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Blew a 60 yard driveway pour last spring and had to learn quick
I was working a big residential job outside of Nashville and the concrete started setting way faster than I planned for. The temp jumped from 72 to 88 in like an hour and I could barely keep up with the troweling. Ended up calling another finisher I knew to come help me throw some wet burlap over the edges while I reworked the middle section. We saved the slab but my arms hurt for three days after. Has anyone else had a batch go hot on them like that?
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lucaslee23d ago
Used to think the whole "hot batch" thing was just guys complaining about getting a little afternoon sun. Changed my mind after a 90 yard pour in July where the truck showed up late, the sun came out full blast, and I was watching that mud set up like concrete soup turning into a parking lot. Had to drop everything and start throwing cold water on the trucks and working in sections with a crew of four just to keep it from turning into a permanent sculpture. Felt like I was fighting a losing battle for two hours straight.
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uma_johnson14d ago
Wait @ryanh56 you're telling me you actually TEST your sand before every pour? Must be nice having that kind of patience lol. I just gamble and hope for the best, which is probably why my last hot batch turned my driveway into a modern art installation nobody asked for. That story gave me PTSD flashbacks to a time I had to chisel out a whole curb that set up in like 45 minutes because the sun came out of nowhere. Honestly at this point I'm convinced concrete has a personal grudge against any schedule I try to keep.
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Get your moisture meter out next time you mix and check the sand. I had a batch go hot on me last summer and turns out my aggregate pile had dried out way more than I thought after a week of no rain. The mix design was fine on paper but the actual water absorption was off by like 2 gallons per yard. Threw off my whole slump and set time. Started testing my sand moisture before every pour now and it saved my ass on a 40 yard sidewalk job two weeks ago.
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