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Had a bad slump on a driveway pour in Cincinnati last month
It was a hot afternoon, maybe 90 degrees, and we were finishing a big stamped concrete driveway. The mix came in a little wet from the plant, and I got distracted helping the new guy with his edger. By the time I got back to the main section, a nasty slump had started right by the garage apron. My heart sank. I yelled for my partner to bring the bull float and we hit it hard, but it was already setting up too fast. We ended up having to cut out a three foot by two foot section and patch it the next morning before we could stamp. It cost us an extra half day and a yard of mud. Ever have a pour go south that fast because of the heat? What's your go-to fix when you see a slump forming?
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oliviabennett2mo ago
Ugh, that heat is a total nightmare for setting time.
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riverhill2mo ago
How early do you guys check the mix when it hits the site? That's the first thing I do on a hot day, even before it dumps. Seen it go bad so fast it'll make your head spin. Once that skin starts to form, you're just wasting energy trying to work it. Cutting it out is the only real fix, but man, losing that time and material stings every single time.
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the_ruby2mo ago
Yeah, that part about the mix coming in a little wet from the plant is the worst. I mean, on a hot day you're already fighting the clock and then you get a bad batch. My go-to is to have a bag of cement powder on the truck for exactly that, just to dry it out a bit if we catch it early. But once it starts setting up like you said, there's really no saving it, you just have to cut it out. It's such a gut punch.
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