Sonotube questions Please respond if you know

stevenf · Nov 11, 2004

I posted a prior post about using RR Ties and the majority of the folks here seem to think BAD Idea. OK numerous folks indicated that they had used sonotube for piers so my questions are fairly simple. My first thought was to stake out the house mark all the holes start from one end and go back and forth drilling as the tractor will be fairly large, I'm drilling in rock and don't want to have to go back and dodge prior drilled holes like driving thru a mine field. Drill down I don't know 2 to 3 feet with a 12" auger then bell out the bottoms as best I can with a digging bar support some rebar in the hole (no steel touching ground) have a few rebars stick up a foot or so and pour the footers after they cured put the sonotube on top level and brace mark all sonotubes to be level by shooting with a transom or lazer and fill them with concrete to level.
Someone posted that he thought I could pour footing and sonotube all at once how would I go about forming up the sonotube unless maybe it was sitting on top of the footing steel but that doesn't seem right as the the top of the footer would have the steel sticking out or the sonotube encased in the concrete footer. Any Ideas? I have got 55 of these to do, it will be for a one story house unless I weaken as the wife would really like a loft I just don't think I've got the energy to do another floor along with all the mechanical headaches and bathroom upstairs and all. I say honey we got 350 acres lets just make a bigger footprint and add whatever rooms you want down here so next week when I'm old I won't have to climb them darn stairs.

bgott · Nov 12, 2004

They make plastic footing forms that go on the bottom of the sonotubes. I think you need to dig the hole big enough to set the form down in the hole, though. Maybe you can pour the footings in place and then set the sonotube on top of them.

scout180 · Nov 12, 2004

Here's a link to Sunoco that covers the tube footings:
Click here for link

EDIT: I made the link shorter. MR.

wroughtn_harv · Nov 12, 2004

Most of your pier foundation repair contracts contain the phrase "drill hole to X amount of feet or rock, whichever comes first."

I'd dig the holes to rock, clean out the hole best as possible, then slip in the sonotube, and then put in the rebar.

JJT · Nov 12, 2004

Why use sonotubes? Unless your digging in sand that caves in, I'd skip the tubes, (or only use the tubes for the portion of the pier that is above ground).

I 100% agree with Harvey, if you hit stone, you can stop digging. You cannot get a better footer than bedrock.

MaineGuy · Nov 12, 2004

Have you thought about using hydraulically driven steel piers? A guy I work with built a room addition using this system. Steel piers are put in the ground deep enough to hit ledge. No pouring needed and they are adjustable. My friend told me it was less expensive than pouring footers and piers.

Jimbrown · Nov 12, 2004

Well I do not know if this is the right way but when I built my RV shed and horse stalls I did it this way. I dug the holes then I put the sonotube about 8 to 10 inches into the hole. That way i filled the whole hole with concrete and still had a nice round pier at the top.

johnday · Nov 12, 2004

JJT; Because frost will grab hold of the rough edges and heave your pour. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

btolle · Nov 12, 2004

Sonotube is made of heavy cardboard. You can set the sonotube on the bottom of the hole or put a wedge between the sonotube and the wall of the hole to hold it in place, cut it off at the height you want for the finished elevation of the piers. Then drop your rebar into the hole and use a pice of scrap rebar across the top of the sonotube to hold the rebar in place.

Caution: Make sure the sonotube is held in place very well. Keep in mind that a concrete truck will "shoot" the concrete into it at an angle and if the tubes are not steady they will be knocked sideways very easily.

Then pour the concrete to the top of the sonotube. After it sets up you can remove the cross piece of rebar you used to hold the rebar in place and you are done.

My objection to pouring footings and setting the rebar on top and then pouring the piers is you will have a "cold joint" in the pier where moisture is subject to entering. If it gets to the rebar the rebar will rust and heave upward. The cold joint will be a weak spot in the pour and it will make it easier for the rested rebar to heave.

I have seen rusted 1/2" thick steel plate heave 1/4" or more.

In industrial construction cold joints are not allowed because they are weak and allow entry of water into the joint.

You might want to consider hiring a concrete contractor to install the piers. He will make quick work of it and I doubt it will cost you that much more than doing it yourself. If you get a concrete truck on site and run into leaning sonotubes or other problems the concrete company will start charging you time after the truck is there for more than 30 or 45 minutes. In addittion, concrete that sits in the truck too long starts setting up, the driver may have to add water to keep it from setting up in the truck, and your finished concrete will be weaker than it should be.

Bill Tolle

stevenf · Nov 12, 2004

btolle, my sad story why I'm doing it myself is the tuesday after labor day my concrete guy started delivering forms he was going to pour me a perimeter beam and all the sonotube piers he made two big loads on tuesday and one wednesday morning then the building company that he has worked for in the winter for the last 10 year starting in NOV and ending in May each year called and gave him until that friday to be on the job and ready to form up. I've used him forever and we have a good relationship but he called me and appologized but said he had to go now or lose all of his winter work. He picked it all up thursday and I'm left with the task of somehow not only building the entire house singlehandedly but doing the foundation as well. So I ordered a M9000 to help with the heavy stuff and as soon as its ready to go I'm building a house from the ground up electrical, plumbing the whole banana and I still have a regular 60 hour a week job aah its great to be young, yea right and broke to.