Inadequate concrete footers for EG4 Brightmount

[cdsolar]

This thread started out with the Bright Mount. The instructions do cover concrete. Sense I do have 3 of these types of mounts I can say they are very nice for the price rage of them how ever the complete system weight is around 100 lbs, holds 4 large panels with a total weight around 300 lbs. At 90 MP wind, any thing is possible. Your talking about tornado force wind. I like to be able to move mine around or inside the barn if bad weather is on it's way. The cost for my mount is reduced and is not permanent. Here in OH, any thing permanently affixed to the ground is considered a structure and is taxed accordingly to the SQ FT on your RE taxes you pay every year. I think the concrete pillars in my case would be best used with a hook in each to cable down my trailer frame if pored flush to the ground.

We just dug a trench for the brightmount, and used 4 sonotubes with poured concrete instead of blocks. We went down to frost depth and 18 in.above ground. 54 cubic feet of concrete total. The brightmount docs say nothing about frost depth, but I thought that would be good to have.

More expensive than I thought, but having a company pour it for me was only 234$ more than me and my wife getting quickrete at home Depot and doing it ourselves. Next, build the array....

 

[hwy17]

I'm in the middle of my install with 8" 4' sonotubes now, about 2.5' into the ground. No frost depth here.

I'm quite happy with the sonotube structures, but after getting two poured with bags I realized Home Depot had plain steel anchor bolts in the galvanized bin.

Does anyone have any ideas for how to protect the plain steel? The other option is to pull these two sonotubes and redo them.

Rustoleum has a "cold galvanizing spray" but I'm skeptical. What about some kind of thick epoxy coating or something?

I will get a refund and galvanized anchors for the other 6 tubes I still have to pour.

 

[Farm Boy]

I'm in the middle of my install with 8" 4' sonotubes now, about 2.5' into the ground. No frost depth here.

I'm quite happy with the sonotube structures, but after getting two poured with bags I realized Home Depot had plain steel anchor bolts in the galvanized bin.

Does anyone have any ideas for how to protect the plain steel? The other option is to pull these two sonotubes and redo them.

Rustoleum has a "cold galvanizing spray" but I'm skeptical. What about some kind of thick epoxy coating or something?

I will get a refund and galvanized anchors for the other 6 tubes I still have to pour.

I wonder how many 40 pound bags of concrete it takes to fill 1- 4'x8" sonotube , do you know? I was thinking of doing the same thing on a few.

 

[hwy17]

I wonder how many 40 pound bags of concrete it takes to fill 1- 4'x8" sonotube , do you know? I was thinking of doing the same thing on a few.

The manufacturer guides told me 4 60lb bags but I'm filling them with 3 and some left over. I'm probably not getting ideal compaction but they're definitely on the safe side. I'm vibrating the exposed portion a little bit with an empty sawzall pressed against the side of it.

So they would say 6 40lb bags but I say 4 or 5.

https://www.quikrete.com/pdfs/data_sheet-quiktube.pdf

It also depends if you have a void under the tube. Since I didn't auger them to precise depth I pulled the tubes up to level them leaving an average of 4" void. If these were structural you'd want to fill that void with concrete but I don't think the weight bearing is significant so I filled in the void with scavenged gravel dust from my driveway. So my fill amounts are exactly just the sonotube with no extra under.

I recommend considering name brand sonotubes. I got the Sakrete cardboard ones from Home Depot but I read the name brand ones are a lot more moisture resistance and come with a pull string to strip them off.

 

[RV8R]

I wonder how many 40 pound bags of concrete it takes to fill 1- 4'x8" sonotube , do you know? I was thinking of doing the same thing on a few.

That is an easy calculation;

I will work that out & post it here 4 U;




About 5 bags if 40lbs.


The amount of cubic feet in a bag might vary slightly by Manufacturer ,,, but that should be close.

 

[hwy17]

There we go, 4.56 40lb bags lines up precisely with my experience with 60lb bags.

 

[RV8R]

I'm in the middle of my install with 8" 4' sonotubes now, about 2.5' into the ground. No frost depth here.

I'm quite happy with the sonotube structures, but after getting two poured with bags I realized Home Depot had plain steel anchor bolts in the galvanized bin.

Does anyone have any ideas for how to protect the plain steel? The other option is to pull these two sonotubes and redo them.

Rustoleum has a "cold galvanizing spray" but I'm skeptical. What about some kind of thick epoxy coating or something?

I will get a refund and galvanized anchors for the other 6 tubes I still have to pour.

So ,,, It depends upon the pain factor ?

So You wet doweled a steel bolt(s)?

If so, I think I would just tend to use the Rustoleum ,,, the embedded bolt is already in the concrete so ?‍. Bridges around here use epoxy coated rebar, but you are really only going to be able to get at the exposed part of the bolt.

 

[Jim in Florida]

Something to consider if you are using the anchor bolts that come with the BrightMount system. They are 10mm and directions are to drill 1/2” hole. It’s a loose fit, I switched out to 1/2” x 5” wedge anchor bolts.

 

[hwy17]

So You wet doweled a steel bolt(s)?

Yeah exactly. "L" bolts like you use for the sill plate anchors on a foundation.

I'm mostly worried about the threads rusting off. The rebar in my sonotubes is uncoated too, so this was never a 50 year footer anyway. I applied concrete patch around the bolt base to try and limit water intrusion into the embedded part of the bolt.

 

[RV8R]

Yeah exactly. "L" bolts like you use for the sill plate anchors on a foundation.

I'm mostly worried about the threads rusting off. The rebar in my sonotubes is uncoated too, so this was never a 50 year footer anyway. I applied concrete patch around the bolt base to try and limit water intrusion into the embedded part of the bolt.

I would not worry too much about it;

Just use the Rustoleum & “Forgett About It”

Nothing is perfect in construction. Not to say a person shouldn’t do the best they can, but I would not dwell on such a small issue.

 

[hwy17]

Not to say a person shouldn’t do the best they can, but I would not dwell on such a small issue.

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance building stuff.

Thank you, I agree, I will buy the can, spray it on, and move on with life.

 

[Balrog006]

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance building stuff.

Thank you, I agree, I will buy the can, spray it on, and move on with life.

Maintenance is a thing, wire brush and reapply if necessary down the road-completely doable.

 

[cdsolar]

I wonder how many 40 pound bags of concrete it takes to fill 1- 4'x8" sonotube , do you know? I was thinking of doing the same thing on a few.

Volume of cylinder: Area of base * height.

Diameter of base is 8 in. Radius r is
4in is 1/3 ft.
Area of base = π*r*r = 3.14*(1/3)*(1/3)
= .349 sq ft.

Volume = .349*4 = 1.396 cubic ft.

Quickrete: .6 cubic feet per 80lb bag.

1.396/.6= 2.327 or 3 80 lb bags. Check the ratio for smaller bags for less waste and recompute.

 

[Farm Boy]

There we go, 4.56 40lb bags lines up precisely with my experience with 60lb bags.

I was being lazy, when I asked "Thanks"

That is an easy calculation;

I will work that out & post it here 4 U;


View attachment 173049

About 5 bags if 40lbs.


The amount of cubic feet in a bag might vary slightly by Manufacturer ,,, but that should be close.

They do look better on the concrete but I do have a different method going one here. Thanks.

 

[RV8R]

I was being lazy, when I asked "Thanks"


They do look better on the concrete but I do have a different method going one here. Thanks.

If you want to build a concrete ball ,,, 4/3 Pie Are Cubed ( 1/2 dome 50% ) ?