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This is a foundation of a single story residence in the midwest USA.

Are these rebar protrusions intended to be used for anything like framing or mounting things to the wall? They only protrude 2 inches. I'm trying to think of how these could ever be useful and not just a liability for corrosion.

rebar protrusions

Indigenuity
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  • Off hand would say the builders mistake, either a measurement mistake or a cutting job forgotten about(something happen that day). – crip659 Jan 28 '23 at 19:04
  • Missed the ones lower down first time. Possible they are there to tie/mount insulation to the walls, incase owners not prepare to finish with walls. Imagine the mid west does get cold. – crip659 Jan 28 '23 at 19:35

1 Answers1

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Those pieces of steel are not rebar, they are form ties that are used by the foundation people to rigidly hold the inner forms and outer forms at a fixed distance. They are held in place during form construction by V-clips outside the forms that bite into the ties. To disassemble the forms after the concrete hardens, workers knock the clips off with a hammer, then separate the forms from the concrete.

Some foundation companies make it a practice to snap off these ties as the last step of foundation construction. Yours did not. You may snap them off with one or two hammer blows, as they are made to be brittle and snap easily. Use eye protection if you do this.

You can see form ties inside the foundation forms in this photo. (Credit: Tim Carter, Washington Post)

enter image description here

MTA
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  • *e.g.* (by itself) https://www.trusupply.com/8-x-8-1/4-standard-snap-tie-w/1-cone-100-pc/box.html?feed=Froogle&_vsrefdom=adwords&gclid=CjwKCAiArNOeBhAHEiwAze_nKM2ho3Cye7jUugz7a5Aydrd_cB0Bjb7oL75J6gdGRVJKKm8FPZwVBBoCtxoQAvD_BwE – Ecnerwal Jan 28 '23 at 19:52
  • I wonder if those would be a valid UFER ground. Those are much more useful and cheaper than ground rods. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Jan 28 '23 at 22:07
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    If I'd known they were brittle, I wouldn't have gotten an angle grinder. In the other hand, if I'd known they were brittle, I wouldn't have gotten an angle grinder. – keshlam Jan 28 '23 at 22:14
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    @Harper-ReinstateMonica they would have to be tied to at least 20 feet of steel in the footing, and even if they were, the very thing that makes them easy to break off with a hammer would make it a dangerously fragile ground connection if anyone bumped into it. – Ecnerwal Jan 29 '23 at 04:39