Quickcrete, Grout, Cement?

[Gray1]

What do you all fill your poles with? The last time I used Quickcrete and it didn't
work very well. I searched the forums and came up with these. Is there "one"
right thing or is a matter of opinion?

Thanks for the help
allen

 

[PSB]

I use regular cement, I dig the hole 3' deep and fill the pole to the top with cement also for extra support, as the pole will flex slightly!.

 

[voomvoom]

I use Portland Cement, and add a few rocks or broken bricks or chipped cement to the mix. I also drill a couple of holes and thread them and put a bolt into each one to prevent the pole from breaking loose from the cement and turning/spinning.

Al

 

[BKP]

Use some grout if you wanna add color to the top of your mix..

Grout is used between ceramic tiles.. I installed tile with my brother while in Florida during the mid 80's.. Not a bad job, he now installs for himself here in central Maine..

 

[Claude Greiner]

Are you mixing the cement before you put it in the hole?

Or are you putting dry cement in the hole and then just adding water?

Many installers will put dry cement in the hole and then add water later and this simply does not work very well.

Get a 5 gallon bucket, or a wheelbarrol and mix it up to plastic like consistency and you should be fine

 

[iafirebuff]

I have not had any problems using Quickcrete for post. It is made to put in dry, tehn add water. I have used it for several post, and to fill my dish post. The kwy is to make sure that you do not put too much powder in. I add some powder, then some water, then more powder, water and so on.

 

[SatinKzo]

I've never had problems with quickrete either. I use the red bagged fast drying stuff and do what voomvoom does and drill a couple holes in the pole and put some long bolts through to provide some extra grab. I also just put in the quickrete dry and hit it with the hose. 3 dishes up, 2 been in the ground 4 years now no problems. I don't don't expect any problems with my new dish either.

The only thing I can recommend is if you live in an area of a lot of freeze/thaw in the ground, make sure the hole is deep enough.

 

[iafirebuff]

I would have liked to gone deper, but I could only go about 22-23" deep on a 6' pole, due to hitting blue clay :-(

 

[digiblur]

I've seen too many concrete jobs where people attempt to mix the concrete in the hole. If you can manage it, I'd always recommend you mixing the concrete in a bucket. You end up with a good consistent mix.

 

[Stats8]

Use the concrete mix 80 lbs bags in a wheel barrel, go slow on the water.
Use a spade or hoe to mix it until soupy. I use the same to fill the inside of the pole.
Wear some rubber gloves while you fill the pole, the stuff is tough on the skin.

 

[Mike500]

Only the last 12-16 inches near the surface needs to be filled with concrete. The last two or three inches should be covered with soil. The bottom of the post should extend below the concrete for about 24 inches, and can be driven into the ground.

There is very little lateral movement on the bottom of the pole, if properly tamped even in soft soils. A muffler clamp makes a very easy to place anti-rotation device, if placed in the middle of the concrete section.

The concrete should be mixed very very dry and rammed and tamped into the top of the hole with the end of a 2x4 or 2x6, while keeping the pole plumb. Driving the post and ramming the concrete into the hole with a very dry mix will allow the concrete to support the dish immediately to support the dish without movement.

 

[Gray1]

Well actually I do what Stats8 does. I mix 80 pound bags of Quickcrete in a wheel barrel and mix it kinda thick. This seems to support the pole better while drying too. I got a couple threaded 5/16 rods to go through the pole to keep it from spinning. Hole is about 40" deep. Im around St. Louis and that should be fine.

The problem I had was putting the Quickcrete INSIDE the pole. I think it left too many voids and didnt strengthen the pole very well. I think it was because of the gravel inside the Crete.

I saw Portland Cement at Lowes in 50 or 80 lb bags. Is that the same thing as regular cement? Can I just take the 80 lb bags of cement and mix them up with water like Quickcrete and put that INSIDE the pipe? That would do away with the gravel.

Thanks Guys
allen

 

[PSB]

I use the dry mix method Have done with GREAT success for YEARS!

I use a brick to rest the pole on as I pour the dry cement into the hole, about halfway up I pour in some water to get the ball rolling. I then fill the rest of the hole with the dry mix to about 2-3 " from ground level (Last few inches should be soil). I then pour water over the dry mix and prod the (DRY) porridge to let the water start to penetrate the dry ingredients (also stamping down), I also start to pour water down the pole at his point to wet the base of the mix (From the inside out! Its a DIRECT route).

I then fill the pole with dry cement to about 4" below the top. Again I start to pour little amounts of water into the pole.

I get on with the rest of the install ( Done to local and NEC code, if using a pole mount it MUST be bonded to the main home service grounding point!!!!!!!! MUST)

I did a pole mount about 3' away from a lake about 2 years ago and the customer was recently chopping down trees and smashed the dish! The pole had not moved and was SOLID as a rock, I told him he could tie his boat up to the pole and it still would not move!

I don't want to be carring no wheel barrow on installs

 

[Claude Greiner]

I would have liked to gone deper, but I could only go about 22-23" deep on a 6' pole, due to hitting blue clay :-(

If your using a metal pole, the key is to dig the hole as deep as you can and then get a sledge hammer and pound the pole into the ground so your past the 42 inch frost line.

Get a hack saw and cut off the top of the pole and then fill the hole in with Cement.

I did this using a 2 3/8 gas line to mount a starband Dish. Got the hole down about 36 inches and then got the sledge hammer and pushed the pipe down another 24 inches for a total of 5 feet!!!!!

Once I got it installed, I was never able to move it!!!!

Finally I had a house fire and when I rebuilt the house I added an addition and had it removed with a backhoe...

 

[Hermitman]

The best thing to do is to "rod" the concrete. Fill the pipe with 2 to 3 feet of concrete. Using a long rod (like a cheap piece of rebar) run the rod up and down a few times to work the air out of the mix. Then add another 2 to 3 feet of concrete and rod the mix again. Repeat till full. That way you'll end up with a solid mass of rock keeping the pipe from bending. You should rod the mix no matter what type of material you put in the pipe. I use the cheapest quick mix from Menards.

 

[Inno]

For a job that size I'd buy the ready mix stuff, probably from Menards and I see in their flyer from time to time a little mixer that'll do one 60lb bad of pre mix at a time. You just put the bad of pre-mix in, the proper amount of water, put the lid on and roll it along the ground for a minute or so and the paddles inside do all the work.

 

[PSB]

WOW! Menards must be selling a LOAD of cement to us Satellite heads! (I also buy my cement there)

Save Big Money!

 

[Inno]

I just rebuilt my deck over the summer and poured 1.5 yards with the use of an electric mixer and brute force...........and 9 90lb bags of Portland from Menards.........and even though I'm in Canada and had to pay duty at the border, I STILL Saved Big Money! It's a great place to shop!

 

[Stats8]

" The problem I had was putting the Quickcrete INSIDE the pole. I think it left too many voids and didn't strengthen the pole very well. I think it was because of the gravel inside the Crete."

I know what you mean, however the stones are less than 1/2", I do mix a little more water in the mix for filling the pipe, it does not leave voids, make sure to tap the pipe with a hammer after filling it, it settles the mix good that way.

 

[iafirebuff]

I am worried now about the winter......Hopefully I won't get much frost heave (fingers crossed). If I do, I will just have to put in a new pole next spring. Now I have lots of hints on doing it right