Sonotubes

   / Sonotubes #1  

Pettrix

Platinum Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
622
Location
High Desert Southwest
Has anyone poured/used a 12" diameter Finish Free Sonotube?

Looking to pour a column that is 10 feet tall and 12" in diameter and the Sonotube forms allow for a clean finish. I know bracing is vital as is vibrating but just wondering how difficult the process was and how well the removable forms worked?

Finish Free(R) - Sonotube
 
   / Sonotubes #2  
I don’t claim to be a concrete engineer but 10 feet tall seems like a lot to ask from a 12” column.
 
   / Sonotubes #3  
I've used precast columns several times with good success. Because they are circular, they are strong. The ones I used were hollow in the middle and carried a bunch of weight from a front porch roof. Might be less expensive to use those instead of pouring a solid concrete one, with yardage minimums, vibration rental, labor and hassle. A good lumber yard will have several to choose from depending on your application.

Just my 2¢.
 
   / Sonotubes #5  
I'm pretty sure a 10' vertical column is going to need more forming than a 3/8" cardboard tube.

This x2, A guy I know poured 6 foot tall tubes with "some" lumber bracing and it was a nightmare scenario with tubes leaning and even falling.
I saw it after the disaster so I don't know how much support the tubes actually had...beware:eek:
 
   / Sonotubes #7  
I calculated 1.16 cubic yards of concrete which is more like 4000 pounds if my math is correct.
 
   / Sonotubes #9  
Your correct. The formula is pi times the radius squared times the height. I used the diameter of 12 inches instead of 6 inches.
 
   / Sonotubes #10  
Your correct. The formula is pi times the radius squared times the height. I used the diameter of 12 inches instead of 6 inches.



A radius of 12" (24" diameter) gives you 4,200 pounds, or 52 80 pound bags.


But either way, I wouldn't consider it without extensive exterior bracing and a rebar cage to be embedded.
 

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