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Found out my concrete mix water temp actually mattered a lot more than I thought
I read a study from the American Concrete Institute last month that said water temp above 90 degrees can cut your set time by almost half. I always figured cold water was just for hot days to keep from cooking the mix, but I didn't realize how fast things can go wrong. I tested it on a small patio job near Phoenix where the water out of the hose was probably 95 easy. That slab started setting up in like 20 minutes compared to the usual 45 I see with cool water. I ended up having to work way faster and still left some rough edges I had to grind later. Has anyone else ever checked their water temp on a hot day or just let it fly?
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richard1102mo ago
I actually had no idea it could cut set time that much. 20 minutes sounds terrifying for a patio pour, did you have extra help on hand to spread it faster?
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