Update: That 100-yard pour in July heat was a nightmare

Last Tuesday we had a 100-yard driveway pour scheduled in Phoenix, and the temp hit 115 by 10 AM. The concrete showed up hotter than ordered, and it started setting up way too fast. We had three guys on the bull floats and it was still like trying to finish quicksand. The homeowner was mad because the finish got rough in spots before we could get the trowels on it. Has anyone else had a supplier deliver hot mud on a scorcher and how did you save the job?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

vera7377mo ago

Our crew in Vegas last August had a 120-yard pour at 118 degrees. The supplier sent a retarder truck behind the first three loads. That extra mix with the retarder bought us the window to blend in and finish. Sometimes you gotta call for that backup mix before the first truck even shows up on a day like that. Blaming the mud getting hot is easy, but the planning for extreme heat has to start with your order.

8

jessesingh6mo ago

Honestly that sounds like a supplier problem more than a planning one. Tbh most crews I know are already pushing to get the order right before the trucks roll. You can't always predict how fast the first loads will set up, even with a retarder on standby. Ngl, expecting a crew to call for a backup mix before seeing how the first truck behaves is asking for wasted material half the time. Sometimes the mud just wins, and all the planning in the world doesn't change that.

6

mary7687mo ago

That's a retarder admixture, not a separate mix.

1