Fast 2K - Alternative to Concrete pillars?

[Adam Roby]

Has anyone heard of this stuff before?
http://www.renodepot.com/en/fast-2k-fence-post-composite-backfill-08635000

"FAST 2K" FENCE POST BACKFILL
$14.99 Each

DESCRIPTION

Fast 2K(tm) is a composite material that backfills a fence post without water. A highstrength alternative to concrete and sets in less than 5 minutes. Because of its expanding nature, 1.5 kg of the composite are equivalent to approximately 50 - 60 kg of cement. 1 bag sets a 4 x 4 in post in a 8 in x 3 ft hole. Mixes in just 30 seconds. Ideal for all types of posts. Can be used during winter with no additives required.





Some reviews are positive, some are negative.  I suppose anything new is lacking the test of time, but I am really considering this stuff to help support my rotting deck.  I have a heck of a time lifting cement bags with my broken back... it is an expensive alternative but might not be a bad choice considering I do not need lateral support (house it doing that), I just need vertical support and more to "aid" the existing structure rather than being dependent on. 

Thoughts?

[rick91351]

What is the half life of this product.  Concrete if poured properly now will last at least 150 years.

This product has been around for a while.  I really do not see any advantage to it.  Cost is a lot greater - or am I missing something?   

[Adam Roby]

What is the half life of this product.  Concrete if poured properly now will last at least 150 years.

This product has been around for a while.  I really do not see any advantage to it.  Cost is a lot greater - or am I missing something?   

Apparently the utility companies have been using this stuff for 15 years... I suppose simply because it is easy to use.  The advantages are obvious to me, someone that can not physically lift a 50 lb bag of cement due to an injury, this one bag at 2 lbs replaces 100 lbs or concrete.  I would not want to pay for an entire fence for sure, but if you are just laying down a few holes... might be worth your while. 

My shelf life is only another 40 years if I am lucky - so I don't need 150 years!    For my application it is more of a temporary solution.  I am sure this is not as strong as concrete, but in those rare situations where you have no access to water, and the weight of concrete is a problem, there are potential benefits here. 

[rick91351]

Apparently the utility companies have been using this stuff for 15 years... I suppose simply because it is easy to use.  The advantages are obvious to me, someone that can not physically lift a 50 lb bag of cement due to an injury, this one bag at 2 lbs replaces 100 lbs or concrete.  I would not want to pay for an entire fence for sure, but if you are just laying down a few holes... might be worth your while. 

My shelf life is only another 40 years if I am lucky - so I don't need 150 years!    For my application it is more of a temporary solution.  I am sure this is not as strong as concrete, but in those rare situations where you have no access to water, and the weight of concrete is a problem, there are potential benefits here. 

Adam I am starting to understand where you are coming from.  I guess I did not see the rest of your post shown on the bottom.  I do have a friend that used some on a gate post some years ago.  I might give him a call tomorrow and see how it has worked for him.  Last I heard he loved it.  The lumber yard where I trade the most did have a five gallon bucket with a 4x4 planted in it as a demo.  It was around for a couple years. 

I guess where I am coming from I am one that always tries to build for the future.  Just because I am gone does not mean all of me has to be gone.  Hopefully the house we are building will be here for as long as my family continues to own this property.  We are very much into family history.       

[Aidzee]

I recently completed a fence build using Fast2K on 18- 4" x 6" x 10' treated posts. I checked with a bud who works for a power company. He said they have been using it for 10 years, and highly recommended it. My posts were set in a 3' deep x 10" hole. Most of the posts required two bags to set completely. I am very happy with the result, and would not hesitate to use it again.

Price wise, it cost me $18.99 a bag (Canadian). A 50 pound bag of fast set (30 minute) concrete costs $13.99. I used 40 bags of the fast2k. Would have saved myself $200.00 going the concrete route (which was my original intent). But the labor and time that I saved myself far outweighs the added cost of the fast2k.

My 5 cents worth. We don't have pennies in Canada anymore.

[Adam Roby]

Thanks for the feedback!  I will definitely be trying it as soon as I can convince my nephew to dig me a few holes under the deck. 

BTW:  As a fellow Canadian... I was just at Provigo and bought some hotdog buns.  Price was $1.99 and I gave the cashier a Tooney.  She never even offered my penny back.  At first I felt a little gypped... then I got home and saw my annoying pile of pennies sitting on the corner of the table that I never use to buy anything and just seem to pile up and thought... yeah, let's move on.  They seem to only get used at Halloween for the Unicef boxes.

[Don_P]

Just to make sure we're on the same page, a post or any real load bearing element needs to have some type of  footing under it to spread the concentrated load out over a larger footprint of soil. Pouring a sleeve of something around a post gives it greater lateral stability but unreliable load bearing ability.

[Adam Roby]

I was thinking of digging down to undisturbed soil (or 4' is possible), drop a deck block down there, put a post in the block, then fill with this foam.  I figure at this point anything is better than nothing.  If I had better access it would be sonotubes with concrete.