Site report: Pumping ballast into a house boat conversion

February 23, 2007

2 min reading time

Much of the concrete that we pump goes into housing projects. We pump house extensions, footings and over-sites for new-build housing and also reinforced concrete frames and composite decks for large apartment blocks. To this list we can now add pumping concrete as ballast for the redevelopment of a barge into a houseboat for M.T. Construction of Colchester, Essex.

An unusual job but not difficult for a concrete pump accompanied by a pick-up with additional pipeline and a linesman. The barge was moored overlooking Mersea Fleet, West Mersea, near Colchester in Essex with a jetty giving access to the boat no matter the state of the tide.

A rigid concrete pump pipeline was set up along the jetty and then up onto the deck. It was fed down into the hold, finishing with end hoses to place the concrete. Approximately 60 metres of 100 mm pipeline was used including the flexible hoses.

The concrete was pumped using one of Camfaud’s line pumps. A boom pump could have been used; booming directly onto the deck. This option, however, was rejected as it would have required closing the road to accommodate the out-riggers.

In all, approximately 24 cubic metres of concrete were placed, forming a slab which also acted as ballast for the vessel.