple homespun system works well for you moving forward. All the very best with your DIY projects!

Great! Hope this method works well for you. All the best!

Thanks for your encouragement and feedback LeeAnn! This method worked very well for my son and I to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock and then buying new material. And thanks for your suggestion about using a large trash can! That would definitely work well to catch and contain all the debris! Hope your DIY projects are a great success! All the very best to you!

Great idea, Louis Emery! Thanks for your suggestion to make this homespun system more versatile and effective, and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Hi @CE4Ever. Sorry for my delayed response, however I did want to say "thanks very much" for your feedback - and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks, j R. I'll look forward to hearing how it works for you... All the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks for your encouragement and feedback, Joshua! (And sorry for my delayed response.) This method worked very well for my son and I to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock and then buying new material. Hope your DIY projects are a success! All the very best to you!

Hi Secret Shopper, great question! I would think the standard off-the-shelf gauge/ thickness of wire mesh that we bought (nothing 'industrial' strength) from Lowes or Home Depot will still do the trick nicely. Note: The SLOPE or gradient of the FILTER SCREEN actually helps offset much of the actual weight of the rock itself - because the rocks simply roll down the surface of the SCREEN as opposed to sitting still on the screen and exerting their full weight downward. Hope that helps, and makes sense the way I've explained it. Any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. All the very best with your DIY projects!

Hi YouNeverKnowWholsWatching, thanks for your comment - and so sorry I missed your question. I'm not sure of the 'gauge' (diameter) of wire that was used for the manufacture of this mesh, however it was fairly standard and off-the-shelf. If I was you, I would purchase the thickest wire mesh available - with no more than a 1/2 to 3/4 inch gap for your size of rock - and try that. Turning up the sides of the mesh at a right-angle to create a 'channel' for the rock to travel down through will actually add strength to the mesh structure - so that should help. Also, because you are using gravity here with this system, the rocks are 'rolling down' the mesh rather than sitting on top of it - so you are not trying to support the entire weight of the rocks that you're filtering. Hope that helps, and again sorry for my late reply. All the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks, Danny. Appreciate your comment, and wish you all the very best with your DIY projects! (Glad we could help with some ideas!) Shoveling was time consuming work, but it was all well worth it in the end!

Yes nukum239, I used concrete blocks to elevate the rear of the ladder for just that reason. Thanks for your comment, and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Hi @MrNyamchom. Sorry for my delayed response, however I did want to say "thanks very much" for your feedback - and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks, George. Yes - we found this system easy to set up, and effective at getting the job done. All the very best with your DIY projects!

Hi liz21988, great question. Yes - I tied the mesh to the ladder using a few twisty ties that we already had in our home. (Alternatively, you could use some zip ties.) Glad to be of help! Please let me know if this simple homespun system works well for you. Thanks for writing, and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks, Sir Law. Appreciate that!

Thanks for your question, Anthony! (And sorry for my delayed response.) Yes, we clipped the wire mesh to the ladder structure, and I might simply have used twisty ties at the time. Glad we could be of help, and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Great question, Bilal Bazzi! I'm not sure about the answer since we worked with dry rock and dirt, however my sense is that this homespun system may not work as well if the gravel is "wet" or damp - because some of the dirt will probably just stick to the gravel all the way down and not separate from the rocks to fall through the mesh. I believe you should have some success though! Hope this helps, and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Hi Laurie, great question - and sorry I didn't answer it in the video. I simply took several 8" - 12" lengths of wire that I had lying around (you could probably use heavier duty string, thin coat-hanger wire that you can cut, or something similar), wove it into a couple of the holes in the mesh itself, then down around the top step and tied/twisted the piece of wire together on the underside of the step. (I did this at both sides/ends of the top step, and again in the middle.) This stopped the mesh slipping down. Hope this helps, and thanks again for your question. All the very best to you!

@@andrewbrit71 Regular garden hemp twine worked fine to secure a similar makeshift rig. Thanks for the inspiration!

Great suggestion, terrylm235! (And sorry for my delayed response.) This method worked very well for my son and I to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock and then buying new material. Hope your DIY projects are a success! All the very best to you!

Hi nguyen nam, thanks for your question... I believe it was either 1/2" or 3/4" wire mesh - and it worked perfectly as you can see! All the very best with your DIY projects!

Hi Gerald, good to hear from you - and thanks for your question! We didn't actually measure the angle - which was just enough to promote a good flow of rock and dirt (whilst the dirt separated), but somewhere between 30 - 40 degrees sounds about right. Hope this helps, and all the very best with your DIY projects! Cheers!

Hi James, I'm sure that some of the sand would come loose and filter through as the rock cascades down the metal filter screen, however you may find that some sand continues sticking to the rocks, and that you have to brush down the screen a little more than usual (as it becomes 'clogged' with moist sand) in order to clear the way for more sand to fall through. Thanks for your question, and for considering this method. All the very best to you!

Hi Mista Futuristic, thanks for your question - and sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The screen I used came from Home Depot - however I would think you can get it at most DIY or Home Improvement stores. (It saved us a ton of work, and did a great job at separating the rocks from the debris and dirt!) Hope this helps - and all the very best with your DIY jobs!

@@andrewbrit71 .. Cool.. Thank You..!! It'll Make Work Much Easier..!!

Great idea, Michael! That would be an excellent way to improve this system - catching and containing all the debris as well! (Wish I had thought of that!) Thanks for watching, and all the very best with your DIY projects.

Michael, have been passing along your suggestion to new viewers about adding a trash can to "auto-bag" the debris. Excellent idea to improve this simple system! Thanks again!

Hi Chris, good question - and sorry for my delayed response. The landscaper (whom I trusted) told me that leaving the thoroughly-embedded rock in the ground would be fine, and that it was the loose rock that needed to be removed. On top of the embedded rock they laid 3" of ABC (not 1/4" minus or sand), then packed it all down several times thoroughly before laying the pavers on top. It created a very solid foundation, and there were no issues with the height in our case. Hope this helps. All the very best to you!

Thanks for your encouragement and feedback, israel! (And sorry for my delayed response.) This method worked very well for my son and I to process several tons of our landscaping rock (and dirt) relatively easily - so we were able to successfully re-purpose it instead of paying someone to remove the rock and then buying new material. Hope your DIY projects are a success! All the very best to you!

Hi Ludifant. Sorry for not seeing your comment (and for my very delayed response), however I did want to say "thanks very much" for your feedback - and all the very best with your DIY projects! Let me know how this solution works out for you... if you try it. Cheers!

Hi fan of nature, thanks for your observation. You may be right about the size of the gauge, however the 1/2" or 3/4" gauge/ gap that we used (I believe?) seemed to do the trick very well indeed considering the size of rock we were working with. It really saved us a ton of work, and was fantastic at separating the rock from all the debris and dirt in our yard as you can see. (The gauge or gap just needs to be smaller than the rock you are trying to separate - that's the key.) Thanks again for reaching out, and all the very best with your DIY projects!

Thanks, Corey - and fantastic idea! Appreciate your comment, and wish you all the very best with your DIY projects!

Very true, Fred... A teenage son helps a LOT! Thanks for your comment, and all the very best with your DIY projects!