What is true when compacting soil next tot a foundation wall when it has a fill height of 9 feet

Question

Need to know if it should be compacted using a handheld piece of equipment and if so what is the minimum distance from the wall. should the heavy rollers go any closer than their width.  or should I not compact it at all

Answer 1

"Unfortunately there is no short answer given the level of ambiguity in the question. Frankly the wall height doesn't matter, but there is still a lot of information missing that would make the answer easy. But here's what I've got:

"It matters if this is an interior or exterior wall. If it's interior, all soil everywhere needs to be fully compacted (95% of max dry density). It's the Contractor's choice about what equipment to use, but it's their responsibility to not damage the wall and it's their choice if they want to waste their time with a handheld machine. Most people use plate compactors that look like medium-size lawn mowers. If they are really worried about damaging the wall, either use a roller and stay the width of the roller away from the wall, or just use a plate compactor everywhere. In any case, contractors generally have no problem going right up against the wall with the roller when the concrete is at least a couple weeks old and if the other side is backfilled. If the other side isn't backfilled and/or the concrete is fresh, stay away with anything except a medium size plate compactor or smaller.

"If it's an exterior wall, the interior side follows the above. But the exterior side follows the below:

"If he's asking about at or below the base of the footing, the following is relevant: Compaction is always necessary around any foundation element. Many companies have a standard practice of considering the building footprint to end 8 feet beyond the outside of the structure. And anything within the building footprint needs to be compacted and treated as though it's load bearing. Compaction must meet 95% of maximum dry density and heavier equipment is preferred. Again, if the Contractor truly wants to waste his type with a handheld piece, that's his problem.

"If he's asking about above the footing, the following is relevant: My company usually required between 1 and 8 feet of compacted space against the outside of the wall. That's assuming the adjacent ground is flat, and then it depends on the type of material, size/weight of the building, and engineer's on-site judgement."

I hope that's useful!