AREA LIGHTING – pull the stumps or case?
AREA LIGHTING – pull the stumps or case?
We have +60 area lights that are getting a re-do. They were done with thin steel tube set in 10″ dia concrete tubes, 6″ showing, rest buried and sort of a spread footing at the -6″ level. The wiring that daylights is in good condition.
Fed by 1/2 rigid conduit, which is not too rotted (so far).
Debate: jack hammer the old concrete, trying to keep the conduits intact in the process (right!) and pour fresh … or get plates that the 2.5″ rigid can screw into, drill old cores for bolts for the plates, encase the existing cores with 16 or 18″ tubes, giving 3-4″ side cover and 4″ top cover.
Sure hate jacking those stumps. Ain’t broke; don’t fix. The steel tubes are history or getting there fast. They must go. We will used galvi pipe.
The wiring and the concrete are in good condition. We screw around with that, they won’t be. The medium Bosch hammer got nowhere today one just one. Bobcat with a breaker point attachement?
Any clever ideas or dire warnings?
The ToolBear
“Never met a man who couldn’t teach me something.” Anon.
Replies
Drill the old top for the mounting bolts as you plan, but extend them above the new Top of Concrete 3 nut thickness, 2 washer sizes, and the thickness of your mounting plate.
When you're ready to set the poles, drop nut and washers on and run them down to the concrete. Stab to pole, put a bubble stick on it and run all the nuts up finger tight against the mounting plate. Put the top nuts and washers on and tighten upper and lower nuts evenly.
The last thing you'll have to do on this project is spray Cold Galvaning paint on the threads under the mounting plate and drypack them with load bearing grout.
First I would;
Excavate for a 20" tube down to the "Sorta Spread Footing at -6"." 20"D tube gives the required 3" coverage for the rebar.
Sandblast the old footing so I got a good bond to the new 'crete.
4" above the 'spread' drill into the old footing and grout 4 pins that stick out 1 1/2". Won't need expensive epoxy, because the pins are in shear only. Wire a 12" diameter rebar ring under those pins.
Add 4 9" verticle rebars and another 12" ring 3" below the new ToC.
Pour as normal. Oh yeah, tape the threads first.
Edited 11/21/2006 2:11 am by SamT
We brought out the Bosch Brute today and it could actually make headway in getting the old stump out. Slowly.
It was obvious that removing that fine old concrete, just to replace it with new would have us upside down on this job. Besides, the rigid was in good shape. So I am out looking for floor flanges and the like for 2.5" pipe and other options from the fencing industry.
We can either drill and bolt the existing stumps or get a bigger tube and do an overlay. I am trying to find some galvi all thread. Simpson has it in 1/2, 5/8.
My 1" Makita hammer drill could also make headway. It worked best cutting notches for the Brute so it would not slip around.
The old Bosch medium sized demo hammer probably needs repair. It was supposed to be blowing grease all over me. Not a drop. I know where this ends. I had one die with a drill bit 6" down a hole. Blow out those holes more frequently.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Not much help, but for the galvanized all-thread check a wet utilities materials supplier. I mean a company that supplies sewer and water mains. Just look for the place where all the big pipe is stacked outside :-). 3/4" Gal all-thread or larger is used for the water mains to connect and stabilize some ductile iron pipe sections.
Wet materials, eh? Good to know.
We may escape. At 0515 I had a vision: Stick the pole in the hole.
I have discovered the wonderful world of steel tubing. I have a lot of options as to the exterior OD and the wall thickness. We will probably grout a suitable piece of tube into the old pole hole and sleeve the new light pole over it with a welded circular plate at the base to dress it up. Redhead the plate to the concrete. Galiv redheads? The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
instead of redheads try to find Galv L-bolts.....
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after looking around, I found the wedge anchors....in hot dipped and stainlesshttp://www.concretefasteners.com/anchors-fasteners/thunderstud-wedge/pricing.aspx
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.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
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Edited 11/25/2006 6:00 am by maddog3
@@ instead of redheads try to find Galv L-bolts......after looking around, I found the wedge anchors....in hot dipped and stainless
That is a helpful web site. Thanks for the lead. Since we hope not to have to cap the existing concrete, we will probably be drilling in anchors. The boss will probably like the zinc plated.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
well,....he's the boss :).
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.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
?