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Common Mistakes of New Reef Ball Builders
We invariably get calls, especially from those who order Reef Ball Mold Systems without hiring authorized trainers, about the problems encountered while pouring Reef Balls. We will try try to address those issues here.
Under-Inflation (find pix)
Under-Inflation of the internal bladders, especially the center, is the most common cause of poor casting technique. Don't be afraid to pump those bladders past what you think would be "normal". We use Polyformtm Bladders because they can take the abuse we put them through.
The center bladder should be pumped up until your mold base begins to bow just slightly. The tether balls in the upper side holes should almost full, but still be a bit squishy to the hand. The lower bladders (A-0's) should be blown up until firm.
Slump too thick (find pix)
Slump can be described as the consistency or "soupiness" of the concrete. Reef Balls require a fairly high slump of about 8. Slumps less than that may cause incomplete fills resulting in incomplete modules. Aggregate size should be less than 1.5 inches so as not to clog as you pour the molds.
Base Under Constructed (find pix)
It is a bad idea to try to save money by using less than standard mold bases as indicated in our training manual. We have seen the bottoms "blow out" causing a huge concrete mess after being assured "don't worry, he's a carpenter and knows what he is doing." The life of the base will also be significantly cut down if you use, for example, a single sheet of plywood.
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Copyright ©1995 & 1996, 1997 RBDG, Ltd. and Coralations, Inc. All rights reserved. See brochure page footer for information on patents, copyrights, trademarks and service marks referenced, but not indicated, on this page. As a service to CORALations, Inc., the Reef Ball Foundation Inc. Services Division has donated the programming and space for CORALation's home page on the Internet. The Reef Ball Foundation Inc. Services Division and CORALations Inc. are separate companies.