Drive hardcore

[duffsparky]

Hi from a newbie,

Great forum!

I'm extending my drive for, occasional use, sideways and have loads of old rubble waiting for a good home. I know and understand the need to use good quality aggregate for the sub-base and to adequately crush/smash up old bricks, blocks and lumps of concrete etc when used for the hardcore.

In the past I've shied away from using Theralite type blocks in hardcore fearing them to be unsuitable for the task, but are they??? I have a heap of broken ones that I'd sooner use up than sent to land fill somewhere. If I can use them I would break them up into lumps of about 50mm and smaller and make sure they are mixed in well with the other materials.

If the Thermalight type blocks are no good for the 'lumpy bits' would they be suitable for use as the finings if crushed small enough.

Kind regards.

[Dave_L]

Do not skimp on the quality of your subase.

I can't say any more than that, quite simply.

Load those Thermalites away and forget about them!

[lutonlagerlout]

thermalite or breeze type blocks are NOT suitable for subbase,crushed or not.
they degrade in the ground and in the past we have had to re-excavate soakaways when the site numpty has thrown blocks into the hardcore
concrete blocks are fine for this purpose
LLL

[Bob_A]

Sorry to hijack your thread duffsparky but I've got a similar(ish) question regarding 5 bags of cement that are a year old.
They've been stored under a plastic cover in a shed, although I haven't fully checked them I think they are still more or less powdery. Now I realise I can't use it in the proper sense but rather than stick it in my new car and use good petrol to take them to the dump can I somehow get rid of them in the patio I'm construction (60 sq metres), perhaps spread it out over the sub grade before the sub base goes down?

[dig dug dan]

how gone off are they. Sometimes you can get away with using it in a sand and cement mix for slab laying, otherwise i think its fine to use on the subbase!

[lutonlagerlout]

cement like that can normally be used in rough concrete mixes,lean mix or whatever
or just spread it on your subbase
LLL

[Bob_A]

Cheers gents