Question about weighting stairs

[kellyfair]

For those of you that made your own stair weights with quickrete and empty bleach bottles, did you mix first then pour in, or mix right in the bottle?

Also, did you leave it open to harden and dry, and if so, how long?

Thank you!

 

[CJadamec]

To get the most solid least likely to spill sand or rock in your pool weight mix the concrete first then put in the bottle. You could put the concrete in dry and put some water in there and hope for the best as another option. Just don't put a bleach bottle full of dry ready mix in your pool. A day or two in the sun with the cap off the bottle would be plenty to insure the concrete was dry enough if you mix per the directions on the bag. The buckets of concrete patch repair or bags of motor mix might make the job easier as they tend to have much smaller aggregate which will make getting the concrete in the bottle easier. Those products are a couple dollars more per bag but it might save you a lot of frustration.

 

[Casey]

Hi Kelly. I did not use quickcrete, just sand. I let my granddaughter fill the jugs nearly full and added water and then I rinsed the outside off n I zip tied them to the inside of the steps n two on the outside. It has worked perfectly for me for the last 2 years.

 

[KazzyK810]

I used sand, not concrete. I didn't use jugs though because I wanted something more streamline & less visible.

I cut a piece of PVC pipe to the length I needed. Glued a cap on one end. Filled with sand. Glued a cap on the other hand. Now I have slim weights that I can zip tie where I need them.

I stole the idea from someone else on here. Slim PVC tubes are easy to handle and easy to store when removed from the pool in winter (although I see you're in Florida so you may not do this).

 

[Pauls234]

I did the quickrete mix in bleach bottles and I did not mix prior to pouring in the bottles. Just quickrete in, then ballparked the needed amount of water, shook, turned upside down (with cap on!) to try and mix it around and let it harden.

CJadamec is surely right that mixing prior to would be the better way to go, but I made 12 of these and they have worked well.

 

[kplaster]

I just added the mix in bottle and added water.

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[kellyfair]

Thanks, I was picturing how to pour mixed concrete into those little holes without making a huge mess!

 

[kplaster]

Thanks, I was picturing how to pour mixed concrete into those little holes without making a huge mess!

Will still need a plastic funnel.I used a oil funnel.I used one that has a bigger opening.I just used a measuring cup and scooped out of bag then had a bucket of water that I measured out to.Then shook up jugs

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[Chief19995]

I am having a similar issue. I have what I call "wedding cake" steps and I have nearly 150 lbs of sand in 5 gal buckets and the steps still float out of position. I need a better solution.


15K AG, Hayward 1.5HP Power-Flo LX Pump, Hayward Pro Series Sand Filter

 

[kplaster]

Someone else on here has a ladder and made the comment about filling water in those Sand Cavity's.Thinking he is correct.That is alot of air space that will float.I ended up having to pull one plug to get mine to settle to bottom.

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[kellyfair]

Someone else on here has a ladder and made the comment about filling water in those Sand Cavity's.Thinking he is correct.That is alot of air space that will float.I ended up having to pull one plug to get mine to settle to bottom.

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I think you are right, KP. I got on mine yesterday to see how much weight I thought they would need, and they didn't budge, both going into the pool and coming out. So maybe they just needed that time to completely fill with water (no plugs in mine).

Even if they are a pain to clean, I do love the stairs. I have balance issues and the ladder always made me so nervous!

 

[kplaster]

I think you are right, KP. I got on mine yesterday to see how much weight I thought they would need, and they didn't budge, both going into the pool and coming out. So maybe they just needed that time to completely fill with water (no plugs in mine).

Even if they are a pain to clean, I do love the stairs. I have balance issues and the ladder always made me so nervous!

My concern would be algae build up.Someone suggested drilling holes in it for the water to drain out.

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[phonedave]

Just an FYI about concrete (or cement, to be more accurate). Cement does not need to be left out in the sun, or have the cap left off for it to "dry". Cement does not dry, it cures. In fact it incorporates the water molecules into its crystal structure as it hydrates and cures. You can take a open 5 Gal bucket of mixed up cement and put it in your pool and it will harden just fine. Concrete is placed in underwater construction all the time.

I used pea gravel in my weights, but if using concrete, I would add the correct amount of water to the just first, add half of the cement and then shake, and hlaf of the remaming half (thats a quarter ) and shake that, then add the remainder and shake again.

-dave