Pouring Concrete Walls In Rain

Big revolving trucks dumping concrete into the bed atop limesone sealed with tar and puddles 1 2 inches deep in the pouring rain.

Pouring concrete walls in rain.

The enclosed area is continually flooded with water. Concrete continues to gain strength after pouring for as long as it retains moisture but the longer it moist cures the slower the rate of strength gain. Concrete which is moist cured for 7 days is about 50 stronger than uncured concrete. Here are some tips for preventing and troubleshooting rain damaged concrete.

If it was not covered prior to the onset of the rain if the hardening was not very far along by that time and if there was enough rain falling with enough force the rain may have washed some of the cement out of the concrete. After concrete is placed the concrete increases in strength very quickly for a period of 3 7 days. A huge 10 ft wide forming machine leveled the surface and vibrated as it crawled along. Once the damage is done it can be hard to rectify and will often ruin the appearance of the finished surface.

An 8 inch poured concrete wall costs 12 75 per square foot or 1 224 poured on average. Rainwater can cause a new concrete surface to become soft which in turn decreases the abrasion resistance and strength of the concrete while increasing the tendency for dusting and cracking to develop. Pouring concrete in the rain can compromise its strength increasing the tendency for dusting and scaling to develop. The key to preventing damage to the concrete surface by a rainstorm is proper preparation and timing.

The more rain that mixes with the semi solid concrete the more likely it is that the slab will fail. Don t let it rain on your parade. The integrity of the slab depends on keeping the water ratio in the concrete mix low. Unpredictable summer thunderstorms can wreak havoc on a concrete pour.

If possible tent the pour with tarps to keep rain from mixing with the concrete. The biggest problem you may be faced with is the effect the rain may have had on the surface of the concrete. Walls taller than 8 feet should be 10 inches thick.