Pouring concrete in freezing weather. Wise?
Doug Kellogg
Greetings!
I am having a house built, and they will be pouring the concrete foundation
in the next day or two. However, the temperature for the next few days is
forecasted anywhere from 24 to 38 degree F (in St. Louis, MO). Are there
potential dangers in doing the pour in these temperatures?
Common sense tells me that water, no matter what compound it is in, freezes
at 32 degrees (I learned that one in 1st grade). The builder ensures me that
certain drying agents will make the concrete dry faster and prevent any
problems.
If they don't do it now, it doesn't seem as though the temperature will get
any warmer (after all, this is relatively warm weather for December).
Your experiences would be great,
Doug Kellogg
DKel...@PeabodyGroup.com
Moe Skeeter
FWIW -
I had a garage built with 9 foot concrete walls that were poured around the
middle of December during a particularly cold snap here in Colorado.
Everything is fine, 10 years later....
--
TimW
Halfordian Golfer
Doug Kellogg wrote in message <667990$1...@news2.zippo.com>...
Fred Goldrich
In article <667990$1...@news2.zippo.com>,
Doug Kellogg <DKel...@PeabodyGroup.com> wrote:
>Greetings!
>
>I am having a house built, and they will be pouring the concrete foundation
>in the next day or two. However, the temperature for the next few days is
>forecasted anywhere from 24 to 38 degree F (in St. Louis, MO). Are there
>potential dangers in doing the pour in these temperatures?
>
>Common sense tells me that water, no matter what compound it is in, freezes
>at 32 degrees (I learned that one in 1st grade). The builder ensures me that
>certain drying agents will make the concrete dry faster and prevent any
>problems.
Our footings were poured a week or so ago, and the
foundation proper is being poured now. We are building on
the coast of Maine.
The builder told us that he preferred to pour in
warmer weather, as he felt that the concrete came out margi-
nally stronger without the cold-weather additives. Never-
the-less, we didn't make it, and the additives are being used.
Everyone we spoke to felt that the difference was real,
but small.
-- Fred Goldrich
--
Fred Goldrich
gold...@panix.com
David
Ken J wrote:
>
> "Doug Kellogg" <DKel...@PeabodyGroup.com> wrote:
>
> >Greetings!
> >
> >I am having a house built, and they will be pouring the concrete foundation
> >in the next day or two. However, the temperature for the next few days is
> >forecasted anywhere from 24 to 38 degree F (in St. Louis, MO). Are there
> >potential dangers in doing the pour in these temperatures?
> >
> >Common sense tells me that water, no matter what compound it is in, freezes
> >at 32 degrees (I learned that one in 1st grade). The builder ensures me that
> >certain drying agents will make the concrete dry faster and prevent any
> >problems.
> >
>
>
> Concrete can have freezing retardants added to it to allow pouring
> below freezing. The chemical reaction alone as the concrete cures
> generates a certain amount of heat.
we are pouring the last 150' of our driveway tomorrow and calcium
chloride is being added to help it attain strength faster. The low
temps will be 26 to 30 over the next 4 days. Highs will reach 50's.
Our contractor says not to worry...he's done this plenty of times. I'm
still going to worry. It's my right as an owner to worry <G>.
--
_______________________________________________
What the heck? ... it's just my opinion!
To reply, delete NOSPAM from my email address.
_______________________________________________
Ken J
Matt D
Not a problem, concrete curing is pretty "active" and the additives help too.
I hear they can pour into the twenties now. Teens I might worry about.
Matt D
In article <667990$1...@news2.zippo.com>, "Doug Kellogg"
<DKel...@PeabodyGroup.com> wrote:
>Greetings!
>
>I am having a house built, and they will be pouring the concrete foundation
>in the next day or two. However, the temperature for the next few days is
>forecasted anywhere from 24 to 38 degree F (in St. Louis, MO). Are there
>potential dangers in doing the pour in these temperatures?
>
>Common sense tells me that water, no matter what compound it is in, freezes
>at 32 degrees (I learned that one in 1st grade). The builder ensures me that
>certain drying agents will make the concrete dry faster and prevent any
>problems.
>
Tom Eisenman
Concrete gives off heat as it cures so it can be poured in colder
temperatures. I would bet that in your area the concrete suppliers also put
additives in the mix to improve cold tolerance. Pure water freezes at 32.
Water mixed with other substances freezes at different temperatures.
Heavily salted water freezes around zero. (No coincidence, that is how the
zero point was selected way back when.)
Doug Kellogg <DKel...@PeabodyGroup.com> wrote in article
<667990$1...@news2.zippo.com>...
Mark E Swanlund
>Greetings!
>
>I am having a house built, and they will be pouring the concrete foundation
>in the next day or two. However, the temperature for the next few days is
>forecasted anywhere from 24 to 38 degree F (in St. Louis, MO). Are there
>potential dangers in doing the pour in these temperatures?
>
>Common sense tells me that water, no matter what compound it is in, freezes
>at 32 degrees (I learned that one in 1st grade). The builder ensures me that
>certain drying agents will make the concrete dry faster and prevent any
>problems.
>
>If they don't do it now, it doesn't seem as though the temperature will get
>any warmer (after all, this is relatively warm weather for December).
>
>Your experiences would be great,
>
>Doug Kellogg
>DKel...@PeabodyGroup.com
>
>
Doug:
More than likely nothing to get worried about. Additives like Calcium Chloride are used all the
time in non-residential construction. Calcuiun Chloride actually speeeds up the hydration process
in Portland Cement Concrete and that process generates heat. If the process generates heat faster
than its lost through the surfaces then the temperature will remain high enough not to freeze. But
if it does get really cold the water in the concrete will freeze. But we're talking really cold.
One indicator of quality of your concrete is slump. This is basically how "runny" the concrete is
coming out of the truck. Typically the concrete is batched in such a manner that if it were
allowed to fall on the ground it would give a nice Plop just like a cow pie. You don't want it to
flow like a liquid. Another indicator is if the contractor can "pour" (good concrete isn't poured,
its placed) the entire foundation from one corner its way to runny. Watch the concrete when it
arrives, the contrator will likely add water, this is for his convience not for quality of your
product. If necessary pump the concrete if the entire foundation can't be reached buy the truck
chute, don't pour it all from one spot. Cost of a pump is worth it.
Also make sure the contrator vibrates the foundation concrete in the forms. A "spud" or vibrator
looks like a marital aid for a 50' woman.
Good luck.
Mark Swanlund, PE
Pavement Technology Engineer
Federal Highway Administration - Baltimore, MD
410 962 0077 x3057
Thomas J. Kopp
>"Doug Kellogg" <DKel...@PeabodyGroup.com> wrote:
>>Common sense tells me that water, no matter what compound it is in, freezes
>>at 32 degrees (I learned that one in 1st grade). The builder ensures me that
Not by a long shot.
Half (in most climates) of the "antifreeze/coolant" mix in your car's radiator
is water. The other half is (likely) something along the lines of ethylene
glycol. (I think. I forget exactly what it is). A 50/50 mix allows the
widest range between freeze/boil points of the mixture.
It won't freeze until wayyyy below 32 degrees. As I recall, in good condition
it won't freeze until ~ 30 below or so. It also doesn't boil at 212. ;)
It's also possible for plain, distilled water to be "supercooled". If it's
totally pure and in a totally clean container, it can be very cold. However,
get it to that condition and drop a single grain of sand in, and all the water
will crystalize (freeze) almost instantly.
System Janitor
"Doug Kellogg" <DKel...@PeabodyGroup.com> writes:
>Common sense tells me that water, no matter what compound it is in, freezes
>at 32 degrees (I learned that one in 1st grade). The builder ensures me that
>problems.
The process that concrete goes through that brings it from ``not set''
to ``set'' has nothing to do with drying. Did your builder actually
say that?
Anyhow, there are add-mixtures that make it safer to pour in the
cold.
-Mike
oem
Actually, the trick is that concrete goes through a change that produces
heat as it "sets. By adding certain chemicals, this change can be
accellerated, or speeded up so that it occurs more rapidly and generates
more heat which prevents it from freezing until the moisture has all been
bonded to the cement molecules and no longer susceptable to freezing.
System Janitor <hub...@hubcap.clemson.edu> wrote in article
<hubcap.882287504@hubcap>...
John O'Reilly
On Thu, 18 Dec 1997 21:13:17 GMT, "oem" <rta...@pica.army.mil> wrote:
>Actually, the trick is that concrete goes through a change that produces
>heat as it "sets. By adding certain chemicals, this change can be
>accellerated, or speeded up so that it occurs more rapidly and generates
>more heat which prevents it from freezing until the moisture has all been
>bonded to the cement molecules and no longer susceptable to freezing.
>System Janitor <hub...@hubcap.clemson.edu> wrote in article
That's right, when I worked at the weather office we used to supply
forecast temperatures to mixer companies so they could tailor the mix
to the expected temperature.