Quijote
Well-known member
Just a story, no questions.
My garage is getting ready for its slab. Naturally, I told my contractor to do whatever it takes to make sure the slab will never crack (in the sinking/failure sense, not the stuff you can avoid with saw cuts).
To my surprise, he said, the stuff that works best is to just soak it down.
A few weeks ago when the foundation was finished, he brought in (good) fill and brought it up to abut the proposed level. After a few rains, that fill sank a surprising amount and remained that way.
On Monday he brought in 3 dump trucks worth of base to level it up to the desired mark (about 6 to 12" worth depending on the spot and prior settling). When I got home everything was level, felt very nicely packed and he had used a small compactor to make it nice level.
Curious, since it looked so nice, last night I asked him if I should still soak it down with a hose. He said yes. Well, the amount of settling/sinking was mind blowing. I kept a garden hose at full blast for about 20 minutes on an areas about 50 square feet each and I have spots (worst in the corners and along the sides) where the base has sunk 6". Entire sections of 50+ square feet have sunk 2-3".
Unreal. Very glad we did that. The area in the middle though, including where the 2-post lift will go, was very solid and did not sink at all. You could tell quickly because along the edges the water would disappear immediately and shortly thereafter the ground would begin to sink, whereas in the middle it would pool right away.
Anyhow, it was fascinating to see.
My garage is getting ready for its slab. Naturally, I told my contractor to do whatever it takes to make sure the slab will never crack (in the sinking/failure sense, not the stuff you can avoid with saw cuts).
To my surprise, he said, the stuff that works best is to just soak it down.
A few weeks ago when the foundation was finished, he brought in (good) fill and brought it up to abut the proposed level. After a few rains, that fill sank a surprising amount and remained that way.
On Monday he brought in 3 dump trucks worth of base to level it up to the desired mark (about 6 to 12" worth depending on the spot and prior settling). When I got home everything was level, felt very nicely packed and he had used a small compactor to make it nice level.
Curious, since it looked so nice, last night I asked him if I should still soak it down with a hose. He said yes. Well, the amount of settling/sinking was mind blowing. I kept a garden hose at full blast for about 20 minutes on an areas about 50 square feet each and I have spots (worst in the corners and along the sides) where the base has sunk 6". Entire sections of 50+ square feet have sunk 2-3".
Unreal. Very glad we did that. The area in the middle though, including where the 2-post lift will go, was very solid and did not sink at all. You could tell quickly because along the edges the water would disappear immediately and shortly thereafter the ground would begin to sink, whereas in the middle it would pool right away.
Anyhow, it was fascinating to see.
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