Zont™ Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) Bracing: Contractor Testimonial
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- www.fab-form.co...
Pacific ICF Inc. is a Vancouver based contractor specializing in ICF construction. They have been building with ICFs and fabric formwork for 12 years. And have been a green contractor long before it became fashionable."
"We've owned several sets of 10' ICF bracing", said Michael. "But we got tired of lifting them in and out of the hole, and then finding a place to store them. We are definitely not keen on moving a ton of bracing to flatten a light weight ICF wall."
"When I heard about the Zont™ Bracing I was very interested."
Flatter Walls
The Zont™, Zuckle™ and angled kicker allow a top of wall accuracy of 1/8".
"We're impressed with the system", confirmed Michael. "The Zuckles™ quickly adjust with an electric drill to get a real flat wall."
Zonts™ & Zuckles™
Each Zont™ weighs one and one half pounds and the Zuckle™ about twice that much.
"Each 'brace' equivalent weighs about one tenth the weight of our old vertical braces. All the 2x4s are left on site to be incorporated into the build."
This efficiency leads to cost savings to the contractor and resource savings to the environment.
Placing Concrete
Concrete placement is no different with Zonts™ as with conventional ICF bracing. As the vertical strong backs are located 3 5/8" away from the ICF wall, there's plenty of room to install reinforcing around window and door openings.
Zont™ brackets can be located on each side of the openings to ensure perfect alignment.
"I'm sold on Zont™ bracing", confirmed Michael.
We always run our eyes down any 2x4 we use to brace a foundation. If its not straight, its not going on the wall!
We have been bracing plywood forms with lumber for over 200 years! Why do we need to change that because we are flattening Styrofoam? If a warp does occur during the build of the wall; an additional turnbuckle can be used to flatten the wall again.
I am a homeowner using ICFs for a basement. The footing will be conventional. Is it nassasary to seal or attach the ICFs to the footing in anyway so the cement wont escape at the bottom? Can I pour the entire 8' wall all at once?
Your ICF manufacturer will have a suggested method to attach your first course of ICF to the footing. You will either foam the ICF to the footing, using a metal track, or sandwich the ICF with 2x4s to hold it in position. You can easily pour to any height with an ICF, as long as you pour at the recommended lift rate suggested by the manufacturer.
What is going to put side pressure on the first course that you need to hold it in place? If you pour every four foot you do not need that train load of lumber.
Do you build in new york
We are just the supplier of the ICF bracing system. If you hop on google and find a local ICF dealer, they should be able to point you in the right direction of a good installer.
Depending on the ICF of your choice the manufacturer will suggest different methods for attaching your first course of ICF. Many suggest using spray foam to prevent any shifting throughout your build, or sandwiching the first course between 2x4's.