Cold Weather Concreting
Polar vortex or not, you knew it was going to get cold again, right? F&R is pleased to have the opportunity to share the following article on issues with cold-weather concrete, courtesy of someone who would know: Robert Neal, Technical Services Engineer with Lehigh Cement in Richmond, Virginia. We find this piece to be not only timely but also super informative and easy to understand for the layperson.
Cold weather is good for many things, such as skiing and making snowmen with the kids. But it’s a lousy time to work with concrete. Cold weather concrete construction presents a whole new set of challenges to both the concrete producer and contractor.
For as long as I can remember we have had cold weather each year – that’s no surprise to anyone. But why is it then that every winter, as temperatures drop, I get a phone call from someone wanting to know what’s wrong with their concrete? It set too slowly or it didn’t gain enough early strength or the surface is mysteriously popping off. When they say “this has never happened before in the 20 plus years I’ve worked with concrete,” you know you are dealing with someone who is suffering from an acute case of amnesia or is in outright denial. The fact is that this has indeed happened before and will probably happen again unless we take a different approach.