caps plastic or aluminum

I'M WITH PABLO

I'd like to see how you do with this when it's up and down 2,500 lineal feet of steep forested (think jungle) hill sides carrying the water and mix to set the concrete. Not only that, but you have to then set references so you can come back and mark the brass after the cement has dried. At least set Feno mons. Setting markers in concrete is never done unless it is a plat monument, and then, only in roads or if required.

Maybe the economy is better where you are, but no one will pay the extra cost for that here where the industry standard is 18" re-bar with plastic yellow imprinted cap.

We use the aluminum caps with plastic inserts in them to supposedly reduce the dissimilar metal corrosion. Sometimes they want to drive on crooked. It would help to pay more for rebar that is sawcut, not pinch cut. Also it helps to use a rebar driver but you have to keep checking to make sure the driver doesn't become the permanently affixed cap.

We also have a lot of 2" aluminum monuments someone purchased many years ago (still have several boxes). We don't set that many monuments per year. We also have a few brass caps that drive into 3/4 pipe left. We had a huge box of those but they got thrown away (!!!) by a higher up in the department to make room. This happened before my time; the unit that did it had to pay for new caps out of their budget but our management must've let them off of the hook by ordering aluminum rebar caps.

Aluminum is OK most places except for close to the ocean shore.

Brass would be best and in my opinion would be worth it given the value of a monument in reality.

I think the public would have a much higher opinion of the Land Surveying profession if we didn't put in such cheap monuments. Monuments are the highest value product of our work. We have to convince the Land Surveyors first though (most don't agree). Imagine if every property corner had a high quality, neatly stamped brass monument sticking up a little. I know there would be a material cost and some time would be spent. We put the same cheap monument everywhere including high end subdivisions. The contractors spend more time putting beautiful cabinets inside the house than they do in a cheap tract development but we put the same 5/8ths rebar with cheap plastic cap usually buried so know one even knows it is there.

Imagine if the funeral directors just slapped a slab of plastic down instead of selling a nice, neatly lettered monument? We can just use a plastic trash bag to bury Grandpa. I swear if the average inveterate cheapskate Surveyor or Civil Engineer ran their profession that's what they would do.

I'M WITH PABLO

I set 5/8X30" rebar with aluminum cap.

What is the point of a cap if you don't care if it's going to be around for very long? Why use a cap at all?

I offer my basic which I described above and I also offer FENO and concrete monuments.

Not very many people take me up on the FENO or concrete but I'll set it if they want it.

I'M WITH PABLO

We have boxes of 2" aluminum pipe monuments. I set those whenever I can. They make a pretty good monument. I would rather set stainless steel but we don't have any and the management probably wouldn't buy them. They can be driven but so far I dig a hole.

A sharpshooter to dig and a tuna can to scoop the dirt out. It goes pretty fast. Bend the tabs out 90° and bury it, they are surprisingly stable that way even if I let them stick up some. If stones are lying about then we build a stone mound.

Much more impressive than a puny rebar with plastic cap.

Most jurisdictions in Alaska prohibit plastic caps also. One even requires 3" brass on pipe, I think that is going to far, but the plastic ones are useless. The ones I have found that were set when they were allowed are usually unrecognizable blobs. Another point in favor of 2” aluminum caps is that you can put enough information on them to identify the corner. The ones with plastic sleeves last at least as long as they have been used in Alaska. (1960’s ?)

We have been using the Morasse plastic caps for 14 years with great success.

We use the ones with the hole for the 5/8" rebar all the way through the cap. We first install the rebar cap on the rebar using a large washer to protect the cap as we place it upside down on a hard surface and pound the rebar through the cap. Then we install the rebar into the ground, which tends to slightly mushroom the top of the rebar, helping to insure the cap can't come off.

They are hardy and colorfast. I almost never find one that has been compromised in any way other than entire corner pins that have been destroyed or pulled out. We tend to set them at or slightly below grade in traffic areas and about 4" above grade in the woods.

I believe there is a photo of one somewhere on our website: www.larsonandsimololandsurveyors.com

Good luck,
Dave.