I used to think a little extra water in the mix was no big deal

We were finishing a patio in Tempe last month, and the heat made the pour set up way too fast. My helper added a splash from his water jug to keep it workable, and it caused a huge craze crack pattern after curing. Now I keep a spray bottle with a proper retarder on every job. Anyone else have a go-to trick for hot weather pours?

3 comments

3 Comments

martin.paige1mo ago

Learned that the hard way on a driveway in July. We started mixing the concrete with ice water instead of tap, it buys you a solid extra 20 minutes of work time. Also, keep everything in the shade if you can, even the bags before you open them. That spray bottle idea is smart, I'm gonna add that to my truck.

tarar271mo agoMost Upvoted

Ice water in the mix is a wild move. Never would have thought of that for a driveway job. Guess you really do learn something new every day.

the_pat1mo ago

Actually gotta disagree with @martin.paige on the ice water trick. Seen it mess with the set time too much, makes the finish unpredictable. That extra 20 minutes sounds great until the whole batch starts curing weird. Keeping bags cool makes sense, but changing the mix water temp is just asking for trouble on something big like a driveway. Better to just work faster with a bigger crew, lol.