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Stop overworking the mix on hot days
I keep seeing guys adding more water when the concrete gets stiff in 90+ degree weather. That just kills your psi and leads to dusting later. Just use a retarder instead of turning it into soup.
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jade88523d ago
People actually dump extra water into hot concrete? That's asking for a slab that turns to dust in two years. A retarder costs pennies and saves you from a nightmare later.
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@jade885's got it right - a retarder is way cheaper than tearing out a bad slab later. But here's what I'm wondering: how many of you actually test your mix temperature before adding anything? Or are we all just guessing and hoping for the best?
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mark73119d ago
Temperature testing is one of those things nobody does until they learn the hard way. I've been guilty of just eyeballing it and hoping the mix stays cool enough. The worst is when you pour on a 90 degree day and the whole thing starts setting up before you finish troweling. A quick thermometer check takes 30 seconds and saves you a ton of headache later. Most guys just don't want to look slow pulling out a thermometer on the job site.
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