Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Bagged concrete as bank stabilization?

Has anyone ever used the "in-situ" method of stacking bags of concrete around shorelines/banks, wetting thoroughly, and letting them slowly cure in order to stabilize soft areas? If you've never seen this method of construction take a look at these videos-this guy needed to build a headwall around a culvert carrying water under his driveway:



Here is the fully cured concrete wall during a heavy rain:



I'm thinking of doing this in a few areas with maybe just one or two layers of bags and then setting some native rock on top of it to give the illusion of a rocky shoreline. I think the bags with some geotextile fabric underneath should keep all of that weight from sinking into the mud.

We have used 60 pound bags of Quikrete to seal outside the ends of culverts placed in ditches and to line erosion prone areas of ditches for several years now. Our regular fence contracter has some spots on his family farm where such bags have been in place for 20 years. Others hear at PB have used the bags for the "floor" of spillways successfully.

We have done all our culvert work in late Fall/early Winter, and just place the dry Quikrete bags where needed and let nature wet them down. That has worked well for us.

One negative: if you are prone to getting a hernia, handling 3-6 pallets of Quikrete bags will let you know. Get young helpers.

They actually make them in burlap bags specifically for the purpose you say. Problem is I never have seen them in any store. Probably have to order them.

The problem I have found using ordinary quickcreet bags is if it is in a place where the bag gets immediately wet, you better place it right the first time because there is no re-positioning it as the bag falls apart. The ones in burlap bags would remedy this problem. A person can do a search and find the product on the companies web site but I have never actually seen a bag of it in person.

Thanks for the responses-not sure why the videos didn't post. The guy had done some beautiful work-oh well. At least I know its a viable option now. This is a picture of the firepit area I recently finished, but it shows the type of rock our property is loaded with. This is what I plan to line the banks with overtop of the bags:

Tell me about it Theo.
I recently picked up six 40lb bags of salt and six 50lb bags of sand at Lowes.
From shelf to cart, from cart to SUV, from SUV to final destination.
That's a lot of lifting for me.
I thought I had a hernia for about 3-4 days afterwards...Advil helped.
Now the pain has 95% gone away.
Next time I will follow your advice and get a young helper.

If you have lots of the stone pictured at the fire pit, and you are covering the bags with them, maybe you don't need the burlap?

Get this. I'm carrying a 50# bag of fish food to the feeder thinking "this is kind of heavy" then realizing 16 months ago I was 100# heavier than I am today and had I been at my then weight I would have been carrying an extra 150# out to the feeder (100# fat plus 50# feed). I can't imagine how I even did it back then. I considered myself a little fat back then, but not horribly heavy.

Congrats snrub!

How'd ya lose 100lbs?

Let me guess....cutting out or greatly reducing "our generation's cigarettes"...aka...CARBS!

Thanks!

Yep. 20 grams carbs or less a day and cut out vegetable oils. The good news is I eat all the steak and bacon I want.

Also got off 100 units of insulin injected 4 times a day and a half dozen prescription medications. Made a new man out of me.

And why this information is here? If we didn't see it, maybe something else, show us why this "didn't see it-look at it". You'd better talk about how the density of concrete changes, and not just share a video and talk about the benefits of this method with a smart look. It's very old and is now being used instead of the modern "fast" means the type of seals and means for tightening of the material. This is much better and more convenient, as the concrete can be used immediately. And what you describe is suitable for those who live on the ocean and part of the coast will be owned, and this method will allow you to fence the territory, but I do not think that there are many that can build a slow concrete from bags.

John, that’s impressive. I am 80 pounds heavier, FATTER, than I was at age 21.

Yes have seen this done successfully for many applications. Have also seen rebar driven through the wet bags into the ground to help stabilize and connect the bags and heavy plastic used as a liner to make it water resistant.

I could not post a video from my computer...I put it on YouTube and then inserted the link here.

Ortantyun, welcome to Pond Boss.