[TowerTalk] Grout ad nauseum

[Gary and Jane Nieborsky]

Sorry for late post....been on vacation teaching Boy Socuts ham radio at Boy
Scout Camp.......

I'll side with Hank......grout does zip for adding strength to tower
bases......free standing or otherwise.

Grout does two things;

1. Cosmetics.  Makes the base look nice and keeps garbage from collecting
underneath.

2. Keeps water out.  Depending on how the foundation was finished (convex
vs. concave) you can pool water underneath the base plate which will seep
down next to the anchor bolts.  Depending on your climate it will either
rust through the bolts or freeze and crack the concrete away from the bolts
which will weaken the foundation.

I would hesitate to buy a tower that required grouting if the expressed
reason was added strength.  How would you ever be sure that the grout was
uniformly spread under the plate?  What is the developed strength of the
grout?

Gary K7FR  P.E.




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