Concrete form versus concrete truck…the truck won!
Had a nine yard pour this morning. A front porch slab; stem walls and integral slab, roughly 15′ wide and 13′ deep with the top of the slab about 12″ above grade. Forms on three sides with the house making up the forth.
I’m feeling might fine, the sun is shining, my back is feeling good, the truck showed on time, and these forms were bulletproof. But apparently not concrete truck proof.
Literally, and I mean LITERALLY, he filled the last corner and we had maybe 2 cuft left in the truck. Perfecto.
As he backed out, the hook on the chute caught the form and he ripped open the side of the form. He pulled it out about 5″ right at the corner. Split wood, pulled screws, a piece or rebar that I used to pin the strongbacks together actually sheared right through 2-1/2″ of 2 x 6. I took a quick look, the front of the form was still fine and aligned, as was the far side of the form. I ran off for the shovel and wheelbarrow.
When I was off getting the shovel, he lowered the chute and tried to push the form back closed with the end of the chute. He pushed so had he jarred the formwork on the front and far side, bowing both outwards. Now I had two sides bowed out and one side split open.
Ah geez.
I let it stiffen a bit, then shoveled like a madman. I filled my two wheelbarrows. I filled drywall buckets.
I managed to get things together well enough, then poured the concrete I shoveled out back in the forms.
What a bummer.
The porch was designed to have thin stone granite veneer on the sides and be capped with bluestone. But it was also designed to be a few inches smaller on each side than the roof overhead, so water dripping off the roof wouldn’t hit the porch below.
I’ll pull the forms tomorrow and see how I can salvage this. The top of the slab sits about 12″ above grade. My first thought is to use a concrete saw to shave off the “bowed out parts” and bring the slab back close to the original dimensions.
I had even thought of fudging the bowed slab into square when I stoned the sides, and increasing the size of the roof to cover the larger slab. The roof is already framed and sheathed but not tiled (it’ll be a walk-out balcony above).
I think I’ll opt for breaking out the concrete cutoff saw.
Oh man. Some days you think you have the dog on a short leash and you still get bit.
My first ever form blowout. Hopefully my last.
Replies
Hate when that happens.
had 3 mondays this week myself.
Good luck with getting on top of that dog.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Woof!Some of the saddest, emptiest people I have known are those who were raised to believe that they were above others. Even when among their peer group, they're not really happy because the bond which they share is easily broken, due to it's illusionary nature.
What is it Lassie? A storm a coming?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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woof, woof!!Some of the saddest, emptiest people I have known are those who were raised to believe that they were above others. Even when among their peer group, they're not really happy because the bond which they share is easily broken, due to it's illusionary nature.
what are you drinking - I'll buy you a double
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
My son's band is playing a show tonight...he's guitar...we're heading out the door now to watch (and hear). I think I'm going to be all over a gin and tonic.
I had a small pour go bad earlier this year. About one yard in a wall form with some special details, and I failed to make it stout enough. The driver filled the form quickly, probably too quickly, and after he moved the truck I realized the form had bulged, in a way and in a place that would not be acceptable--gotta be flat. It was pretty clear that we would not be able to compress it back into shape so I stripped it and shoveled the mud out on the ground, which took at least an hour to clear the whole thing so I could reuse the rebar set, which was doweled into a whole bunch of other stuff. The next day I spent about 4 hours and a hunnerd bucks rebuilding it from scratch, and it was worthy of a formal portrait. All's well that ends well, or at least ends... but that day I was hating life.
I see it every day, laborer with drivers license, steering wheels holders
ur not gonna help me save Timmy?Some of the saddest, emptiest people I have known are those who were raised to believe that they were above others. Even when among their peer group, they're not really happy because the bond which they share is easily broken, due to it's illusionary nature.
I thought for sure you were the OP.
LOL
got any stories???
I had one guy run his chute through the side of a PWF wood basement.It happens. Not my regular company or the driver I like, it was a younger guy. My favorite is an older guy who is above retirement age. He has forgotten more about pouring concrete then I will ever know and is very helpful.
Johnny, you've been writing that for years and I've always chuckled. But yup, I got bit hard this time.
Wow. Nice you did the right thing, it's tough to know when to pull the plug, and it's even tougher to pull the plug in the middle of a pour.I think my worst day ever in life was a 19 yard pour. Mind you I am NOT a concrete guy, I'm more than happy to pay others to do the job. Concrete and drywall are two things I'll do most anything to avoid.Anyhow, the day of this 19-yard pour, which was all flatwork, one of the concrete sub's laborers showed up with the equipment, screeds, extra chutes, jitterbug, floats, etc. He was fairly new and was calling his boss every 10-15 minutes with the "where are you guys". No contact. He then said he was going to drive out to the end of the drive to flag down the concrete truck.The driveway was long, about 700', through the trees I could hear him drive down the driveway. Then I heard him chunk the gears and heard the roar of the truck's engine as he took off down the street. He was gone.Pulled out my cellphone. No one picked up. A couple minutes later the first truck showed up with half the load. First thing I did was cancel the second truck, then I just about destroyed myself trying to do that flatwork. It was without a doubt, the most physically grueling day I've spent.The chutes couldn't reach the entire space, so I had to wheelbarrow, screed, hoe, all by myself. Not knowing concrete well, I probably fought it more than I needed to.Sheer misery.I badmouthed that concrete sub so much he couldn't get enough work to make ends meet. He eventually moved to a different part of the state where he set up shop again.
"what are you drinking - I'll buy you a double"
Well, I really found out it wasn't my day when we went out last night and I actually did order a gin and tonic, only to be told they didn't have any gin!The place my son's band was playing at had just gotten their liquor permit Friday so they had minimal stock on hand.
I probably have four or five mixed drinks a year and last night I was denied! It was too cloudy to see the stars last night, but I bet they were not aligned in my favor.
All I can for you now is offer a double groan.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I'd sleep well this weekend... call the readymix company and let it be their problem..
I had 5 issues with the readymix company on my last pour... I backed the guy up perfect... but pull'n out he choose to take a shortcut... crushed some pvc drain lines... that cost them $160 for my plumber to cut em out and repair... next a driver hit my fence... another driver hooked my wrought iron fence with his chute... next as was back'n a truck up... driver on the cell phone hit the fence... WTF? then he pops the clutch and hits another section... ... 4 trucks out of 30 did some damage... they payed to repair it each time...
p
Now that is some bad driving. But it does reinforce what brownbag has been writing about redi-mix drivers, and he's been writing the same thing for the past ten years.These guys have always been good in the past. They are one of two companies that I've used over the past decade.I'm gonna go pull the forms off this afternoon and snap a few lines to see how bowed the sides are. I doubt I'll go after the company for remediation. I'll just keep this wonderful happening hidden away in my back pocket for the day when I need a scheduling favor.
I know a guy who had a tall wall completely blow out at the bottom, and the oozing mud slushed right up into the tracks of a bobcat parked a few feet away. They hustled out and got a pressure washer and I guess the machine was OK, but the wall was a total loss. I've heard of guys parking trucks and/or pouring huge blobs of mud against the bottoms of wall forms when they could see they were going to blow. I did a small stair recently and asked for a very dry mix, 3" slump, that we could wet at the job slightly if we needed to. It came out extremely well. The mud had to be pushed down the chute and we did a lot of vibrating, but none of the lower treads overflowed at all and the day went very easily. When the truck brings you 7" slop and starts flooding your forms you need to look out. Fortunately for me the plant I deal with is willing to be very careful and their drivers are long-timers.
Be sure to tell them now what a nice guy you're being.
A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. --Jimmy Carter
the one guy who hit it 2x was the idiot... he was on his cell phone with the windows rolled up...they are union drivers and cell phones are a huge no-no the mix company had been try'n to get rid of this guy for years so maybe he's gone now... they are the only mix company with union drivers...I have enough work to do... when they make more work for me... then they need to make it right... they are a good company and they deliver when i need em... but if they break stuff... they need to fix it... I just don't have a day to stop & fix damage they caused...they just give me credit on the next truck for the damage so... I guess it really doesn't "cost" em much...I'd sure let them know they created an extra days work for youuse to be... I would just eat it and say "stuff happens" and i still don't get mad... I just want to be made whole...p
Well, a little follow-up. I got the pour for free. About $850 worth of concrete, no charge.Prettied up the bowed and blown out side today. A bit of cutting with a diamond blade, then breaking and chipping away to clean it all up.The front bow, I'm actually going to incorporate that into the front of the porch. I'll bow the front edge of the bluestone capping to follow it.The far side that's bowed, I shaved off the worst part of the bow with the diamond blade and sledge.All's well, plus I got a nice workout today, breaking concrete into small pieces.
I feel your pain.
Many years ago they sent out a NEW pump truck operator. Got way lost showed up about 3 hours late. Rushing to set up on a hill side pour, he slammed a 8 foot ICF wall and turned it to bits, with the boom and swinging hose
3 trucks full of crete waiting.
Ahh glad it was not my job.
Now children, you know all those big concrete blocks were paid for by some one else.
Now THAT is a catastrophe. I'm feeling like a petty whiner after your story.
my biggest problem with concrete driver, is I tell them. "Dont move till I tell you too, dont think, dont touch nothing" they start adding water on their own, they back up without anybody behind them. they start pouring out early, too fast, too slow. that when they screw up the project.saying sorry doesnt save the projectonly two ways to screw up concrete 1)concrete driver 2)concrete finisher
I've seen that a few times, I think that's the biggest sin for a driver. Instead of placing the concrete in lifts and making several passes, they just try to dump the full depth all at once. There's one driver I know of that's a good guy, he's got to be around 70 years old. He used to be a concrete sub, so he places concrete like he knows it should be placed.Pretty much every driver I have to tell them they will NOT add water to the mix. Never. That's almost the first thing they say, "I'll start the pour and then add water at the end to make it easier for you".Easier for me? The difference in the amount of bleed water when no water is added and when water is added is significant. Slows down the finishing big time.
I must be lucky. Over one hundred pours on my own jobs, some in tight locations. Can't remember one driver who ever damaged anything of consequence.
I don't remember anything serious on union form jobs either. Nothing worse than getting stuck and needing a tow from another truck or machine.
Most of those were rear discharge trucks too. (Got to love those front discharge trucks).
I'm guessing that driving ready-mix trucks in rural areas, where rain and mud are often a problem, makes drivers more aware and cautious. Can't say for certain but the drivers and small companies who operate in my area of NY State have always done right by me.
If it was easy, everybody would be doing it! At least it will cut nice while green.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
6bag,
Please edit your post to remove the cussing.
Abbreviation, to bypass the censor, is not acceptable.
Thank you.
Edited 10/31/2009 12:15 pm by Luka