| Click to Post a New Message!
Page [ 1 ] |
|
|
|
Wrong Concrete any concrete experts out there
I'm getting ready to pour a pad for a customer to be used for a 16x24 aluminum enclosed patio/rec room. I built some forms for a 3 to 10 inch high by 8 inch wide stem wall to form the perimeter of the pad. (It's being built on top of an existing sloped 3" slab).
So I get my rebar pins in place, build in the sump pump well, and drain lines to reroute water around the slab. I order 65 60lb bags of ready mix concrete from home depot and when I open a few of them up to pour in around the sump pump drain, I realize that they gave me post hole cement instead of regular readymix (jerks!).
So now I'm faced with carrying the 65 bags 150' back to my truck and hauling them back to Home Depot, getting the right kind, and manually hauling them 150' back to where the mixer/forms are. ...... or?
Is it possible to somehow turn this stuff into structural cement? Can I add 1/2" or 3/4" aggregate and some cement to this stuff and get it to behave like real cement? The load this wall is to support is a 3" slab of concrete (from a truck and pump) and the lightweight room. The area under inside the form (under the slab will be filled with peagravel). It's in Southern Ca. so freezing isn't an issue if that matters.
Anyone around who really understands concrete mixture and wants to lend their expert opinion on this? I really don't wnat to haul all that concrete back out there and it's replacement back if I don't have to.
|
|
 Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Wrong Concrete any concrete experts out there
Quote from TomG:
_____________________________
It is a little tough to deal with these box store places though. Once you're out of the store you tend to be on your own and dealing with CS is more painful then just straightening problems out yourself.
_____________________________
Yeah, if I exchange it, I know from experience with Home Depot, it's just easier to load it up return it and buy the new stuff than to try and them right their wrong.
Quote from DennisCTB:
_____________________________
Just wondering why you would want to mix that much concrete instead of just geting a concrete truck in to pour it.
_____________________________
Short Load penalties around here are expensive. I need less tan a yard for the stem wall which averages about 10 inches high. I have to pur in two stages. First the stem wall, then remove the inner forms and fill with peagravel. Then pur the slab. The slab itself will take about 3.6 yards and that I will use a truck and pump for.
Quote from DennisCTB:
_____________________________
Some of the things that make a strong concrete wall is the Psi of the concrete and the reinforcement approach, ribar, wire ...etc. I did not hear you say what you were doing for reinforce the wall.
_____________________________
I've got rebar pins drilled into the existing slab every three feet, After the first pour these will be bent over and then tied across prior to the slab pour.
Quote from TomG:
_____________________________
You need to add agregate to the mix or at least more sharp sand to slow down the reaction. I would phone the manufacture to find the differences and then add accordingly.
_____________________________
Yeah, I thought there might be a difference with accelerant involved. I also thought about calling the manufacturer. Maybe I'll try that monday morning before I load the stuff back in the truck.
I have to get a few yards of peagravel for filling under the slab, so having them add a half a yard of aggregate would be no sweat compared to loading all these bags two more times.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Wrong Concrete any concrete experts out there
Yeah, who in their right mind would think you want post hole cement if you asked for cement? You'd think that if I wanted post hole cement I'd have asked for 'post hole cement'.
I know better than to spend too much time trying to get them to pay for my troubles. Recently, I ordered a bunch of windows and a couple of pairs of french doors from the home depot. When they finally came in, they called me to say they were in and ready to be picked up. I said okay, I'll be in to pick them up in a couple of days. they called me twice the next day, then again the next day asking when I'd be in to pick them up. Finally I got mad and said leave me alone, I'll be in first thing in the morning to pick them up.
So I show up at 8am with my paid help to pick them up.
Guess what, they're not ready to be picked up! They hadn't pulled the in stock parts of my order yet from the shelves. It took them "7" hours" to fill my order. I was furious! They offered me $200 for my time, which didn't leave much for my time after covering the wages for my help (who was to spend the day helping me install them, not standing around waiting to help me load them in the truck). Needless to say, I never order anything from them again. If it's not in stock forget it.
They put all the mom and pop operations and 80 percent of the wholesale houses out of business when they first came into town. Now that all their competition is gone, their service has gone to the dogs. They're always out of stock on things you should never be out of stock on, (like 1/2 inch EMT, or sand), and continually understaffed by less and less knowledgeable personnel.
Both the customer and employee satisfaction is very low as a result, and my advice would be to dump their stock. Those are both very bad signs IMO. Not a healthy company right now.
I've found some local suppliers that I am buying from more and more (even if it means I have to go to multiple places I still save time due to eliminating the 'idiot' factor).
Unfortunatley, the place where I would go for building supplies only had 90lb bags of concrete and I didn't want to lug those out of the truck, but in hind sight seems like a lot less work than what I have to go through now. They were also quite a bit more expensive, but that also is offset by the bad service I recieved from Home depot.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Wrong Concrete any concrete experts out there
quote from TomG:
___________________________
Of course, I'm 'country compensated' now and even parking meters dazzle me.
___________________________
Now I'm jealous! 
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Wrong Concrete any concrete experts out there
I'm doing a kitchen remodel right now where Lowes really screwed up the customers cabinet order, and are reallly taking their time getting us the right pieces.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Wrong Concrete any concrete experts out there
I don't tyically use Lowes because they are definitely geared more for the DIY homeowner, where Home Depot crosses over more into the contractor realm. It's a difference in what they stock and the quantities they stock. For instance 25 foot rools of Armored cable are useless to me (Lowes), I need them to come in the standard 250' rolls (Home Depot). That's one example, but I could could give dozens more. Unfortunately Home Depot often lets guys come in and clean out their inventory so that the rest of us are unable to buy basic must have must stock items, switch rings, emt, concrete, sand, black pipe, copper pipe, wire, etc..
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Wrong Concrete any concrete experts out there
Yeah, unfortunately, they ready mix trailers were out of the question as I have no way of getting it from the street to the forms via wheel barrow.
The last short charge I paid was $190, couple that with $150 minimum for a pumper, and that 0.75 yards I need for this first pour gets rather expensive.
I ended up loading it all back in the truck, gettinf my money back and going to my usual building materials yard and getting their 90lb bags of spec concrete mix.
So, I moved about 7500lbs or so of concrete this morning using the calorie burning method. I then mixed it in my little on site mixer and placed it in the forms with a wheelbarrow and shovel. A very streneuous 5 hours and now I'm tired ...
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Wrong Concrete any concrete experts out there
Quote from Chief
______________________
I'll start another thread to talk about refrigerators. 
______________________
Chief,
if you want to hijack the thread and talk about refrigerators or whatever, be my guest. I've pretty much milked it as far as I can on the original subject ....
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Page [ 1 ] | Thread 66052 Filter by Poster:
1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 4 |
|
()
Picture of the Day
candoarms
Unanswered Questions
Active Subjects
Hot Topics
Featured Suppliers
|
Gas Generator Weather Protecti
10-11-2003, 19:57 
Digg It 
Del.icio.us