So, I got into a mood where I felt like working on my deck. [Background: it rises every winter. It has snapped all but one piling; that is the one piling that kicks up. I started last year to remove the broken pilings, then felt in over my head, so I dropped into onto the offending piling, with some jacks, and left it for the winter.]
I raised it slightly, removed the offending support, lowered it over six inches to get it level again. Then I dug down where one of the pilings used to be; I had dug out most of it already. I removed the remains of one piling, ignoring the other two (prior owner indicated to me that he had the same problem--I think there has been three in this one spot) as they were mostly out of the way. Then I went to the hardware store for tubes and quickcrete and rebar.
They didn't have 4' rebar, just 10' and 20'. The guys there said to cut 'em in half and hammer them in. First mistake: after hammering them in, I think they all hit the same rock or something, as they wound up in the same spot, not spread out in a nice triangle. I should have cut to 4' lengths, and not hammered them in.
Second mistake: I set the tube a couple inches low, as I had read the tip was to pull the tube up and let the concrete out. Apparently... you do that first, then fill. I wound up with a mess instead. The tub sank deeper into the ground the more I pulled. I don't get how it did that; I can see the cardboard disintegrating, but all the concrete ran out too.
In the end it was one big failure. I have no idea how I'm going to pull this out. Maybe bend the remaining rebar over, then yank with the truck? Not sure yet. Maybe I can just bend the rebar over, to make hooks, and put a cut down section of 12" tube around it, at the proper height? [Rip out all the 8" tube of course, add some more rebar, etc.]
I knew I was in over my head. Seemed like such a simple job...
I raised it slightly, removed the offending support, lowered it over six inches to get it level again. Then I dug down where one of the pilings used to be; I had dug out most of it already. I removed the remains of one piling, ignoring the other two (prior owner indicated to me that he had the same problem--I think there has been three in this one spot) as they were mostly out of the way. Then I went to the hardware store for tubes and quickcrete and rebar.
They didn't have 4' rebar, just 10' and 20'. The guys there said to cut 'em in half and hammer them in. First mistake: after hammering them in, I think they all hit the same rock or something, as they wound up in the same spot, not spread out in a nice triangle. I should have cut to 4' lengths, and not hammered them in.
Second mistake: I set the tube a couple inches low, as I had read the tip was to pull the tube up and let the concrete out. Apparently... you do that first, then fill. I wound up with a mess instead. The tub sank deeper into the ground the more I pulled. I don't get how it did that; I can see the cardboard disintegrating, but all the concrete ran out too.
In the end it was one big failure. I have no idea how I'm going to pull this out. Maybe bend the remaining rebar over, then yank with the truck? Not sure yet. Maybe I can just bend the rebar over, to make hooks, and put a cut down section of 12" tube around it, at the proper height? [Rip out all the 8" tube of course, add some more rebar, etc.]
I knew I was in over my head. Seemed like such a simple job...