pouring concrete

hot_rod

if done properly. The batch yard should know what additives work for cold weather pouring.

Concrete blankets to cover it may be enough, depending on expected temperatures. And running the radiant, with blankets will work down to some pretty cold temperatures. We used portable copper tube boilers, lp fired along side the biulding for temporary heat.

Last year we used a HTP contender outside to warm concrete steps for the stone mason to cover them.

hr

Jack Smith

pouring concrete

Daytime highs of 15 and lows around 5. Have radiant install ready for pour in walk-out basement slab, would like to fire up radiant to keep concrete from freezing. Concrete contractor says he won't pour with those temps. Anyone here ever pre-activate radiant before pour? Anything I should watch out for? Thanks!

Mark Custis

28* and rising to

pour in my part of Ohio. Concrete cures, it soes not dry. Go with the concrete guy. Watch your liability.

ScottRW

Marks absolutely correct.

If you insist on making your concrete guy pour, and it goes bad, ( it will) then the liabilty is on you. Also it's not a good idea to start your system in order to keep the new slab from freezing. You'll dry it out too quickly and it will crack in places you wouldn't think it could. My concrete guy tells me not to fire up the system until 7 days after the pour to prvent cracking. I follow his advice/instructions to the letter.
Scott

Gordy

Can be done

Agree with HotRod. Its all in proper cold weather cure/protection, concrete mix design for the temps, and subgrade condition(not frozen ground). Maybe your concrete sub is not setup for cold weather pours. Insulated blankets are a must.

Gordy

ScottRW

I agree with you both

You CAN pour year round if you use the proper additives and use blankets (I actually own some). But you have to take into consideration the expense of pouring in extreme weather. I just installed a system on a house here in N. Idaho. The h.o. insisted that all the exterior slabs be poured in the middle of December. Made no sense as the house won't be complete until early Spring at best. Should have waited. Concrete guys spent 3 days thawing out the subgrade, a loooong day of pouring and finishing, and then additional time to cover with blankets. It took 24 blankets to cover the 5 different areas they poured in. I don't know what they charged, but I'll bet it cost $1,500.0 to $2,000.00 more to pour in the cold.
BTW, I remembered about the floor my concrete guy told me not to heat. It was an overpour, 1-1/2" thick.
Sott

mike parnell

concrete

ive done a few pours in the winter here in mass,frost blankets a real must.did my bedroom and living room on one of the coldest days of the year 1 1/2" slab over wood subfloor, just turned the heat on in the basement floors to keep the house from freezing,the pours went great,the pump truck boom hydraulics froze up,we had to carry hoses into and up the stairs.waited about a week to turn on the radiant heat
when i poured the basement slabs 4-6" i ran cold water just run though the radiant tubes to keep the floors from setting up to fast.worked out fine.poured them in the summer time.
good luck with your project................mike