Cold weather concreting is possible through two potential methods.
Often, construction companies will have to pour concrete even during the winter months. Waiting for the cold to pass is not always feasible, so it is possible to pour concrete during colder temperatures, what’s known as “cold weather concreting.” If cold weather concreting is not done correctly and carefully, the sustainability and integrity of the concrete can degrade quickly. There are a few methods, however, which can ensure successful cold weather concreting. Read on to learn the basics of this wintry pavement process.
Cold Weather Concreting Methods
The primary threat to pouring concrete in winter is that it will freeze before the concrete has fully set. The methods that fight this threat usually work by either speeding the curing process or keeping the entire area heated to allow slower normalized drying time.
Speeding the Curing Process
Speeding up the cold weather concreting process involves adding chemical additives to the concrete mix, which accelerate the concrete curing. You can buy a blend with the additives already included, or additives can be mixed in at the construction site.
Heating the Area
Methods that involve heating the area can include tactics like covering the concrete with insulated blankets, film cover, straw, burlap, or electric-powered heating blankets.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Disadvantages
The chemical accelerators can have potentially adverse consequences for the cold weather concreting process. The chemicals have a dehydrating and corrosive nature, which can cause the concrete to cure too quickly, which results in weak concrete. This weakness can make the concrete more prone to cracks and damage, which will require costly repairs.
Advantages
Due to the potential consequences of the chemical additives, heating the area during cold weather concreting is the recommended method. Heated blankets can be especially useful, and can help to cure the concrete 2.8 times faster without any significant disadvantages or harsh side effects you need to spend more to counteract.
Maintenance You Can Trust from PTG Enterprises
If you want to protect your pavement and ensure it has a long lifespan, choose PTG Enterprises for your community sidewalks, parking lots and pavement maintenance needs. We offer commercial concrete, asphalt, masonry, paving, consultation, and survey report services throughout Baltimore, Harford, Anne Arundel, Howard, and P.G. Counties. If you are interested in hearing how we can help you, contact us online or give us a call at (410) 636-8777. For more tips and tricks, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Flickr.
Tags: cold weather concrete, cold weather concreting, Concrete
