So I had to bring in fill for my 20' x 32' pole building. The fill is approximately 6" in front and 30" along the rear of the building. Do I wait until next spring to pour a floor or do it now? Settling ya know?
Concrete floor now or wait?
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SPIKER
Elite Member
that much fill it should have been compacted in 6" or less lifts. if not then wait for sure.
Mark
Mark
LD1
Epic Contributor
I too would probabally wait. That doesnt look like good high quality clay like we have here. That looks more like top-soil, light and fluffy if ya know what I mean. I'd let it settle real good. When I did my fill, It was all good clay, and driving over it several times while continuing to add, it was pleanty compacted to concrete right away. But with what you have, play it safe and wait. concrete is expensive
Uncle Wayne
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Think I'd wait and give it time to settle.
crazyal
Super Member
Last year I had to build up one corner of my garage about that much. I compacted it well and used crusher run with the fines. For the last 4 inches I went with washed stone so any water under the slab could drain out easily. I had no problems. If you don't think your fill is compacted as much as it should be I would wait. I would also try and get grass growing on the sides so it doesn't wash away.
davygp38
Gold Member
Definitely wait. My neighbor widened part of his driveway near a ditch prior to paving, without compacting it. That part of the driveway is now cracked and crumbling due to settling.
I leveled the bank-run gravel (fill) with my 2320 as the guy brought it and packed it the best I could as I was spreading it and while waiting for the next load. After I was done it rained for about 4 weeks total of about 8 inches. When they came in to install the posts there was very little compaction from the truck. My gut tells me to wait. The guy doing the concrete said I would be fine to do it now.
Last edited:
oldnslo
Super Member
Do you trust the concrete guy?
Built a garage several years ago with about 36" of fill on the one end. Combination of lime stone, sand for majority of the fill. Took two years of driving on this for it to quit settling. Been twelve years now and no cracks in concrete.
LOL! Right or wrong I actually I value the opinions on this forum more.
Thank you.
Egon
Epic Contributor
If the site is properly drained and the fill was properly compacted concrete can be applied at any time. 
If it wasn't the concrete may suffer no matter how long the area is left.
If it wasn't the concrete may suffer no matter how long the area is left.
Deere Dude
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On an attached garage I put in about 4 feet of crushed stone only and and where it hooks to the house maybe 6-7' of crushed stone. I just ran a 1000# roller around it with my garden tractor and poured it in a few weeks. 6 years and no cracks. I heard crushed stone doesn't settle out like gravel with sand or dirt in it and that seems to be the case with me. I wouldn't have wasted the money on it if it wasn't for a hoe operater that had to fill a pit for a huge punch press that had to be cemented. He said there is hardly any compaction with that.
boggen
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i would say "wait"
when looking at tractor, to me, it looks like a smaller size SCUT or CUT. and to me without a full heaping bucket of dirt in the FEL. and using front tires. i am going to guess you did not do much compaction. exception maybe first couple inches of dirt on top. and even with full bucket of dirt and using front tires to compact. you may of only compacted just a little bit more.
also when looking at pictures ((see edited pictures)) you only compacted from one direction. looks like loose gravel in one picture, while rest of the gravel were you been driving has been compacted pretty good.
also you have loose un compacted dirt sides. and you only compacted in one direction. vs running tractor clear across and down each side. and then coming back over and going in a perpendicular direction. which leads me to believe, you do not have a lot of compaction going on beyond first couple inches.
it is fairly easy to create a "hard pan" first couple inches of dirt. and all the dirt below it to be not very well compacted at all. which can lead to good amount of settling and possibly a good amount of frost heave till things settle a fair amount.
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with your original question wait till next spring to put in a concrete floor.
when looking at tractor, to me, it looks like a smaller size SCUT or CUT. and to me without a full heaping bucket of dirt in the FEL. and using front tires. i am going to guess you did not do much compaction. exception maybe first couple inches of dirt on top. and even with full bucket of dirt and using front tires to compact. you may of only compacted just a little bit more.
also when looking at pictures ((see edited pictures)) you only compacted from one direction. looks like loose gravel in one picture, while rest of the gravel were you been driving has been compacted pretty good.
also you have loose un compacted dirt sides. and you only compacted in one direction. vs running tractor clear across and down each side. and then coming back over and going in a perpendicular direction. which leads me to believe, you do not have a lot of compaction going on beyond first couple inches.
it is fairly easy to create a "hard pan" first couple inches of dirt. and all the dirt below it to be not very well compacted at all. which can lead to good amount of settling and possibly a good amount of frost heave till things settle a fair amount.
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with your original question wait till next spring to put in a concrete floor.
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Egon
Epic Contributor
If there is frost heaving it's a different process than compaction. Water and soil type.
Boggen, WOW! LOL, Cool!
Thanks
To All,
I guess I will wait until spring. Heck I've waited 20 years for the building what's another few months. I really appreciate all the input not to mention your answers were not a simple "wait" but you all took the time to add comments. :thumbsup:
So I will put down a few inches of crusher run and call it a day until spring.
Thanks
To All,
I guess I will wait until spring. Heck I've waited 20 years for the building what's another few months. I really appreciate all the input not to mention your answers were not a simple "wait" but you all took the time to add comments. :thumbsup:
So I will put down a few inches of crusher run and call it a day until spring.
arsenix2001
Platinum Member
Letting nature settle it can take years depending on soil type. Even if it settles concrete weight alone will settle it more and your deep end will settle more than the shallow side and then "crack". If it were my house, i would be digging it back out and recompacting it with a small walkbehind sheepsfoot roller in 6" lifts. Consider using sonotube piers to undisturbed grade tied into your slab steel. Run some number 4 bar in that wire mesh to be safe, cant over do it. That is the correct thing to do, albiet a pita but it will give you a suitable base for years.
CurlyDave
Elite Member
In may cases, the concrete guy will offer the advice that gets him paid ASAP rather than the advice that gets you the best job.
* * * * *
Rent a plate compactor for a day and go over it as many times as you can in a day.
Neither one of these trucks hardly left any marks so I don't really believe all that is necessary. The outriggers on the drill truck were just fine also. The fill was packed fairly well when putting it down. The 12 Yard dump truck was on the pad a lot also, with a load on as planned. The sides of the pad not so much but the pad was made considerably bigger for that reason. However the plan was/is to use a plate compactor, the guy who delivered the fill has one I can use any time I want, and I have before.
I'm still going to wait until spring. So many people on this forum, they can't all be wrong. Thanks again to all.
boggen
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it can be rather amazing at times for me. i could swear i had everything nice and compacted even with using the 555c TLB. i can still get a descent amount of settling in areas.
it tends to be much easier to see settling, when you dig a trench with a backhoe. and a year later, you can see low spots. more so right after a heavy rain or during a heavy rain. you can see little ponds of water. just from things settle over the last year.
granted i am no PRO. be have learned the hard way. that any time i have to deal with loose material and have to compact it. that i should wait a year and at that later time expect to do a little more filling in with some dirt in low spots. every time i look on this farm or other folks properties. i can almost guess and confirm were i see cracked concrete drive ways, major cracks in paved drive ways, cracks in concrete floors. that they didn't allow for settling to happen. granted here in central, IL we see all seasons pretty good, extreme heat to extreme cold and wet weather in spring and in fall. with heavy snow in winters.
i always read 6" fill then compact then another 6" fill then compact. but for me, around here it is more like 4" fill then compact when using a hand stamper, and if 555c TLB then perhaps 7 to 8" fill then compact. and hopefully some rain between a couple layers or a sprinkle from a garden hose to wet things down some to help compaction. it really does not matter if it is clay dirt, or crusher run rock driveway, or sand, it seems about the same for me. i could be in a high dry spot on top of a hill or low wet spot or in between. and just a few feet difference in any spot can mean little setting to a lot of settling.
if i do no compaction what so ever. *ughs* it is a nightmare situation. if i want to drive over a given spot. and can quickly create a pot hole that turns into a mud hole that turns quickly into a "well poo need another tractor or vehicle to get unstuck. and fixing the area tends to be re-digging everything back out. and taking time to make sure i do a good compaction of everything as i slowly fill things back in. then give it a year to settle. and then do final adding of dirt in spots here and there if need be.
along with, if i do not do a very good compaction of things. when i go to re dig things back out. the dirt is much more heavier and wetter (due to extra water is being held within the dirt) i can tell there is more frost heave in winter also if i drive over this area in winter. before fixing it. due to there are more small speed bumps (for lack of better term) and low spots that suddenly show up once it starts getting colder. not due to driving over area and creating pot holes / mud holes. but just from frost heave. and not compacting the spot like i should have.
it is kinda a pain trying to learn how to compact things good. due to it can take up to a year to see results and perhaps longer for say a concrete floor / concrete driveway. to see full extent of settling. though generally after a year. majority of settling has occurred at least for me. and after the year, for me it is more about making sure i have correct slope and correct way to control were run off water goes. to keep wash outs from happening. and lesson amount of frost heave has on buildings and driveway.
it tends to be much easier to see settling, when you dig a trench with a backhoe. and a year later, you can see low spots. more so right after a heavy rain or during a heavy rain. you can see little ponds of water. just from things settle over the last year.
granted i am no PRO. be have learned the hard way. that any time i have to deal with loose material and have to compact it. that i should wait a year and at that later time expect to do a little more filling in with some dirt in low spots. every time i look on this farm or other folks properties. i can almost guess and confirm were i see cracked concrete drive ways, major cracks in paved drive ways, cracks in concrete floors. that they didn't allow for settling to happen. granted here in central, IL we see all seasons pretty good, extreme heat to extreme cold and wet weather in spring and in fall. with heavy snow in winters.
i always read 6" fill then compact then another 6" fill then compact. but for me, around here it is more like 4" fill then compact when using a hand stamper, and if 555c TLB then perhaps 7 to 8" fill then compact. and hopefully some rain between a couple layers or a sprinkle from a garden hose to wet things down some to help compaction. it really does not matter if it is clay dirt, or crusher run rock driveway, or sand, it seems about the same for me. i could be in a high dry spot on top of a hill or low wet spot or in between. and just a few feet difference in any spot can mean little setting to a lot of settling.
if i do no compaction what so ever. *ughs* it is a nightmare situation. if i want to drive over a given spot. and can quickly create a pot hole that turns into a mud hole that turns quickly into a "well poo need another tractor or vehicle to get unstuck. and fixing the area tends to be re-digging everything back out. and taking time to make sure i do a good compaction of everything as i slowly fill things back in. then give it a year to settle. and then do final adding of dirt in spots here and there if need be.
along with, if i do not do a very good compaction of things. when i go to re dig things back out. the dirt is much more heavier and wetter (due to extra water is being held within the dirt) i can tell there is more frost heave in winter also if i drive over this area in winter. before fixing it. due to there are more small speed bumps (for lack of better term) and low spots that suddenly show up once it starts getting colder. not due to driving over area and creating pot holes / mud holes. but just from frost heave. and not compacting the spot like i should have.
it is kinda a pain trying to learn how to compact things good. due to it can take up to a year to see results and perhaps longer for say a concrete floor / concrete driveway. to see full extent of settling. though generally after a year. majority of settling has occurred at least for me. and after the year, for me it is more about making sure i have correct slope and correct way to control were run off water goes. to keep wash outs from happening. and lesson amount of frost heave has on buildings and driveway.
