Concrete Requirements

What You’ll Need to Check to Install Your MaxJax:

Concrete Slab Thickness (4.25” or more)
Concrete-MaxJax Indoor Installation Only
Concrete-No More Than 3-degree Slope
Concrete-Compressive Strength 3,000 psi or Greater
MaxJax Lift Location
Overhead Clearance, Approach Clearance, and Obstructions
Concrete Condition (no significant cracks or defects, especially under lift pillars)
Traditional Slab or Post-Tension Cable Slab type verified
Note-MaxJax hold-down bolts/anchors require 90 ft-lb tightening torque

Two Types of Concrete Slabs

You’ll also want to determine if your slab is a “traditional concrete” slab or a “post-tension cable” concrete slab. Either type will work well, but different concrete drilling procedures are applicable. This is significant because if anchors are not installed in proper locations, drilling into a post-tensioned cable slab can be severely hazardous to property and the installer if a hidden cable is cut and releases. If it is determined that you have a traditional concrete slab, you can continue on with the regular install and drilling as noted. If it is determined that you have a post-tensioned cable slab, you have good company as these are used in many areas. You simply need to gain some particular information about your slab first before learning where to specifically drill.

What is a Post-Tension Concrete Slab?

Yes, post-tension cable slabs are often used in residential construction. Since post-tension cable slabs have been in use since the early 1950’s, there is the possibility that many residential homes could have this system in place. Post-tension cable slabs are sometimes used in areas where the climate is especially dry, causing the soil to contract and form crevices, thus leaving voids under the foundation. To counter this, a post-tension system works to provide rigidity to the concrete so that it can maintain its structural integrity through many weather changes and permanently stay in place above sometimes changing soil voids.

A post-tension concrete slab is engineered with a steel cable network that runs below the concrete’s surface to add strength. During original construction and before the concrete is poured, a tension cable system is laced into a grid across the sub-surface and the ends mechanically tightened at a specific time while new concrete is setting up. With the concrete in place over the cables, the post-tension system teamed with the cured concrete slab is much stronger than concrete without reinforcement. This also helps reduce or minimize future cracking.

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