Using steel poles as rebar.

[vincentianpinner]

Hello. Used to see this quite a bit back in the day. People using old gas pipes and scaffold poles in things like gate piers and retaining walls. So I wondered if this is frowned upon and viewed and not good practice. As I've got a retaining wall to do and a lot of old gas pipes .

 

[noseall]

Hello. Used to see this quite a bit back in the day. People using old gas pipes and scaffold poles in things like gate piers and retaining walls. So I wondered if this is frowned upon and viewed and not good practice. As I've got a retaining wall to do and a lot of old gas pipes .

We have rammed a few pieces of regular rebar down the centre of a 450mm square pillar, many a time. Iron gas pipe will be ok.

 

[opps]

One of my neighbours used a very long SDS drill bit in lieu of rebar. It worked.

 

[vincentianpinner]

We have rammed a few pieces of regular rebar down the centre of a 450mm square pillar, many a time. Iron gas

That's a point, it's all ferrous metal at the end of the day. Cheers

 

[vincentianpinner]

One of my neighbours used a very long SDS drill bit in lieu of rebar. It worked.

Expensive way of doing it but you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[Jurassicspark]

Expensive way of doing it but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Not expensive if your bit is blunt.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Difference is - rebar has indentations, to improve the grip to the masonry. Other than that, no difference. I once used chrome plated steel rod, in lieu of rebar

 

[Koolpc]

My mate used his mother-in-law!

 

[big-all]

Horses for courses
rebar is extremely strong correctly applied gives massive strength on a long horizontal span
below this level something perhaps 5-10% off strength will work fine when the load is vertical a small small percentage so a kitchen knife a bit off 2x2 timber a surveyors pole will all work as the load is little more than "iff the joint fails" it will stop it sliding sideways

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Reinforcement in a retaining wall is a bit more complicated than just adding a few chunks of metal, the purpose is to create a designed metal framework that structurally links the stem, base and toe if there is one. Adding a few lumps of scrap metal is not the same, it's finger in the air stuff and as mentioned rebar is designed to lock into place unlike some bit of old pipe.

 

[yorksbuilder]

A retaining wall nearby here collapsed recently... Looks like they used scaffold poles as the rebar. Up to you if you want to risk it, or do it properly with a proper reinforcement design and correct high tensile ribbed steel rebars

 

[noseall]

A retaining wall nearby here collapsed recently... Looks like they used scaffold poles as the rebar. Up to you if you want to risk it, or do it properly with a proper reinforcement design and correct high tensile ribbed steel rebars

High tensile?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Up to you if you want to risk it, or do it properly with a proper reinforcement design and correct high tensile ribbed steel rebars

Ordinary rebar, is just mild steel, because it often needs to be bent, formed into shapes, and sometimes welded. High tensile steel, is used where the steel is put under tension, during the manufacture of concrete sections, like bridges.

 

[Dereekoo]

.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Getting back to the OP's question, of using it for basic reinforcement, pretty much any steel with do, including mild steel rebar.