I need to make some concrete (approx 4-2-1) and I have a large amount
of MOT (crushed limestone I guess).
I only need about 0.1 m^3 of concrete.
Can I use the MOT as ballast, instead of going to B&Q and grabbing
bags of gravel and sand etc ?
Thanks,
Simon.

On Mar 26, 7:09 pm, sm_jamieson <sm_jamie...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I need to make some concrete (approx 4-2-1) and I have a large amount
> of MOT (crushed limestone I guess).
> I only need about 0.1 m^3 of concrete.
> Can I use the MOT as ballast, instead of going to B&Q and grabbing
> bags of gravel and sand etc ?
> Thanks,
> Simon.

you'll still need sand but I expect yes go for it (unless mission
critical but that quantity and mix ratio I doubt it will be a prob)

what's going to be doing?

cheers
JimK

On 26 Mar, 19:29, JimK <jk989...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> On Mar 26, 7:09 pm, sm_jamieson <sm_jamie...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I need to make some concrete (approx 4-2-1) and I have a large amount
> > of MOT (crushed limestone I guess).
> > I only need about 0.1 m^3 of concrete.
> > Can I use the MOT as ballast, instead of going to B&Q and grabbing
> > bags of gravel and sand etc ?
> > Thanks,
> > Simon.
>
> you'll still need sand but I expect yes go for it (unless mission
> critical but that quantity and mix ratio I doubt it will be a prob)
>
> what's going to be doing?
>

It is some lumps of concrete to buttress an internal loadbearing wall
whose foundation I have to dig down next to in one place for a toilet
connection. It will be sitting mostly under the ground.
Simon.

On Mar 26, 7:36 pm, sm_jamieson <sm_jamie...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On 26 Mar, 19:29, JimK <jk989...@googlemail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Mar 26, 7:09 pm, sm_jamieson <sm_jamie...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > I need to make some concrete (approx 4-2-1) and I have a large amount
> > > of MOT (crushed limestone I guess).
> > > I only need about 0.1 m^3 of concrete.
> > > Can I use the MOT as ballast, instead of going to B&Q and grabbing
> > > bags of gravel and sand etc ?
> > > Thanks,
> > > Simon.
>
> > you'll still need sand but I expect yes go for it (unless mission
> > critical but that quantity and mix ratio I doubt it will be a prob)
>
> > what's going to be doing?
>
> It is some lumps of concrete to buttress an internal loadbearing wall
> whose foundation I have to dig down next to in one place for a toilet
> connection. It will be sitting mostly under the ground.
> Simon.

ah yes - I remember now!

Yeah go for it - get some sand in there though, maybe 1:1:5? see how
it feels on mixing up
(there won't be enough fines in the MOT as it digs at least)

Cheers
JimK

"sm_jamieson" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:c060b94a-8427-4015-816f-(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 26 Mar, 19:29, JimK <jk989...@googlemail.com> wrote:
>> On Mar 26, 7:09 pm, sm_jamieson <sm_jamie...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > I need to make some concrete (approx 4-2-1) and I have a large amount
>> > of MOT (crushed limestone I guess).
>> > I only need about 0.1 m^3 of concrete.
>> > Can I use the MOT as ballast, instead of going to B&Q and grabbing
>> > bags of gravel and sand etc ?
>> > Thanks,
>> > Simon.
>>
>> you'll still need sand but I expect yes go for it (unless mission
>> critical but that quantity and mix ratio I doubt it will be a prob)
>>
>> what's going to be doing?
>>
>
> It is some lumps of concrete to buttress an internal loadbearing wall
> whose foundation I have to dig down next to in one place for a toilet
> connection. It will be sitting mostly under the ground.

I would not use it without checking with an expert first.
Concrete ballast is graded to leave gaps for the sand and cement to fill,
MOT may be graded to not have the voids (MOT type 2 has no voids IIRC, MOT
type 3 has 30% voids IIRC).

> Simon.

JimK wrote:
> On Mar 26, 7:09 pm, sm_jamieson <sm_jamie...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> I need to make some concrete (approx 4-2-1) and I have a large amount
>> of MOT (crushed limestone I guess).
>> I only need about 0.1 m^3 of concrete.
>> Can I use the MOT as ballast, instead of going to B&Q and grabbing
>> bags of gravel and sand etc ?
>> Thanks,
>> Simon.
>
> you'll still need sand but I expect yes go for it (unless mission
> critical but that quantity and mix ratio I doubt it will be a prob)
>

Umm. Its got two not very nice properties.
Its bloody WEAK and it sucks up moisture.

If you just want bulk with a smooth surfcee, add extra waterr, and OK.

IF its go to take serious loads, be bloody careful.

On Mar 26, 7:09*pm, sm_jamieson <sm_jamie...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I need to make some concrete (approx 4-2-1) and I have a large amount
> of MOT (crushed limestone I guess).
> I only need about 0.1 m^3 of concrete.
> Can I use the MOT as ballast, instead of going to B&Q and grabbing
> bags of gravel and sand etc ?
> Thanks,
> Simon.

I understand its sometimes used cement stabilised to form road
surfaces, where bitumen isnt as available.


NT

On Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:09:35 -0700 (PDT), sm_jamieson
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I need to make some concrete (approx 4-2-1) and I have a large amount
>of MOT (crushed limestone I guess).
>I only need about 0.1 m^3 of concrete.
>Can I use the MOT as ballast, instead of going to B&Q and grabbing
>bags of gravel and sand etc ?


Personally, I would get the usual sand and gravel and do it properly.

The proportion of fines in MOT Type 1 is far too high to make a decent
concrete. There is no chance of coating all the particles with cement
paste.

For that small quantity, if you have a 5mm sieve, I suppose you could
sieve away anything less than 5mm and use what remains as ballast,
adding some sand. But I have no idea what the results would be.

On Mar 26, 9:56 pm, The Natural Philosopher <t...@invalid.invalid>
wrote:
> JimK wrote:
> > On Mar 26, 7:09 pm, sm_jamieson <sm_jamie...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> I need to make some concrete (approx 4-2-1) and I have a large amount
> >> of MOT (crushed limestone I guess).
> >> I only need about 0.1 m^3 of concrete.
> >> Can I use the MOT as ballast, instead of going to B&Q and grabbing
> >> bags of gravel and sand etc ?
> >> Thanks,
> >> Simon.
>
> > you'll still need sand but I expect yes go for it (unless mission
> > critical but that quantity and mix ratio I doubt it will be a prob)
>
> Umm. Its got two not very nice properties.
> Its bloody WEAK and it sucks up moisture.
>
> If you just want bulk with a smooth surfcee, add extra waterr, and OK.
>
> IF its go to take serious loads, be bloody careful.

erm....

WEAK as compared to .........?? gravel?

sucks up moisture.... how much ?

it's rock after all? go see malham!!


Cheers
JimK

On Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:57:26 -0700 (PDT), NT <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>On Mar 26, 7:09*pm, sm_jamieson <sm_jamie...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> I need to make some concrete (approx 4-2-1) and I have a large amount
>> of MOT (crushed limestone I guess).
>> I only need about 0.1 m^3 of concrete.
>> Can I use the MOT as ballast, instead of going to B&Q and grabbing
>> bags of gravel and sand etc ?
>> Thanks,
>> Simon.
>
>I understand its sometimes used cement stabilised to form road
>surfaces, where bitumen isnt as available.


No, it isn't. For cement bound macadam you need a very different
grading to MOT Type 1 sub-base - fewer fines.