Electrical Floor Outet in Slab

[Ernesto]

I get to go do a repair on a gluedown action back carpet where the installer glued over the top of the protective plastic cover they use when pouring the slab. It seems the plastic cover sank and now there is a depression.

I was thinking of various ways to fitz it. Maybe some sand capped with patch. Filling it with SLC and rocks, or finding a metal plate for it. I'd guess the outlet is about 4-5 inches in diameter and six inches deep.

Funny thing is that I had a scrap of that same exact carpet in my garage. The job is 4 years old.

Any ideas?

 

[Butcher]

Cut a piece of treated lumber the right diameter but cut it on an angle like a cork or round wedge and PL it in place. Premium PL w/ urethane.

 

[Polestretch]

Can you find a tin can that size?

 

[Nick]

mix up some mortar .

 

[Ernesto]

Good ideas. I'll have a pow wow with the consumer and see what he thinks. It's in a multi-million dollar winter home. Friend of friends of a great guy I work with some times in a high end hood. Last thing I want is a call back.

Off hand, wood may work but dry out or swell causing problems. Mortar or patch might take eons to dry sufficiently because this is a plastic electrical fixture placed into the slab. Metal may make a popping sound if stepped on.

I'm leaning towards SLC with 3/4 inch rock imbedded into it. Might take two trips. SLC should set up and incorporate most of the moisture into itself.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Years ago I did a J.C. Penney's and had to float off the edge of vct. The super gave us some white powder that we mixed into our fill and it set up really quick. I'm thinking it was some of that fast setting drywall paste like 25 minute stuff. Even some of that fast setting quikrete would probably save you a trip if you can wait.

Daris

 

[highup]

Good ideas. I'll have a pow wow with the consumer and see what he thinks. It's in a multi-million dollar winter home. Friend of friends of a great guy I work with some times in a high end hood. Last thing I want is a call back.

Off hand, wood may work but dry out or swell causing problems. Mortar or patch might take eons to dry sufficiently because this is a plastic electrical fixture placed into the slab. Metal may make a popping sound if stepped on.

I'm leaning towards SLC with 3/4 inch rock imbedded into it. Might take two trips. SLC should set up and incorporate most of the moisture into itself.

Is there a reason to fill it so solid?

You could probably mix up Feather finish, mortar mix, or 'whatever' in a pail to the recommended consistency, then stir in the 3/4 inch gravel. ........enough to coat the gravel good, not necessarily enough to make it a 100% solid mixture. Just enough to coat the rocks really well ............... tap the rock mixture in place with a hammer, then fill the last 1/2 inch with floor patch..... Feather Finish or whatever.

 

[Ernesto]

I did the SLC, pours very easy from a cup. Being that it was a complete sealed hard plastic outlet led me to my decision to use SLC First I cut a cross over the depression. Just as I thought, the thin plastic protective covering used for the pour of the slab. Was this the installers fault?

Had to baby sit it for awhile because the SLC wanted to level itself and the slab was not level. Tomorrow I'll go back and glue it up with solvent based sealer.

I think $250 Ducats would be sufficient payment don't you?

 

[highup]

I did the SLC, pours very easy from a cup. Being that it was a complete sealed hard plastic outlet led me to my decision to use SLC First I cut a cross over the depression. Just as I thought, the thin plastic protective covering used for the pour of the slab. Was this the installers fault?

Had to baby sit it for awhile because the SLC wanted to level itself and the slab was not level. Tomorrow I'll go back and glue it up with solvent based sealer.

I think $250 Ducats would be sufficient payment don't you?

See what happens when I wait a day before responding.
I'd probably be chargin $175 and the customer would be thinkin it should be $50 because its such a small area. You got a good payin customer and you both want it to look nice.................. so $250 sounds fair to me.

 

[BudCline]

Next time rather than buying a high-dollar bag of SLC for a small patch you can buy less expensive thinset in the rapid-set version and mix it with very hot water. It won't want to self level and it will probably set up firm in thirty minutes.

 

[Ernesto]

Heck, didn't think of that Bud. I might have some. But would it still release lots of moisture? Curing and set-up time are different ya know. Course you know, just sayin.

 

[Incognito]

find a row right down the center of the box

splice it open with a top cutter far enough to allow the working space you need to effect this repair

steam it sufficiently to peel it back, open it up and get a tape measure "all up in there."

measure the depression in all 3 dimensions

find some kind of plastic/plexiglass shim material adhered with contact cement
probably it would take multiple layers of different gauge plastic

if necessary use Ardex Feather Finish to touch around the edge of your shims

re-glue as necessary

allow open time for glue to dry

seal seam

tractor

collect check

 

[Ernesto]

I went back and someone stepped on it. Luckily it was just one smal side of it. But some SLC stuck to the carpet and I had to pry it off.

The adhesive was still sticky as heck and when prying the carpet off the lid a couple rows pulled loose. But I got'r glued back together with a bottle of solvent based seal sealer, yea, glued the whole shebang back down with it and the rows that came loose.

The SLC was totally dry, but just the emission of that little bit of vapor made the multi-purpose get really tacky and change color, almost re-emulsify. Glad I had an extra bag of SLC on hand or I might have used that speed set thinset. But hell, that could take days, maybe weeks to dry in that hole.

Glad it had a nice high low square pattern to cut along with. If it had been a flat weave I coulda been in trouble and had to patch it.

 

[BudCline]

Just thinking about next time....

I wonder if using a heat gun on the patch after it got hard on its own (either SLC or RS) if that would take the moisture out of the patch. Or, would that cook the patch prematurely? Don't have any idea, but a little extra time on the first trip could save a second trip maybe.

 

[Polestretch]

Just thinking about next time....

I wonder if using a heat gun on the patch after it got hard on its own (either SLC or RS) if that would take the moisture out of the patch. Or, would that cook the patch prematurely? Don't have any idea, but a little extra time on the first trip could save a second trip maybe.

Anytime I've ever used a heat gun to speed up the drying process, all I got was cracking and headaches!

 

[BudCline]

Anytime I've ever used a heat gun to speed up the drying process, all I got was cracking and headaches!

I understand, me too!

The thing is tho...
If using SLC or RS (Rapid Set) thinset once the product has set up on its own (maybe an hour or less if mixed with warm water) Then would using a heat gun at that time cause shrinking and cracking or would it simply expedite the moisture disapation? I don't know if it would or not.

 

[Ernesto]

I'm thinking any residual moisture must vent out the top otherwise it is trapped, like glue skinning over because of a fan directly on it.

Five inches is a pretty deep fill too.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Using a fan or heat gun on cementitious fill seals the surface and makes the dry time slower. No where for the moisture to go. Supposed to dehydrate on its own.

Daris

 

[McBrides]

Anytime I've ever used a heat gun to speed up the drying process, all I got was cracking and headaches!

That depends on the brand. We use Ardex Featherlite or Chemrex exclusively, and have had no trouble with cracking when we cook it with a heat gun. Having said that, we don't do heavy floats, but multiple skims, if necessary.

 

[rugaddict]

whenever i have a big hole to deal with i try to use as little patch as possible---in a case like yours i would fill the majority of the cavity with whatever i had really hard and handy --peices of ceramic---rocks---bricks--and my current fave--vct--easy to cut glue stack and then a little plani patch with milk on top--less patch means less drying time