Someone told me recently about a new type of concrete that you just pour dry into a sonotube footing and THEN add water. Apparantly no mixing is needed! I told them they were full of BS if they believed that. Then a second person recently told me the same. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s true…..is there such a thing as a no mixing required concrete?
Can anyone clarify?
Thanks
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Replies
Check these links out. I haven't used this product myself. Hope this helps.
http://www.packagepavement.com/setting_post_qk.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070608082616AAhckr1&show=7
Reading through the above links I see it used for mailboxes, fence posts, an arbor, etc. Not really for building an actual structure. Draw your own conclusions. I got a kick out of the one posting that said "it has more aggregate than most" or similar. I guess it's the aggregate that yields strong concrete :-) The method has been around for years and is very popular with the "carpenter in a tube" crowd. :-) The great thing is that it yields concrete anywhere between 100 and 500 psi so that when it later needs to be removed it can be broken up with a shovel. TIC
Matt,Sounds like they ought to be calling it "cement stabilized gravel" based on the psi figures you gave.
I made those up... (TIC) Even the slam bam fence guys around here mix their concrete with water. Maybe it would be good for a mailbox post...
Hmmm, maybe I should go to home cheapo and ask how to use the product. They'll probably tell me to make sure I put the product in a sona-tube... and then cover it with a trash bag.
http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/FastSettingConcreteMix.asp
here is quikrete's version of the product
From the Spec/Data PDF:
400 psi in 4 hrs. 4000 psi in 28 days. I have used it and it does what it is advertised to do. Dig the hole, dump the dry mix, pour water on top. Shovel dirt over the top of the mix.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
I had read up on the product briefly the other day. I think, for me, it's one of those things that's hard to believe until you've seen it with your own eyes. Here's a portion of what it says in the specs...
Pour water into the dry mix until the powder
is saturated with water. Depending on soil
conditions, this will require about 1 gallon
(3.8 L) of water per 50 lb (22.7 kg) bag. For
holes deeper than 2' 6" (0.8 m), place the
material in lifts of 2' 6" (0.8 m) or less to allow
water to soak all the way through.
Since soil conditions vary, how can this product be a 'one size fits all' type of thing? What if the water table is very high where I'm using this product? Such as standing water in the hole? Do I line the hole with a trash bag? I'd probably do it, but would the other person? It makes sense to add water in lifts no greater than 2'-6'' and the water should stay in the mix and not trickle through the undisturbed soil too much. Now what if you're using this product in sandy conditions? Line it with a trash bag? How important is the water to mix ratio? Should you go a little on the generous side with water. It seems like this product is similar to hydraulic cement. Takes about 40 minutes to set up instead of a couple minutes with hydraulic. Now what happens if I add too much water to the product? I'm not trying to bash this product. I'm just a little reserved about it as of now. And that's because I haven't had the opportunity to use it and see how it performs. It just seems like one of those things that's too good to be true. And I realize that's probably not the case here.