How to Pour a Trench Footer

A concrete pump truck can provide the concrete needed to fill a trench at a construction site.

A trench footer runs the length of a concrete wall or along the edge of a slab beneath the concrete to provide extra support for the weight of the wall or slab. The footer keeps the concrete from shifting in place when the ground moves, or from sinking due to softening of the soil or moisture throughout the ground beneath the concrete. To complete the trench, you need to pour a considerable amount of concrete into place accurately. To aid in doing so, a concrete pumper truck can provide you with carefully placed concrete, filling the trench form quickly and efficiently.

Things You'll Need

• Concrete pumper truck
• Hose
• Long-handled hook
• Concrete come-along
• Screed
• Shovel

Instructions

1. Set the time of arrival for the concrete pumper truck for one hour before you plan to pour the footer to give you time to position the truck and examine the footer site with the operator of the truck and pump.

2. Locate a level area near the footer site without any backfill areas nearby where shifting dirt is a possibility and away from any holes that may cause the truck to lose its level position. Have the truck operator set the truck up in the selected location.

3. Place the concrete pump at the head of the footer and begin the concrete distribution. Pump the concrete into the footer form, using the hose from the pumper to guide the concrete along the footer path. Walk alongside the footer with a hook to pull up any reinforcing wire or rebar forced down by the weight of the concrete until its back is at the proper height, about midway along the trench.

4. Have a helper pull a come-along, a concrete tool with the shape of a garden hoe, along the top of the trench to level the concrete out as the pumper pumps it into place.

5. Continue to pump the concrete into the trench until reaching the end. Turn off the pump when completed.

6. Go back to the beginning of the trench and run a screed along its surface using a back-and-forth motion to level the surface further. The screed will pull high spots in the concrete downward to fill any voids in the trench after pumping.

7. Fill any large voids in the concrete mixed with the pumper by shoveling concrete into the trench with a spade. Smooth the added concrete with the screed.

References

• Ask the Builder; Foundation Footer; Tim Carter; 2011
• Concrete Basics: Concrete Pumping

Resources

• Concrete Network: Concrete Pumps and Pumping Information
• Concrete Network: Water in the Excavation