North Carolina boasts a pleasantly moderate temperature for most of the year, but when summer rolls around the weather can get downright hot. Read about tips for pouring concrete in hot weather.

North Carolina boasts a pleasantly moderate temperature for most of the year, but when summer rolls around the weather can get downright hot. That presents certain difficulties when it comes to working with concrete, which may not behave as desired when temperatures soar. This often causes less experienced concrete contractors to run into trouble when it comes to installing concrete in summer.

Fortunately, the experts at Central Carolina Concrete are well-versed in the art of pouring concrete in hot conditions. If you would like to learn more about how a true professional goes about this potentially disastrous task, read on. This article will outline three key tips for working with concrete in the heat of summer. 

Working all day beneath the blazing sun can quickly lead to dehydration. This is true not only for a concrete contractor and his or her workers, but also for the concrete they are pouring. What is important to realize here is that the most important thing about concrete is that the water/cement ratio needs to remain just right, otherwise the concrete will not perform correctly.

If there is too much water in the mixture, the concrete will turn out weak and prone to chipping and crumbling. If, on the other hand, there is too little water, the concrete will be excessively stiff. As a result, it will not pour, spread, or cure the way it should. This is a phenomenon referred to as slump loss.

As you can imagine, slump loss is especially problematic when working in hot weather, since high temperatures will increase the rate at which water evaporates out of the concrete. To combat this problem, contractors often add special retarding substances to the mixture. These act to retain the moisture and prevent slump loss caused by evaporation.

Direct exposure to sun will cause problems for more than just wet concrete. It can be equally problematic where the crushed gravel aggregate that goes into the concrete is concerned. This aggregate is commonly added to the mixture just before it is poured. This becomes problematic when working in high heat, especially if the aggregate has been stored beneath the open sun.

When this is the case, the aggregate absorbs and retains an incredible amount of heat. As the aggregate is added to the cement-water slurry, this heat increases the temperature of the mix. Once again, the result is evaporation and slump loss. The heat of the aggregate will also increase the rate of evaporation once the concrete has been poured, thus increasing the likelihood of crack formation.

The solution here is to take precautions to store the aggregate in as cool a place as possible. At the very least, the aggregate should remain completely shaded from direct sunlight, so as to minimize the amount of heat it absorbs.

Nothing could be more important in promoting strong, long-lasting concrete than the curing phase. This is also one of the most vulnerable times for the structural integrity of the concrete. That's because, if too great an amount of water evaporates up from the surface, the concrete will develop all manner of shrinkage cracks.

To prevent unwanted evaporation during the curing phase, it is vital that the concrete be completely covered by some substance that will help it retain its moisture content. Historically, concrete contractors would use things like hay, sand, or even water for this purpose. These days, however, the simplest option is to cover the concrete with a water impermeable membrane.

Such membranes simply consist of a layer of plastic at least 0.01mm thick. This plastic is laid down flush against the surface of the wet concrete. There it acts to prevent moisture from evaporating away from the surface. This in turn gives the water and the cement the time they need in order to react properly and form the strongest possible concrete.

There is simply no substitute for a knowledgeable concrete contractor. Only those with years of professional experience can truly understand what it takes to ensure the best possible results. Never allow yourself to be swayed by lowball offers when it comes to installing a concrete surface.