How to Pour Appliance Pads

When you purchase an outdoor appliance such as an air conditioner, you need to set up the unit. However, you can't simply place an electrical appliance on the dirt outside your home. That's where appliance pads come in handy. These are general cement slabs which are set up outside your home, designed to support outdoor appliances. With the right materials, you can pour an appliance pad in a few hours.

Level
Measuring tape
Saw
Hammer and nails
Shovel
4 lengths of 1-foot by 4-foot lumber
Pegs
Wheelbarrow
Concrete
Trowel
Reinforcing steel rods

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the base of your appliance and select a flat location outside your home that will accommodate the dimensions.
- 2
  Make up the formwork, the wooden frame, cutting the wooden 1-foot by 4-foot pieces to match the dimensions of the appliance base and nailing them together at the ends. This will form a square frame. Place the frame in the chosen area of your yard.
- 3
  Use a level to ensure the frame is indeed level, then hammer pointed pegs to the outside corners of the frame to secure it.
- 4
  Dig a trench around the perimeter about 4 inches deep and 8 inches wide.
- 5
  Cut off the tops of the pegs with your saw, making them even with the frame.
- 6
  Mix the concrete in your wheelbarrow according to the instructions on the bag.
- 7
  Pour the concrete into the formwork, filling up the trenches and leaving about 3 inches of space from the top.
- 8
  Place four lengths of metal support rods along the sides of the concrete. These will prevent cracks in the concrete.
- 9
  Pour the concrete into the formwork until it reaches the top.
- 10
  Smooth the surface of the concrete with your trowel. Wait about a day for the concrete to dry, then remove the formwork.

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