Over the years in this business, I’ve often encouraged people to ask questions that might pertain to their current or future concrete placement and finishing projects .. It’s always a good thing to help, if possible, I feel, and as a result, my mailbag (email box) is found filled to the brim on some days.
As soon as I get a bit more time, I’m going to add a new category to this blog .. I’ll call it “From the Mail Bag” .. and it will address the concerns and/or the questions that others might have with regard to anything having to do with concrete.
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From the mailbag today, Joe (Roanoke, Texas) writes:
Is it too hot right now in Texas to pour a concrete driveway. It has been averaging 101 degrees at my house. I have half driveway in Sun. Other half in shade trees. I also want to use a 5-sack mix. Would you recommend that in this heat?
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Dear Joe
Thanks for contacting me with your question.
5 Sack Mix (3,000 psi) is fairly common in Texas .. more because it’s cheaper, than due to any kind of heat issues.
I could recommend 5 sack mix on house foundations, sidewalks, and patio’s .. but for the sake of durability, I would suggest a 5 1/2 to 6 sack mix (3,500 psi – 4,000 psi) for a driveway.
In the heat, 5 sack mix will set up about as fast as 5 1/2 sack mix .. added *flyash and adequate base *moisture can slow the setup time on nearly any mix design you use.
The mix setup can also be slowed by shade. If you are pouring this yourself, I would suggest pouring the shady portion first, and then pouring the sunny section last. By doing this, you stand to even the odds between the setup times of the two. The slab will set more uniformly.
It’s okay to use a 5 sack mix for what you are wanting to do .. If you have concerns about the heat, simply ask the batch plant to bump the percentage of flyash up a bit, and be sure that your subgrade contains adequate moisture .. you should be fine.
Because sun and shade are proven to move throughout the course of the day, you might do well to consider the best time to pour during that particular day. The earlier, the better, is usually the rule, but if it can’t be poured early, you’ll have your logistics to fall back on .. i.e. mix design, flyash, base prep moisture and a pour plan.
Protect your house foundation during the drought .. water your yard close to the foundation all around frequently .. retain the ground moisture .. this will help prevent your foundation from the moving, bobbing, and weaving often associated with stress cracks. A higher water bill is a lot less expensive than a $6,000.00+ foundation repair ..
Pinky Lee Morgison .. New Mexico 2010
Last year, I had the opportunity to meet Pinky Lee Morgison while traveling via Greyhound from Beaumont, Texas to Great Falls, Montana to get my wife’s car.
Pinky and I rode together from Dallas to Denver, (I took the photo above in New Mexico, one of but many stops along the way) and what stories there were to be told during the trip. I quietly sat and listened to Pinky as he talked of his many life’s experiences .. in the stockyards, cattle shows, and livestock auctions .. there was Pinky .. ready to do the job that most would not.
The Rocky Mountain News did a write up on Pinky in January 2006 .. here are a few excerpts:
“He borrows a pitchfork from an obliging rancher – “There’s a lot of nice folks out here, yessir” – makes a U-turn and heads for a remote area down past a parking lot full of large pickups and just across the railroad tracks where two young women are grooming cattle.
He pulls out a slip of yellow paper from the pages of a pocket Bible that he can’t read. On the slip some numbers are written – designating the area where Pinky is supposed to make some beds for the cattle. Pinky knows his numbers and finds the spot.” ~ Rocky Mountain News
“Bits of straw glint golden in the afternoon sun as they cascade from the pitchfork. Pinky doesn’t deviate from his routine: Remove the rope, hang it on the fence, briskly attack the bale, feather the straw along the fence. He’s done in an hour.” ~ Rocky Mountain News
Read The Entire Article Here …
Tol and Tol – Peace and Quiet
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