Need advice
 

Hey ya'll.. Im getting ready to start making my shop customized inside, but before i do, i need to fix the water problem that I have. My shop is 30' wide x 50' long. with a 18' door on each end. The problem is that when we get anything resembling a heavy rain, the water running off my driveway seeps under the front main door into the shop. So I want to build a small concrete ditch that runs the width of the front and just around the corner..

My concrete knowledge is limited to cementing in posts.. lol so I figure someone here has done some concrete work and can offer advice. I want the ditch to be about 6" deep, and 6-8" wide, and I have some expanded metal to put over it, so I can still drive across.

The best i can figure, is to get a little trackhoe, and dig about 12" wide and 12" deep.. but how can I make the sides of the concrete stand up? Am I making any sense?

Most auto shops have these, so when they wash the shop floor out, the water/junk goes thru the expanded metal into the ditch and away, instead of into their parkinglot..

you need someting like this :w2:

http://www.ndaviess.k12.in.us/elemsh...s/t039446a.jpg

:lol:

and look it has sheep already KC :tttt:



My concrete skills are about the same as yours, i would say you should build some type of frame to lay it in and make your form

this is what I was thinking.. but i dont know where to start except for digging the ditch .. lol

I used my awesome MS Paint skillz to make this.

:humm:

Dig ditch. Pour a slab in bottom with rebar sticking up on sides for your walls. Allow to cure overnight. Make a set of forms up that will make your walls, pour walls. Just like a minature basement. Or, make a U shaped form and pour all at once. That would be harder. If this is going to take a beating, you need about 4" thick walls with rebar, 6 sack concrete. I used to run concrete trucks, don't like the ground work though! Essential tip:
coat your forms with a combination of diesel and motor oil, mostly diesel. Otherwise will never come apart!:tttt:

Thanks for the tip.. that is somewhat close to what I was thinking.. but without the rebar.. is that essential? Will the concrete hold up without it?

the rebar gives it the tensional strength it needs to support the truck driving over it all the time.

the reason they use rebar is because it gives it strength and because its steel. steel has the same exact to the thousanth of a percentage on expansion and contraction rate as concrete, thats why they use it

I would do it 18 inches wide - you want concrete to be on the sides on past where the expanded metal is going for strength. Dig your ditch 12 in deep by 18 in wide. Get some 3/8 inch rebar and cut and bend to fit in ditch and up sides, make sure it don't stick up above concrete. Or you could have the concrete plant put fiber mess in the concrete unless you are going to be driving big rigs across it. Set some 2x4's in the ditch so the outside of the 2x4's are where you want the outside edges of the metal to sit when your done (make sure they are down the thickness of your metal so its at the same level as the concrete. Drive some 1x3 steaks in about every 18 inches and nail the 2x4's to the steaks at the right width and height. Call the local concrete company and tell them you want 1 yard of 3000# footing mud at a 4 inch slump. Call a couple of buddies, buy some beer and pour some mud. :U::U:

Oh yeah, give me a call if ya have any questions - done this kind of stuff my whole life!!
817-205-8525 Shawn :c:

Thanks very much bud. Dont be surprised if your phone rings up a 918 number sometime this week.. :w2:

Sounds simple enough though really.. I will see about getting the little trackhoe today.

Im not sure how wide you want the drain but oil up a old gutter and use that as a form.... should be plenty deep and it would be uniform... commercial 6" would work pretty good :humm:

Don't hesitate to call if you need it. If i'm in the middle of somethin you may have to leave a message but I will get right back with ya!!

don`t forget it must have slope or your going to have water sitting there
might also want to check local bylaws to make it legal
sucks when ya get everything done and some paper pusher comes from the city and says tear it out:w2:

Hey thats a good idea! Ive got about 60' of old gutter out behind the shop too! Thanks!


Good thinkin Kevin, but Im WAY outta city limits.. There is no codes or permits that I have to worry about. :U:

Yes you are going the right way. I have a 3in drop on my. This way it will jest about clean it self.

I have to say, those are some AWESOME skillz you got there.:lol88: