Conduits and hydrant up through concrete floor

[m123]

I have a poured wall and had the concrete contractors insert a couple sleeves through the wall. I want to run a couple conduits up through my finished floor next to the concrete wall . How close to the edge of the slab can I run my conduit without it cracking? Is a couple inches enough or should it be directly against the wall?

I'm also installing a hydrant and following the recommendation of everyone to run the weep hole drain outside of the foundation into a gravel pit. Does anyone have any tips on what to put around the yard hydrant where it goes through the floor ? Or is it typical to just pour the concrete right around it? I don't want to build a box around it I think that if I have a failure and I can't replace the guts from the top I'll just live without it.

My other thought is to install the hydrant high enough so that I can position it over the top of a utility sink . That would give me a sort of frostproof faucet. If the hydrant is sticking up 36 inches off the floor but still deep enough below the frost line are there any concerns? Has anyone done this set up where the hydrant is above a utility sink? Pictures?

 

[Handyfarmer]

on the hydrant, there is different bury depths, thus taller or shorter lengths of hydrant, as long as the bottom valve (the valve is on the bottom of the hydrant) is below frost line, (if the floor of the shop is up above ground level I would put below the freeze level of the ground, not the floor, if on the edge of the building.

so if one would take a 4 or 5 foot bury hydrant and your freeze line is 3 foot, it would stick up a foot or two foot taller than the normal hydrant, so no problem if you wanted it ten feet with a three foot freeze or bury depth, above the floor level one most likely could have one special made, that would be about 13 foot long, the drain back drains the complete stand pipe if it is adjusted correctly,

 

[plout99]

on the hydrant, there is different bury depths, thus taller or shorter lengths of hydrant, as long as the bottom valve (the valve is on the bottom of the hydrant) is below frost line, (if the floor of the shop is up above ground level I would put below the freeze level of the ground, not the floor, if on the edge of the building.

so if one would take a 4 or 5 foot bury hydrant and your freeze line is 3 foot, it would stick up a foot or two foot taller than the normal hydrant, so no problem if you wanted it ten feet with a three foot freeze or bury depth, above the floor level one most likely could have one special made, that would be about 13 foot long, the drain back drains the complete stand pipe if it is adjusted correctly,

What handy farmer said, I have 5 hydrants over livestock tanks that are buried 4ft and 4ft exposed. Just buy one long enough I have seen up to 10 ft here in Ohio they probably make them longer.

 

[rburke65]

I don't think the closeness of the conduit to the wall dictates if the concrete will or won't crack. I'd just put it against the wall. As always....just my opinion. Good luck with your build.

 

[Eriehunter]

I'd put the conduits up tight against the wall, but not so tight you can't get a coupling or connector on them.

 

[wssix99]

I'd put the conduits up tight against the wall, but not so tight you can't get a coupling or connector on them.

I agree. Any penetration in the floor will create a tendency for cracks to form. As the slab cures, it will shrink and move. The conduits and hydrant will be immobile objects penetrating that slab that wants to move - creating the cracks. If you can put the conduit at the place where the slab and wall are going to meet, a crack/gap is going to form there anyway. If you have to put it out in the field of the slab, then the best thing would be to line it up with one of your future saw cut joints.

For the hydrant, you have two problems: crack formation and needing to service the buried valve in the future. I'd highly recommend lining the hydrant up with one of your saw cut joints and forming a half-diamond, isolated with expansion joints, around the hydrant. (Just like one would for a structural column against the wall.)

Putting the hydrant in the half-diamond, with the saw cut joint extending from the tip of the diamond will do two things for you:
- It will control how the crack will form in that saw cut joint.
- If you ever need to service the hydrant valve, you can just chip out that half diamond to dig it out and then re-pour that area without messing up the rest of your slab and having to saw-cut the thing.

^ It's important to isolate the diamond with a full expansion joint so the crack control will work properly and to eliminate the need to saw-cut the slab if you ever need to service the hydrant valve.

 

[Siteman25]

Another thing to do is put a piece of polyethylene (black plastic) around the conduits and the hydrant so the concrete directly supports them, but does not bond, therefore the conduits and hydrant can move (expand/contract) against the slab.