Deck Project - Concrete

I bought one of those 3.5 cu ft Cement Mixers from HFT and mixed two

80# bags of SAKRETE concrete mix accodring to the directions adding (at first) .75 gallons of water per bag.

The mix was dry. And balls of mix developed .75" to about 1.5" and rolled about the mixer without mixing in very well.

I wound up adding more water about a gallon per bag to get a mix that looked something like the mix the pros bring when I order several years from a regular cement truck. Or the mixes I used to do in a shallow plastic tub with hoe and rake to mix the SAKRETE.

Adding the water was essential to getting a mix I felt comfortable with - with the exception that I fear the additional water might effectively ruin the mix and deck footers I was pouring.

I thought to ask here in case anyone had experience mixing concrete in a similar mixer or the one from HFT.

Or maybe one of you can point me to a source that will help answer my questions. Thank you.

Reply to
Gooey
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Not in a mixer, but a gallon per bag is the mix I've always started with. Once in a while I've had to add a little (maybe a cup) more.

Reply to
krw

It _very_ likely didn't. I've seen idiots fill holes with water, toss in the 4x4, dump in a bag of crete, stir with the 4x4, then set vertical. The resultant lump 'o crete was nice and solid the week after. I was fairly surprised. Do try to use as little water as possible, though.

I should measure it the next time I put in a fence post. I believe I use about a gallon for a #60 bag of fence post mix.

-- Life is an escalator: You can move forward or backward; you can not remain still. -- Patricia Russell-McCloud

Reply to
Larry Jaques

"Larry Jaques" wrote

Sakrete makes a no-mix fence post formula. They also make a lightweight aggregate mix.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

The optimum (all factors) concrete is made with ice, the mix hitting the formwork at no more than 19C. The mix must be vibrated. These are the two prime factors. The rest you will find linked here:

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Reply to
George Watson

Your water may vary in wetness or the package may vary in moisture.

Concrete wetness really doesn't matter except for it not getting all mixed (too dry) or too wet and it runs away on you. The consistency is only for your convenience of forming and working with it.

Keep in mind concrete does not dry to harden but rather cure. Throw a bag of pre-mixed into the bottom of a river and it will still cure.

I bought one of those 3.5 cu ft Cement Mixers from HFT and mixed two

80# bags of SAKRETE concrete mix accodring to the directions adding (at first) .75 gallons of water per bag.

The mix was dry. And balls of mix developed .75" to about 1.5" and rolled about the mixer without mixing in very well.

I wound up adding more water about a gallon per bag to get a mix that looked something like the mix the pros bring when I order several years from a regular cement truck. Or the mixes I used to do in a shallow plastic tub with hoe and rake to mix the SAKRETE.

Adding the water was essential to getting a mix I felt comfortable with - with the exception that I fear the additional water might effectively ruin the mix and deck footers I was pouring.

I thought to ask here in case anyone had experience mixing concrete in a similar mixer or the one from HFT.

Or maybe one of you can point me to a source that will help answer my questions. Thank you.

Reply to
Josepi

Brilliant.

Reply to
-MIKE-

You beat me to it.

Reply to
Steve Turner

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surface tension. technically, it would make water 'wetter'.

Reply to
chaniarts

Ohhh... the tension goes deep into the roots of the group, not just the surface.

Reply to
Josepi

Well, that wouldn't be water, now, would it. That would be "water plus additive."

That's no different than saying, your water may have more caffeine than other water and what you're actually talking about is coffee.

Why am I even explaining this?

Reply to
-MIKE-

Probably colder too!

Cooler drinks? : )

Reply to
Bill

/nods .. he is hard to beat for sheer stupid fark-ery

That "mII" nick he uses? He is doing that cos the real "mII" published a whole list of "Bobisms".. gems as per the one you point at... an' laugh. Same reason he is frothing over _anyone_ using "mike" as a name, real or not. mII's real christian name is "Mike". GB knows as it was him that outed mII to his employer.. umm 2005?? Yer gotta keep an eye on this nutcase

catch his act as "Eric" talking to himself .. yet again.

guy is bloody mental. george

Reply to
George Watson

compulsion?

heh,, try mine on for size?

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at a quick look I would offer you got hooked with a GymmyBob sock. GB/Bengi/Josepi has a wide selection... and two computers aided by a single swivel chair.

If you had spent some time in around 2008/9 you would know the ass well. george

Reply to
George Watson

But not very well. There is water, then there is water.

With distilled water, you can float a paper clip on its surface. In some locals, there are enough dissolved solids to lower the surface tension sufficiently so the paper clip will not float.

Distilled water is an insulator. Non-distilled water is a conductor.

And so on.

Reply to
HeyBub

Wow! Sure is a lot of A.D.D. in this group!

The poor OP gets one decent answer and the trolls want to fish for suckers based on an expression that entices the troll bait suckers.

Pathetic... just pathetic. We must be pretty bored. (here comes the disputes about using the word `pretty`)

With distilled water, you can float a paper clip on its surface. In some locals, there are enough dissolved solids to lower the surface tension sufficiently so the paper clip will not float.

Distilled water is an insulator. Non-distilled water is a conductor.

And so on.

Reply to
Josepi

I guess you can go ahead and used distilled water for your concrete if it makes you feel better.

Reply to
-MIKE-

Hard to miss the gang members that jump in with the stupidest bunch of garbage one can find to carry on a conversation with himself.

Note how they all have ADD, share a brain cell, and can`t think independently!

``water wetness`` ROFLMFAO

All the OP wanted was a simple answer.

get a threading reader and get with the 90s

Reply to
Josepi

"Josepi" foamed with:

So it is .. so it is. Just who are you fooling, Gymmy Bob/Bengi/Janice/Eric/'mII'/mHo

POSTED!ec4ccacd!not-for-mail

From: "Josepi" Newsgroups: rec.woodworking Subject: -Mike- uses more than three IDs in same thread - Was (Deck Project - Concrete) Message-ID:

From: "m II" Newsgroups: rec.woodworking Subject: George Watson begs for help to embroidery ladies as nymshifted troll Message-ID:

jes so you are told.. like. george

Reply to
George Watson

Why are you two feeding the damned trolls? Or do you -want- to make into our twit filters, too?

-- One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love. -- Sophocles

Reply to
Larry Jaques

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