I have to tie together my existing garage foundation with the new foundation of the garage extension. I have drilled holes in the concrete at the base of the existing garage and can insert steel rods into these and the other end of the rods will be embedded in the new foundation. The rods are a very snug fit in the holes. Should I use anything in particular (besides cement) to fix them in place in the holes?
Thanks,
Paul
I think the correct method of doing this type of thing, is to break some of the existing concrete away to expose the reinforcing bars. Then you tie the new rods to the existing rods to form one complete unit again. When the new pour of concrete is done, it fills the space that has been broken away on the existing footing, so forms a whole new section to the new section you're pouring.
Just sticking the rods in holes doesn't hold the new section firmly enough once the weight of the new blockwork is complete. This can cause the whole thing to separate at the joint. This is why the rods much actually be attached together.
In article , Paul Andrews writes
Although BW's method is probably best practice, I think yours is a good second best, try polyester resin, used to make rock solid connection into stone, concrete etc. For a good bond, make sure all the dust is blown out of the holes - a bent flexible drinking straw is ideal:
Interesting point, though the structural engineer specified T20 500mm long dowels - I won't be bending that anytime soon!
You're probably thinking of a solid slab but the existing foundation is a strip foundation (and I doubt there is any reinforcing mesh - I certainly can't find out - there's a wall on top!) and the new foundation is a trench - far, far deeper and the new slab is far, far thicker..
I also have to insert dowels into the existing slab to tie the base together. The structural engineer has shown similar use of dowels to tie together garden wall sections across expansion joints.
Thanks for the suggestion though.
Paul
Good idea. Thanks Fred.
Paul
In a similar vein, what do builders do when filling trench foundations for a house/large project when they can't pour the complete trench in one go? Presumably they have to tie the separately poured sections together?
Paul
In article , Paul Andrews writes
They'll just leave a section with reinforcement poking out and the next pour will join in from there. There's not really a need to shutter the join as the concrete will slump a little but not spread out to nothing, you should shutter if you have steps though. Level founds make for a happy bricky so it pays to tap in pegs every couple of metres to indicate the level required for the pour. Have just used the spotmix type people on a job (the ones who barrow to the hole) and although it costs more it is worth it for a hassle free life.
Thanks Fred.
The concrete people couldn't reach the far trench for my garage, so I built a wooden slide (with sides) to carry the cement to the furthest trench. The highest end of the slide resting on a workmate, the lowest end on some bricks. Worked like a dream - 5m3 of cement poured in less than 40 minutes, no wheelbarrows required!
Paul
In article , Paul Andrews writes
Great, 5cubes is quite a lot so you'll have saved a bit over spotmix prices. Glad the slide stayed together and in place :-)
ps: have you ventured over to uk.d-i-y , it has a bit more traffic/viewers than here so useful for obscure questions although the noise level has been creeping up quite a bit lately. Good luck with the build.
snip
Thanks Fred. I'll give uk.d-i-y a go. My next posting there will be about pouring the floor..
Paul
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.