Stan in Oly, WA
Well-known Member
Someone I consider knowledgeable on the subject of building concrete walls told me something I?d never heard before. We were talking about placing rebar in concrete forms. He said that where horizontal lengths of rebar overlap, it?s better if they aren?t wired together. He claimed that wiring rebar together in the forms is only to keep it from being moved out of position when the concrete is poured over it. In places where there is no danger of the rebar being moved by the concrete, the pour will be stronger when the pieces of rebar are not wired together than when they are. My first response was to reject this, but after giving it some thought I realized that I don?t actually know enough about it to have an educated opinion either way. I can?t honestly say that I have an educated reason for the way I pour concrete other than it?s the way I?ve always done it because it?s the way I?ve always seen it done. But I?m largely self-taught, and the small contractors I?ve worked with have also been largely self-taught, so maybe the only basis I have for the way I do it is habit. I wouldn?t mind being set straight, even though I hope I don?t have to pour much more concrete in this lifetime.
Stan
Stan