Deck Footings Question?

haskl33

I am putting in quite a large deck and have all my footing holes and fence post hole dug. I am ready to set the posts and sonotube footings for the deck.

My question is... it is supposed to storm heavily tomorrow after noon (3ish) and I wanted to know if pouring the footings and/or fence posts tomorrow would be a bad idea? Will the holes fill up with water and ruin the concrete? Should I wait till I have a window where the concrete will cure properly?

Any advice would be nice. I have a homeowner that is kind of pushy and if I can pour tomorrow then I will. Right now I feel it is not worth trying to and having to dig out all the footings (13 footings plus 15 fence posts).

John Hyatt

J.

Greg Di

I would wait. Depending on how much rain you get, bring a pump, because those holes will be full of water for a while.

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neolitic

Usually my choice is, I'd rather cover a hole
full of concrete than find a hole full of mud.

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cleveman

If you have a straw with a flexible end, you can suck all the water right out of those holes.

Danno6102

Pour 'em. Rains not going to hurt concrete. It's actually a little better for it, it won't let it cure as fast, making it stronger. When concrete cures too fast you get shrinkage cracking. That's why they cover concrete with plastic during cure, to retain the moisture. If you're really that worried about it, cover them with some plastic to keep the rain water off the tops.

Tom M

Guess no inspection needed.

AtlanticWBConst

That was also my thought exactly. You could also add accelerator if you are worried about "timing" on them. I'd still just dig and backfill around the tube, pour and then cover them. No worries...happy home owner.

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bcradio

Yes water is good... on many concrete bridge decks for roads they will pour the deck and put about a 1-2 inch layer of water over the entire deck to help cure it