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Another Workshop Time Waster: 3000 Gallon Masonry Cistern

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vtsteam:
Seems we have not had two days straight without rain until day before yesterday when we finally got some drying weather. So yesterday morning at 7:00 A.M. bright I was at the door of a nearby building supply and picked up 6 bags of Portland cement. By 9 A.M. I was back and had a few tractor loads of sand and gravel by the mixer, hose and extension cord in place, wheel barrow and shovels, and I started mixing.

The pad is 6 inches deeep and 105 inches in diameter and i had figured I'd need about 30 cubic feet to fill -- a little over a yard -- of concrete to fill. I was using a strong mix of 1:2:3 and I'd estimated f1ve 94 pound bags of Portland would do it. I bought 6 just in case.

The form was just stips of masonite (hardboard) staked around and backfilled to hold in place. I had hoped to be done by 2:00 P.M. to see a performance by my daughter at circus camp. Hah! Yeh, right.....

This photo was taken when I realized I'd never make it.

vtsteam:
My wife brought me out a sandwich and water before she left for the performance. It was hot out, and muggy. The concrete was setting up as fast as I was putting it down.  I hardly stopped to eat. The mixer ran continuously all day -- quite a racket. When they both returned late in the afternoon, I was still at it. She asked if she could help. I said no, not really.... it's taking a lot longer thatn I planned

Gee you're halfway done she said! :dremel:

vtsteam:
By dinner time, I wasn't finished mixing and pouring either. She asked if she could bring me dinner, or did I want to just wait and re-heat it. I have to finish this, I said, so I better wait....

Finally at about 7:30 I poured my last load -- I had to use up all 6 bags of cement, and bring up many bucket loads of sand and gravel. I had exactly enough with the 6th bag to fill the form. Not an ounce too much -- I was getting worried toward the end. But it was done. Cleaning tools and mixer took me to 8:00 P.M. A look in the mirror showed me looked like a mud man. Completely gray with two bloodshot eyes poking out. I was one hurtin' puppy.

Probably a couple ton of concrete mixed and hand placed byt the time I was done, every shovel full, because I couldn't wheel around the form. The barrow wheel would press the fill in and distort the masonite form. Luckily I figured that out in the first five minutes before any real damage ocurred. But man, that was hard work, walking a shovel around and mixing alone.

I was happy to take a shower, eat, and go to bed. I think a yard of concrete is probably overdoing it for me these days! Not much when delivered by a mixer truck, but since they can't reach us here, I always pour my own.

awemawson:
Steve I feel your pain  :bugeye:

Several times in the last twelve months I've had jobs for concrete that are too small to get it shipped in mixed, and every time I vow 'never again' but don't learn !

The worst recent one was filling hollow brick pillars in those pig pens. It takes far more than you expect and in that case every bit had to be lifted to five foot high and poured carefully so not to mar the brickwork.

Back in my younger days I'd think nothing of hand mixing ( no mixer !) a cubic yard of concrete. No way can I do that now  :(

Old age is a hell of a price to pay for experience  :ddb:

Still your slab has come out nicely. Remind me is the concrete going to be water retaining or are you lining it all when you've built the sides?

PekkaNF:
I feel your pain!

Once I had to fix bathroom/washroom/sauna/WC and it had damaged floor. I had to pour the floor on one go and I had all prepartoins done in before hand. I had a small concrete mixer and to make things easier I ordereder those readymade bags of concrete (just add watter). I knew I could not do it all, therefore I called two frieds and my father to help me out. It was just about possible. One was using the whell barrow to bring the dry concrete into the mixer, one handling the mixer and wheeling the mixed concrete in, me showeling it and father compacting and leveling it. Took all day.

Once I desided to pave patio with cocrete tiles. I was rainy summer. I had all prep done and I had planned using two or three days to pave it. Weatherman said that only dry day in weeks would be "tommorow". I woke up at dawn, wife left to work, returned, fed me and sun had gone down when I had finished carrying and laying five pallets of concree tiles. I took a shower and drove a shop to get a beer. One diaper vandal jumpped the line and was being obnoxos and I was that tired that I even hadn't any smart cracks to it. I was sure tha if anything touches me I'll shatter.

Hope you are fine today and you don't feel suddenly very olod on the morning. If I did that I would sound like a bowl of serial.

Pekka

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