Found a cheap fix for super cold days pouring concrete

I had a slab to pour last January in Denver when it was 25 degrees and windy. I couldn't keep the mix warm enough no matter what I tried. Then an old timer told me to mix in some hot water from a kettle instead of cold tap water. It kept the concrete from freezing up on me and the set time was pretty normal. Anyone else ever done this or have a better trick for cold weather pours?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_campbell4618h ago

My uncle used a garden hose on a space heater once to get hot water for his driveway slab. It worked okay but he said it was a pain to keep the flow steady. Small tricks like that are the backbone of every trade craft out here.

reesel5021h ago

Failed my first cold pour so bad the concrete looked like a half-frozen slushie I wouldn't serve my worst enemy.

patricialee18h ago

Sixty degrees is the absolute minimum recommended for a pour, but what was the actual air temperature when you tried yours? I've seen guys try to push it at 55 and end up with exactly what you described, that grainy icy mess that never sets right. Did you have the concrete supplier check the mix temperature before it left the plant? Sometimes the truck sits too long in cold weather and the load drops below spec before it even hits your forms.