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Recycled concrete

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MeNeedGarage

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Jul 8, 2014
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102
Location
Elk Grove, California - Sacramento
I'm looking for information/experience with recycled concrete. I need to fill an area to facilitate a concrete pad.

Does anybody have an opinion on the use of recycled concrete? Does it need to be compacted? Is it possible that the recycled concrete might have something in it that's not desirable? (I don't know what that might be, it's just a thought). What other products would you use for fill?
 
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The Cobbler

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Oct 24, 2013
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Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada
I'm using it for the base under my slab for my garage build. 1/2 price of gran a .
it needs to be compacted . I have 2 grades available to me, a mix of asphalt & concrete, or just concrete. I'm using the all concrete. Here they say it can contain salt residues from road salt, but I'm not worried as that would be such a small amount.
 
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AndyCBR

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Jun 22, 2014
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396
Location
Baton Rouge, LA
MeNeedGarage said:
I'm looking for information/experience with recycled concrete. I need to fill an area to facilitate a concrete pad.

Does anybody have an opinion on the use of recycled concrete? Does it need to be compacted? Is it possible that the recycled concrete might have something in it that's not desirable? (I don't know what that might be, it's just a thought). What other products would you use for fill?
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Around here you can get crushed concrete that meets 610 specs for road base.

It works great but does need to be compacted just like a limestone base would be using the same methods.

We use it a lot for temporary construction drives during the job. When it gets wet the fines consolidate and it makes a very hard base.

No downsides that I am aware of and it is likely as clean as any fill material you can buy.
 
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southalabama

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Jan 10, 2011
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Location
Brewton AL
I've got a drive made with recycled concrete. Drive is down a slope and gravel wouldn't work.

This was run through a crusher and sorted. A magnet was supposed to have pulled out any metals.

Only thing I've ever found in it was small piece of plastic.

They used it in a parking lot as base before asphalt. They ran a roller over it. Mine is on a drive so I've just driven on it. It's compacted pretty good.
 
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JimVonBaden

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Dec 2, 2011
Messages
15,716
Location
Northern Virginia
MeNeedGarage said:
I'm looking for information/experience with recycled concrete. I need to fill an area to facilitate a concrete pad.

Does anybody have an opinion on the use of recycled concrete? Does it need to be compacted? Is it possible that the recycled concrete might have something in it that's not desirable? (I don't know what that might be, it's just a thought). What other products would you use for fill?
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Works great!

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Moss

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Dec 21, 2013
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148
Location
Ontario Canada
I used it as a base for my 24x58 slab. Had a very deep hole to fill as well. I packed it like crazy with a diesel plate packer and it was perfect. I used it for the driveway in front as well. It's so much less expensive here.
 
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AndyCBR

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Jun 22, 2014
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Location
Baton Rouge, LA
MeNeedGarage said:
If I need to compact it, what's the process for doing this. Do I put down 6" compact, add 6"? or can I put down 18" and compact it? Isn't crushed rock 90% compact, therefore needing minimal compaction?
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Place it in lifts. The heavier your compaction device the thicker you can go per lift. If all you have is walk behind plate packer I would do 6-8 inch lifts. If you have a riding vibratory smooth drum roller you can go thicker.

The particle size is not uniform and you need the vibratory action to force the fines to settle in the void spaces.

A few types of gravel are 100% self compacting (pea gravel, some graded limestones, etc.) but they are very expensive as base.
 
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AndyCBR

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Jun 22, 2014
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Baton Rouge, LA
Yes, mother nature's compaction tools (time and moisture) will yield the same effect.

Some vehicle traffic will accelerate the process.
 
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reader2580

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Dec 31, 2014
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14,516
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Class 5 recycle is slightly more expensive than regular class 5 from most places locally. There is one place that sells the recycle really cheap probably because make it themselves. Their final price with delivery is less money even though the distance is three times as much!

It was recommended to me for a driveway or parking that recycle is better because the dust in regular class 5 turns to mud in the spring as the ground thaws.
 
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Moss

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Dec 21, 2013
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Location
Ontario Canada
You can leave it to compact on it's own but I wouldn't rely on that myself. It wasn't expensive to rent a big plate packer. They delivered it and picked it up and I don't think it even cost me 100 bucks. I did 6" lifts. It was easy to operate (had reverse that helped) it was nothing like the jumping jack I used to compacted the back fill. That thing wasn't fun!
 
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Moss

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Dec 21, 2013
Messages
148
Location
Ontario Canada
MeNeedGarage said:
Is this marketing hype: http://cretecrush.net/concrete-recycling-sacramento/sacramento-crushed-concrete/

Is there a standard for crushed concrete? What is class 5 as mentioned by reader2580?
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I'm certainly no expert but if it's just simply recycled concrete like it is here. I Don't think you have to over think it. It's exactly what you would think it is. It's way cheaper here. Especially if you buy it right from the places that recycle (crush it). It looks and acts just like crushed stone. I'd just go for it ...well I already did!
 
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Moss

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Dec 21, 2013
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Ontario Canada
I do too, that's how I know! I already over thought it. I had a hole about 4'Dx12'Lx20'W when I dug for my shop. I used it to fill it back in and it worked really well. It was a lot more lifts and packing of course because it was deep. It would have cost me so much to fill the whole with fancy stone and then just pour concrete on it! There were a few random things in it like a piece of plastic or brick very rarely and randomly. It didn't bother me at all. I've seen new home basements with plastic water bottles all thrown around from lazy workers that are way worse.
 
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GRivera

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Mar 27, 2017
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529
Location
20 mins south of Baltimore
when using a recycled concrete as as stone base for a driveway, say RC-57, will the porosity of the concrete have the potential to degrade over time versus virgin lime stone?
 
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6768rogues

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Nov 28, 2007
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Western NY
Here we can sometimes get stuff that is cleaned out of concrete trucks (referred to above as washout). It is small in size and works great. Yes, it needs to be compacted. A friend used it as a base for his 40x60 barn years ago and the floor is still perfect. They will deliver it for the cost of delivery. I would use it or crushed concrete without a second thought.
 
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finn

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Mar 27, 2005
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16,193
Location
The UP, God's country
I've got it in my driveway, primarily because it was cheap.

No complaints other than it's not as nice looking as crushed mine rock.
 
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tomralph

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Dec 16, 2016
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105
Location
Colorado Front Range
I put 160 tons under the slab for my pole barn and ~4" for the large parking pad next to it... I did it in ~4" lifts with a plate compactor, then a roller for the last compaction. Then lots of snow melt and rain. It was damn tough to dig out for the vertical insulation and conduit under it.

I would use it again, compacts great and is damn cheap. $8/ton here v. $45/ton for other 'rock' the landscape places sell.
 
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Matt Matt

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May 11, 2017
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523
Location
Ontario
Every year we order about 20 yd.³ for a common Lane (1.5 miles). We lay it down loose and let the cars and mother nature take care of the rest. It runs through a marsh and farmers fields. About a dozen years ago we tried recycled asphalt. At 5 times the price with only a two year run, It wasn't worth it. I've used recycled concrete for remixing (with a touch of sand) and compacting floating slabs, with great results. It is a great base with the price better than crushed limestone.
 
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TractorJeff

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Dec 8, 2013
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Location
Elkhorn, WI
My neighbor got 2 to 3 inch size put down and compacted in his pole building. Then they came back with the 3/4 and smaller grade to level over that and compacted. They poured 4 inches of concrete for the floor and it never cracked. His yard is much poorer as far as soil type for drainage. Point is we are farther North than Central Indiana.
 
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theoldwizard1

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Feb 22, 2011
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43,100
Location
SE MI
TractorJeff said:
My neighbor got 2 to 3 inch size put down and compacted in his pole building. Then they came back with the 3/4 and smaller grade to level over that and compacted. They poured 4 inches of concrete for the floor and it never cracked. His yard is much poorer as far as soil type for drainage.
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This is an EXCELLENT way of building up a pad ! Depending on how high above grade you are going to go, you may need some type of a "wall" to prevent the base from shifting out.
 
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