A common concern that many people have is whether they can pour concrete in winter or not. This is a growing concern for people who live in cold regions.
You can pour concrete in the winter but only if you take the proper precautions and hire a professional concrete contractor.
Also Read: What To Do Before Hiring A Shotcrete Company
When pouring concrete in winter you will need to protect the sub-base from freezing, secondly, you will have to use a winter concrete mix and lastly, you will have to cover the concrete with curing blankets that will protect the concrete from freezing.
So, pouring concrete in the winter is not an easy task as it requires a lot of skills, knowledge and experience.
Hence it is advised that you hire a certified concrete contractor, that can help you pour your concrete in the winter successfully.
In this blog post, we will discuss in detail whether you can pour concrete in the winter or not.
Will The Concrete Cure In Winter?
Concrete will cure in cold weather, it can even cure in freezing temperatures therefore you should protect it properly from the harsh weather.
When concrete is cured it generates heat, this heat is called the heat of hydration.
Similarly, when water and cement get mixed together a strong chemical reaction takes place and it is this chemical reaction that creates the heat and starts the curing process.
When the weather is cold the chemical reaction slows down and produces less heat, so this can slow down the curing process but the concert will still get cured.
If you want to reduce the cure time and decrease the chances of your concrete freezing then you should use hot water while mixing your concrete.
Also if you can heat the space by covering it or pouring the concrete inside a building with a proper heating system this will also help the concrete to cure better.
Lastly, if your concrete is exposed to a temperature at or below the freezing level then you must cover the concrete with some curing blankets in order to protect it from freezing.
What Temperature Is Too Cold For Pouring Concrete?
There is no exact temperature that is too cold to pour concrete. But what we know is that if you protect the sub-base from freezing and you mix your concrete mix with hot water then you can pour concrete even if the temperature is below freezing.
You should never pour the concrete on frozen ground. Professional concrete contractors, when pouring concrete in freezing temperatures, keep their sub-base insulated with a curing blanket and styrofoam, which help them protect the ground from freezing.
Hence make sure that your sub-base is fully insulated while pouring concrete. Also, hire a certified concrete contractor to get the best results.
Tips For Pouring Concrete In Winter
Here are some tips that can help you pour concrete in the winter:
- Firstly protect your sub-base from freezing with poly and hay or insulated blankets.
- Don’t pour your concrete directly on the frozen ground, as it can crack your floor.
- Before pouring your concrete unthaw all the frozen areas using a ground heater.
- Use a concrete mix that has higher psi (pounds per square inch) as this will increase the heat of hydration.
- Use hot or warm water to mix your concrete mix.
- Also, use an accelerator additive in your concrete mix.
- After pouring your concrete mix, protect it from the harsh weather with insulated and curing blankets.
- If bad weather is forecasted after you have finished pouring your concrete then add a layer of poly over the insulated blankets to protect the concrete slab from freezing rain.
These are some tips that can help you pour your concrete in winter, but it is a difficult task so we advise you that you hire a professional concrete contractor for this job.
About SprayForce Concrete
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