Concrete housekeeping pads play an essential role in commercial and residential construction. They are used to facilitate installation of larger equipment, machines, storage areas, and areas of use. A housekeeping pad elevates the surface from the surrounding areas and floors. They are common place throughout most commercial and residential buildings. They are functional concrete elements, with both functional purpose and architectural aesthetic in some capacity. If you have a residential property, you might want a small curb structure or housekeeping pad installed in the garage for cabinets, conduits, panels, or other components.
Concrete Housekeeping Pads are Elevated above Floor Elevation
The elevation of concrete housekeeping pads allows them to protect embedded conduit, piping, equipment, machines, and other construction elements.
Often times concrete housekeeping pads are coated in an epoxy (epoxy flooring coating), or a paint, for additional aesthetic and added surface protection. Concrete housekeeping pads can be carried through the flooring materials from the flooring in rooms. Such products as rubberized floors might carry an upturn of the flooring, called cove base, that allows for the floor to wrap up the housekeeping pads.
Reinforcement for Housekeeping Pads
Concrete housekeeping pads, much like a concrete slab will be provided with reinforcement, e/w rebar to support the structural integrity of the concrete. Heavy loads are borne by equipment and machines on housekeeping pads. Housekeeping pads are generally found in mechanical rooms and electrical rooms, protecting equipment, conduit, piping etc.
If you need a housekeeping pad in your home or building, and have a major piece of equipment to be placed on it, the reinforcement details and concrete strength(MPa) are important to review.
Potential Equipment/Material for Housekeeping Pads: boilers, furnaces, commercial laundry equipment, water heating equipment, important electrical conduit bundles, electrical panels, AC equipment, generators, transformers etc.
When is a Concrete Housekeeping Pad Poured
Typically a concrete housekeeping pad will be poured after the main slab is poured. This means the slab on grade or interior building slab construction is prior to the housekeeping pad, which allows for the customization of the housekeeping pad to dimensions to suit machines/equipment. Housekeeping pads are typically also provided to raise equipment above any potential water/flooding, helping with protection against water damage.
Height of Concrete Housekeeping Pads
House keeping pads can also be used for elevation of things like mop sinks, cabinets, lockers, etc.
Maybe 6″ is suitable for a concrete housekeeping pad, or 150mm, sometimes less at 4″ or 100mm.
The height of a concrete house keeping pad can vary depending the use case, but as the height increases, and/or the load increases, the structural reinforcement requirements may increase also. Structural concrete reinforcement requirements are dictated by the architectural specifications or the structural engineer. They may be attributed to the dictations of the concrete contractor also. For especially heavy equipment and items, higher MPa concrete may be required.
Photo Above: Outdoor concrete pad for equipment. With outdoor pads, depending on the load requirements, sub-grade preparation may or may not be required to facilitate stable installations.
Photo Above: Concrete housekeep pad with pump install (mech equipment).
Other Features of Concrete Housekeeping Pads
Beveled edges are typical for concrete housekeeping pads to protect the edges from excessive damage. Concrete that is resistant to sulfates can also aid in protection against salts/chemicals in environments that may be prone to such issues. Typically air entrainment is not used for interior housekeeping pads. Air entrainment can make it difficult to get a smooth finish on concrete housekeeping pads. Exterior housekeeping pads may include air entrainment. Housekeeping pads in parkades may require sulfate resistant additives, and/or air entrainment.
It may be warranted to paint housekeeping pads for visibility in parking areas, storage areas, or mechanical rooms etc.
Photo Above: High concrete curbs like shown formed above can improve the durability of spaces like waste disposal areas, housekeeping rooms and more!
Conclusion
Concrete housekeeping pads are essential in residential and commercial construction for protection of equipment and materials from unnecessary damages. Housekeeping pads are simply elevated portions of concrete slabs that provide raised platforms for various equipment and protection of materials, conduits, and more.
These concrete slabs ensure both functional protection, but also aesthetic too, with the right paint color or curb profile design!
If you are in the market for a concrete housekeeping pad for your project, reach out to the pros at a reputable concrete contractor! Once they know the details of the item you are trying to support (weight, size, etc.) they can provide an assessment for structural requirements and potential costs.
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