FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


Won’t the ICF forms float up when pouring?             
ANSWER:    No. The first course of ICF's is screwed at the corners and zip tied or nylon taped to the PVC spacers in between. Floating up is virtually impossible. 
  

If I am pouring on soft gumbo clay mud, can we use 2 x 4 stakes instead of steel stakes?                      
ANSWER:  Yes. Be sure to use a heavy screw to secure the steel forms to the wood stake to prevent sheer.

 
Do the forms need to be sprayed with form release?                        
ANSWER:  Yes. Like all re-usable concrete forms, spray them before covering them up with wall forms to help keep them clean and for easy release.

How hard are step footings to do with this system?       
ANSWER:   The system comes with step blocks that quickly fill the gaps so you can build with ICF's right through the steps, whatever height, with ease.

  
Are the heads of the cam wedge keys difficult to get out of the harded concrete?
ANSWER:   No. They are designed to come out easily.   They perform double duty acting as mini pry bars to pull the corners loose with only a few light hammer taps. 
They are only used on the corners.

 
Are the stay-in-place PVC spacers expensive to buy?                      
ANSWER:  No. A typical home only uses about $25 of PVC. They can be quickly chop-sawed using a "stop" so you can cut 5 or 6 at a time, to the perfect length.   

 
Have the forms ever had blow outs when pouring concrete?
ANSWER:  No The steel forms hold concrete extremely well and have never been known to blow out.


How many pours can I get out of a set of Key forms?
Answer:   Contractors have been using them for years, with no significant wear. Testing indicates they should last at least one thousand pours.


If I pour the walls and footings at the same time, how can I get back in to level dirt for pouring the slab?   
ANSWER:  During the excavation phase, leave extra soil bermed inside your project footprint.   Once the walls are cured, it is simple to backfill the berm against the cured footings.  


Why are the slot bolts reusable?
ANSWER:   The slot bolts are removed through the PVC sleeves once the concrete has cured.   The PVC remains, embedded in the concrete, but your steel slot bolts are retrievable, easily from either side of the wall. 


Does the vertical re-bar drop down to touch the soil?
ANSWER:   No, since vertical re-bar should be completely encased within the concrete, it should be "hung" with a 90-degree bend in the re-bar from the top course to end 2" above the soil.