Posted: 2/25/2011 8:17:22 PM EDT
|
I have a fence corner that popped out due to my tightening of barbed wire too tight. I'm going to cut the wire and have to dig a bigger hole to reset the corner with more cement.
Question, the lows right now are about 15-20f and the highs are 35-45f. Is that too cold to pour cement? It will have weeks to dry but am I better off just waiting till it warms or do those temps not matter? |
|
Quoted:
I would try to de-frost area by putting down salt hay and cover till ground is easy to dig around post [no frost] Pour cement with addition of calcium chloride in mixing water Re-cover with salt hay and cover wait about two days salt will weaken the concrete it will crumble with just a flick of the finger,concrete will go dormant at 40 degrees if you must do it now use hot water, baking soda does the same thing as CC, you will want to cover it and heat it for several days a couple light bulbs will generate enough heat to keep it from freezing <––––––-cement finisher for many many years |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would try to de-frost area by putting down salt hay and cover till ground is easy to dig around post [no frost] Pour cement with addition of calcium chloride in mixing water Re-cover with salt hay and cover wait about two days salt will weaken the concrete it will crumble with just a flick of the finger,concrete will go dormant at 40 degrees if you must do it now use hot water, baking soda does the same thing as CC, you will want to cover it and heat it for several days a couple light bulbs will generate enough heat to keep it from freezing <––––––-cement finisher for many many years WHAT SALT 
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would try to de-frost area by putting down salt hay and cover till ground is easy to dig around post [no frost] Pour cement with addition of calcium chloride in mixing water Re-cover with salt hay and cover wait about two days salt will weaken the concrete it will crumble with just a flick of the finger,concrete will go dormant at 40 degrees if you must do it now use hot water, baking soda does the same thing as CC, you will want to cover it and heat it for several days a couple light bulbs will generate enough heat to keep it from freezing <––––––-cement finisher for many many years WHAT SALT I understand your using this to help defrost the ground but it can still leave a consentration if salt in the dirt and around the hole when backfilling or do I have RIF ...salt and hay... or is it some kind of hay thats called salt hay I have never heard of it but interesting 
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would try to de-frost area by putting down salt hay and cover till ground is easy to dig around post [no frost] Pour cement with addition of calcium chloride in mixing water Re-cover with salt hay and cover wait about two days salt will weaken the concrete it will crumble with just a flick of the finger,concrete will go dormant at 40 degrees if you must do it now use hot water, baking soda does the same thing as CC, you will want to cover it and heat it for several days a couple light bulbs will generate enough heat to keep it from freezing.. <––––––-cement finisher for many many years WHAT SALT I understand your using this to help defrost the ground but it can still leave a consentration if salt in the dirt and around the hole when backfilling or do I have RIF ...salt and hay... or is it some kind of hay thats called salt hay I have never heard of it but interesting When I started working on swimming pools 32 years ago during winterizing season we would get bails of hay sold as salt hay we would place in areas that had piping exposted to frezzing. My first boss was such a nut about it that any pool that was left empty for the winter had a 6 inch layer of salt hay spread around to prevent pool floor from heaving from frost . It got intresting in the spring when Skunks made their home in Kiddie pools  luckly never got skunked.
The leftover salt hay we would use whenwe poured concrete that didn't need a finish on it [footings, swimming pool caps ] and cover with tarps Today we use heat blankets to lock in the heat that concrete is producing while curing. SORRY IF POST HAS BEEN HI-JACKED 
shemin nurseries |
|
Quoted:
I have a fence corner that popped out due to my tightening of barbed wire too tight. I'm going to cut the wire and have to dig a bigger hole to reset the corner with more cement. You need to send guy wires down to ground level to react the tension in the barbed wire. You can just carry the barbed wire across the post and then angle it down to the ground. Tie it into a stake. Do this for both directions. This will insure your fence post doesn't have to bear that load. In that way it will not "pop out". |
|
Your problem isn't the concrete––it's the fact you tried to stretch against the post. Posts only hold UP the wire. Corners get two posts for each direction––one which acts as a brace and one that is the actual corner post. I'm sure I can find a pic––BRB.
Edit: Here's a pic that shows the idea–– Here's one that shows what most end up looking like in the real world–– Farm supply stores sell the braces and 9-gauge wire. The brace looks like this–– |
|
Quoted:
Ah, looks adequate. Are you pulling too hard? The ratcheting stretchers can REALLY pull the wire––and tighter than it needs to be. Yep that's what I did. I used one of those ratcheting strechers and pulled as tight as I could thinking barbed wire over time would loosen...it doesn't. Some guy told me the only time it will loosen is in you light your weeds on fire, the heat from that will loosen it. |
|
Set it deeper if you need that much tension. Concrete sets or cures, it doesn't dry. But if it freezes and the metal posts will conduct the heat away from the setting concrete faster, the concrete will have lower strength. And that post will pull out. Best bet is to wait until you have 24 hours above freezing, using warm water to mix the concrete. Yes, warmth speeds the cure. Unless you are willing to run heat out there and surround the post with Sonotube, putting a light bulb in there for heat should work fine. Cover the tube with a board. |