Concrete is one of the popular construction materials used around the world. It is used to build commercial and residential states considering its reliability, strength, and the ability to withstand external factors and extreme weather conditions. Although concrete is used all year round when it comes to cold temperatures, concrete needs to be dealt with a bit carefully. After getting concrete delivery, you have to keep the concrete fresh in the winter to help it preserve its strength and quality. We will share some tips on pouring concrete in winter to help you be prepared and prevent the loss of time and money.
Pick The Best Concrete For Cold Weather
The first thing you need to do when it comes to pouring concrete in winter is select the right type. Most people don’t know that concrete has many different types. From the outside, concrete may look different but the formation can vary. This is done to meet the varying needs and preferences of builders and contractors.
So, if you are pouring concrete in freezing temperatures, you will have to pick high-quality concrete. Ask for compressive strength nothing less than 27 Mpa. The stronger the concrete, the stronger its resistance to handle the expanding water. Plus, you can also contact your local supplier to make concrete specifically for the winter season.
This allows them to use ingredients and produce cement that can handle freezing temperatures. Plus, you should also ask for concrete that comes with air-entrained properties to allow water to enter tiny entrained air voids, which helps the concrete release pressure when water freezes and expands.
Prepare The Site And Materials Before Pouring The Concrete
The next step is equally important. Once you have picked the right type of concrete for cold weather, you need to prepare the site and materials for the pouring. Warming up the area and critical. This will help avoid shocking the concrete.
Since you are most probably going to opt for ready-mix concrete, you should make sure the supplier prepares the concrete for you that is usable in cold weather or it will only cause huge problems.
Regarding preparations, you should remove the snow, ice, and water from the area of the pour. Furthermore, the team working on-site should also wear safety equipment to handle the temperature changes. You have to keep in mind that cold temperatures call for strong winds and can make it a lot more difficult for the employees to work.
This is why the team should properly warm up before handling concrete and should also keep the tools stored to preserve the concrete’s strength and quality. If the tools are cold and the cement is warm, it can change the formation of the cement and cause complications while pouring and application.
Carefully Monitor The Temperature Of Concrete
Another important factor you need to keep in mind about concrete is its curing time. Concrete curing either too quickly or late is not appropriate for construction. That is why, in the winter season, you need to keep a close eye on the curing time. You must monitor the concrete temperature in cold weather.
So, your preparations should begin even before the concrete mix delivery Silver Spring. You should place the concrete as soon as possible after its delivery. You can also purchase a pocket thermometer or an infrared thermometer that allows you to measure the temperature of the concrete ensuring it stays above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ensure the temperature does not drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit in 24 hours. Keeping a check on the temperature will help preserve the quality of the concrete and be prepared for unexpected temperature changes in the future.
If possible, you should also invest in heating systems to keep the cement, tools, and other relevant tools and items warm. This goes a long way in terms of increasing efficiency and productivity on the site.
Accelerating Admixtures Increase Set Times For Concrete
As the temperature drops, the set time for concrete increases. But it’s only till the concrete achieves the compressive strength of 3.5 Mpa. After that, concrete doesn’t get affected by the cold temperature. This means you should try to achieve this compressive strength as soon as possible.
At the same time, adding an accelerator to the concrete immediately before or during mixing concrete also helps speed up the curing, setting time along with the hydration rate and increases the strength. However, you have to be careful while using steel reinforcements as rust-causing factors can cause the concrete to crack.
Whether it’s pool construction, basic foundations, or superstructures, the use of steel reinforcements is a rule, so be careful.
Adding More Cement Increases Hydration
Finally, adding 100 pounds per cubic yard more of cement to the mixture helps quicken the hydration, provides more heat, and minimizes the possibility of water being forced to the surface of the concrete. In other words, increasing the cement-to-water ratio makes the paste denser. This adds to the concrete strength and weather-resistant qualities.
However, in such cases, you have to be mindful of the fact that adding concrete does not always get you the results you were expecting. As mentioned earlier, cement comes in a variety of different types. This means you will have to consult an expert and be careful about the quantity of cement you add.
Adding too much cement to the mixture will create an extremely dense paste that might not be feasible for construction or even repairs. That said, you need to consider all the related factors and keep the quantity of cement in mind.
Apart from taking care of the concrete quality, never ignore workers’ safety. You must train your staff to handle and work in cold environments. They should be able to detect and act on health issues like frostbites and cold stress.
How To Pick The Right Supplier For Concrete?
Picking the right supplier can do you wonders. The problem nowadays is that the market is saturated with concrete suppliers with varying qualities and quotes. For someone who has never purchased concrete, it can be a bit complicated to trust.
Plus, producing concrete is engineering in a technical sense and regular people are not too interested to know what goes into making concrete. But suppliers should educate their customers so that they know what they are buying and are not ripped off if they have to choose some other option in the future.
And, to the suppliers should ensure that their customers receive high-quality concrete each time by investing in newer techniques, strategies, and equipment. They should not try to take advantage of a customer who does not know anything about concrete.
All it takes is one bad work for years of reputation to go down the drain. So, while concrete quality is one thing, customer satisfaction is another.
Conclusion
Pouring concrete in winter is can be tricky but you can do it with proper planning. All you need to do is be a bit careful about the temperature. And make sure you do not take too much time and add additives in the right amount to keep the concrete fresh until pouring. And, keeping a check on the weather conditions and temperature helps you prepare concrete accordingly, which should also be a must. Plus, order concrete from reputable ready mix concrete suppliers Bethesda for high-quality concrete.