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Help! MY new footings are cracking. Just poured, and within a few hours I am noticing cracks. This pour is over sand, and ten inches thick, by 30 inches wide. Ughh. Any help would be appreciated. Greg in Nightmare land.
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what reinforcing steel did you use?
*Gregg,I just poured similar footings to yours last week. It was hot and sunny, and the concrete set up fast, since we've had no rain for 3 weeks, the sand enhanced the drying process by drawing moisture out of the pour. We used as dry a mix as possible and tried not to overwork it. If you get it too soupy on top, you may have small cracks--do your cracks go all the way through?Was your pour completed on hard sand or loose? Was it all on undisturbed ground or was it filled in where the cracks are? And, as Mark asked, how about rebar-what type and spacing?
*3 lenghts of #4 3 inches above the sand, with #4 verticles at 16 inch centers. Yes it was warm and dry and sunny. Most of it is on "fluf", enough so, that we stuck a concrete truck! The cracks DO start at the verticle rebar and hairlinewhere-ever they wish.Gregg
*Oy, veh. "Fluf"?Were the bottoms of the trenches compacted? Did an inspector OK it before the pour?-- J.S.
*It is really too early for a settlement crack, concrete needs to cure couple days for this. more likely these are shrinkage cracks due to sand sucking water out of mix. It is best on sand to pour on poly, or wet the sand REAL good right before placement or use a weak cement/ high flyash mix that cures slowly. There is really no weight in the footing itself to cause a settlement crack, Also when ever pouring footing, pour dry. the footing needs the psi more than the slab.
*We got the cement truck stuck too, since he peeled his driveshaft like a tin can bouncing out of the sand pit. Sat there for 6 days before they got it out. No footing cracks yet...pouring icf's on Saturday. Good luck,MD
*Shrinkage cracks from too much water in the mix or sand sorbing it out too quick. Should've wrapped it in plastic.
*Shrinkage cracks on footings aren't really all that uncommon. Hot and windy, big time cracks. Saving grace is, footings utilize the compressive strength of concrete. So the cracking (in most areas) is not the end of the world. It's funny, I get a soil bearing test at 2500psi, and use 4300psi concrete in the footings. Why? If the footings aren't able to cure properly, I'm still par with the soil and legal.
*The footings were checked by the inspector. The mix was as dry as it would leave the pump truck hose. And brainy old me forgot to set the sprinkler out before the pour. No, wait a sec...the wife forgot to set the sprinkler out. She isn't here to defend herself! Apparently all is good with the world now, I DO appreciate your input greatly. Thanks again.Greg
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Help! MY new footings are cracking. Just poured, and within a few hours I am noticing cracks. This pour is over sand, and ten inches thick, by 30 inches wide. Ughh. Any help would be appreciated. Greg in Nightmare land.