# Quikrete Fast Setting Drying for Supports



## ryanb4614 (Jul 27, 2011)

I am going to be putting sonotubes in the ground about 4 feet. I purchased Fast Setting Quikrete. This will be for a gable roof I am putting over my porch that is about 5x6 feet. I will be setting a J anchor in the tube so I can attach a bracket for the 6x6 post.

Some questions...
-How long do I have to wait before securing the 6x6 post?
-Will the J Anchor just set in the concrete, do I have to worry about it sinking or falling down? I was thinking of putting the bolt on it and tie a string around it to the stakes.??


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## Davejss (May 14, 2012)

Put the washer and nut on the anchor bolt. It won't sink. You should be able to attach your post the day after your pour. Just go real easy. Don't rack it or apply lateral pressure for a couple of days.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Why, when we all know that slow-dried concrete is stronger, and pros work hard to prolong the curing process, do we keep looking for products that claim to set up by the time we get back from lunch?


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## ryanb4614 (Jul 27, 2011)

Well here was my experience. Digging 4 feet down seemed like nothing until I did it! It took me a few hours. It was about 90 degrees today. I used the fast setting mix in my cement mixer. All was going good on the sonotube number 1, until I went to set the J Bolt in the concrete. The concrete was already getting to hard to push the bolt in. I started to dig out the concrete but it was getting to hard. So I cut the 10 inch J bolt. I will see if the concrete grips it hard enough, if not I will use a different anchor when the concrete dries. The concrete was drying to fast for the first tube. 

For the second tube all went well. Made the concrete mix more wet. J bolt went in no problem. Only issue is all the concrete in my mixer in between the batches is as hard as a rock and I cant break it loose. I am soaking it with water to hope it loosens it. If not I will let it dry and chisel it out :/... Right when I was done pouring the last tube it started to down pour so I covered the tubes with plastic. This was an experience, first time working with concrete.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Now think of the hours of work you have given yourself by using that junk.

Yes, if you had used regular concrete, you would have had some waiting time. Time you could have been watching a game on TV, drinking a nice cool one.

Now you get to spend the same time out there in the hot sun, beating on a mixer.

It really doesn't pay to try and reinvent the wheel.

BTW........... Very gutsy of you to admit all that. Maybe you had to learn a lesson, but I will say you sound like a pretty upstanding man through all of this.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

don't think this will be a HUGE issue but you might've created cold joints in your layers of concrete,,, this particular support should be 1 WHOLE PIECE OF CURED CONCRETE, NOT several pieces of cured concrete - 1 on top of the other held in place by gravity & a form.

then again, it might work well,,, all depends on where you live ( which no one knows 'cause you didn't bother to say something & let us know !


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

I don't think you'll have any trouble with it, as any cold joint would be in the compression,and the sonotube would help in that respect.

Rapid set should be poured at 5 or 6 inches of slump,and will set in 15 minutes and will have 3000 psi in an hour and a half or less,it's what the state requires when they have to patch the interstate and get traffic moving,they ordered that a lot in the hot months when portions of pavement would push themselves in an up right v.

Soaking your mixer with water will only increase the strength of the concrete get rid of it,your only hope now is an air hammer.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

nor do i foresee any problems w/disclaimer post'd above.

we were 1st contractors on a spall repair bid contract for nysdot - they spec'd rapid set but had never work'd w/it, either,,, we learned a lot & so did they as it was a ny 1st,,, as i recall, we hit 3,500psi in 1hr & 7,000psi @ 7d,,, i've never seen conc roadway blowups repr'd w/rapid set - just high early strength conc,,, usually the slabs are such a mess they can't be repaired to a sufficient strength - compressive OR flexural.

( btw, rapid set was developed for niet nam airfields to repair mortar holes in the ctr of runways )

woody's right - chipping gun - either air or elec,,, next time get help - that's tough on 1 guy 'cause you never get time for a cool 1 til you're done :laughing: then you're too whipped to enjoy it !


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

"i've never seen conc roadway blowups repr'd w/rapid set - just high early strength conc,,, usually the slabs are such a mess they can't be repaired to a sufficient strength"

Slab sections were removed and replaced,and traffic was back on it within 8 hours.



" chipping gun - either air or elec,,, next time get help - that's tough on 1 guy"

Our guy's would spend a whole day in a 10 yd. drum in the middle of summer, with a 15 min. break every hour,talk about being whipped at the end of the day.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

woody, a friend of mine had conc plants & trucks,,, 1 day, 1 of his drivers took the wrong route back to a plant & jamm'd his mix'r trk under a r/r overpass :furious: evidently that seem'd to be a good time to end his career as a trk operator,,, ever yr after that, when 1 of the drivers/plant personnel f'd up, bob haddem invest a dey chipping on that drum  he resolved many union discipline issues as i recall  that was 40 yrs ago & his son still does the same,,, btw, drum's still 1/2 full :laughing:


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

itsreallyconc said:


> woody, a friend of mine had conc plants & trucks,,, 1 day, 1 of his drivers took the wrong route back to a plant & jamm'd his mix'r trk under a r/r overpass :furious: evidently that seem'd to be a good time to end his career as a trk operator,,, ever yr after that, when 1 of the drivers/plant personnel f'd up, bob haddem invest a dey chipping on that drum  he resolved many union discipline issues as i recall  that was 40 yrs ago & his son still does the same,,, btw, drum's still 1/2 full :laughing:


 
I was in charge of 5 yards and 130 mixers,but when someone screwed up i couldn't put them in a drum union rules,our yard laborers did all the chipping, and i've had just about every kind of accident happen that could happen from fully loaded roll overs to one being hit by a passenger train,that buried the engineer up to his neck in wet concrete,so i know a little bit about how drums are cleaned, but boy what a nasty job that is.


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