How to properly care for concrete in the summer

Concrete is a strong and adaptable building material that is used for many different types of construction projects, such as driveways and foundations. But the summer sun and heat can make it difficult to keep its integrity and appearance. It is essential to take proper care of your concrete surfaces during the hot months to keep them sturdy and free of cracks.

Controlling moisture is one of the most important parts of summertime concrete care. Summertime’s high temperatures and dry weather can cause concrete to lose moisture too quickly. Concrete requires a sufficient amount of water to cure properly. Weakened surfaces and unsightly cracks may result from this. Little things like applying curing compounds and watering on a regular basis can have a big impact.

Keeping your concrete safe from extremely high or low temperatures is another important factor. Overheating can cause concrete to expand and contract, which over time can result in structural problems. To keep your concrete in optimal condition, you can reduce the effects of UV rays and high temperatures by using protective sealants and shading techniques.

By following these simple maintenance guidelines, you can prolong the life of your concrete surfaces and maintain their excellent appearance all summer long. You can protect your investment and take advantage of well-maintained concrete year-round with a few easy steps.

Freshly poured products in the summer

You can only get a concrete platform or foundation that won’t break and will only get stronger over time with a professional approach. There are three steps in the entire process:

1. Properly prepare the solution (technologists should monitor this).
2. Correctly lay the mixture into the assembled frame or formwork (the foreman is responsible for this).
3. Dry the fill correctly, create conditions so that it can gain the declared strength (the owner of the structure is responsible for this).

Since the latter takes a lot of time, concrete maintenance cannot be assigned in the summer or the winter. It’s critical to shield concrete that is curing from extreme heat or cold, mechanical stress, and powerful shocks. The natural hardening process can be interfered with even by an average dry wind. The concrete dries out more quickly as a result, setting unevenly. As a result, the freshly built structure is destroyed and surfaces crack.

It is crucial to pour concrete at an air temperature of +20 °C to prevent unfavorable outcomes. Rain and a strong wind shouldn’t happen at the same time. Three hours after pouring, a complex set of procedures is implemented to preserve the product’s strength, and it continues for a week.

Experts advise taking all necessary precautions to keep the solution moist during this time and stop it from evaporating too quickly. If this isn’t done, the concrete will crack all the way to the bottom after the superficial tension noticeably rises.

Once the filling grabs well, it must be covered with a waterproof material (cellophane or vapor barrier membrane) to avoid unfavorable outcomes. Regarding the necessity of watering concrete after pouring, experts recommend doing so every two hours on the first day. Then, pour water every eight hours from the second to the seventh day, inclusive.

It cannot be poured out under high pressure in a stream. A specialized nozzle that lets you spray moisture or apply it in a drip pattern needs to be installed on the hose. Plastic film is placed over the product right away following wet processing.

Take note! The corners, edges, and protruding portions of the structure should all receive extra care. In the sun, they quickly dry out. If a contractor is involved, you can easily modify the schedule or establish control over the task’s completion by knowing how many days you should water the concrete after it has been poured.

The frequency of watering is changed. Climate conditions must be considered when determining how much concrete needs to be watered after pouring. Making sure the new structure’s surface is consistently wet is crucial.

If the site has little water, you can still meet all the requirements by covering the recently filled surfaces with wet sand or sawdust. However, they will also need to be covered with film right away and kept wet throughout the drying process. The concrete will then solidify more uniformly.

Foam-forming compounds are sprayed onto the concrete surface in the absence of any water. These could be any kind of bitumen emulsion or latex liquid. Ethinol varnish may be used for the approved uses only.

Maintaining concrete after pouring gets more challenging when temperature needs to be watched. The material releases a significant amount of heat into the air as it hardens. Its thickness can occasionally contain temperatures as high as +80 °C. Additionally, each layer of concrete develops transverse cracks if it falls suddenly.

The ideal air temperature to pour concrete mortar is thought to be +20 °C. On the other hand, it’s crucial to cover the completed concrete with burlap and any other heat-insulating materials if the area experiences abrupt weather changes, such as hot days and cold nights.

Note: You cannot alter the solution’s composition, deviate from the recommended ratios, and add more water in the hopes that doing so will slow down the rate of drying and lessen the need to irrigate a hardening product. Because too much water eroded the cement, the front portion of the structure cracked very easily. It’s crucial to know how much concrete will be required after pouring and to avoid experimenting with the solution’s quantitative ratio.

The new product must be shielded from the groundwater. If the soil is very close to being loamy, drainage should be done even before the work begins, and the first three days should be closely monitored. Work is relevant for an additional two weeks for other types of soils.

Care for the foundation for future construction

The freshly poured foundation needs to be properly cared for in order for the house to last longer and not collapse while it is being used. It is essential to:

1. Prevent plastic shrinkage of concrete.
2. Protect it from premature drying.
3. Protect it from possible mechanical damage.

Selecting the ideal moment to fill the formwork is crucial. If you begin working early in the morning or right after the sun sets, you will get the best results. Sheet slate or any other roll material will help shield the product from the sun’s harsh rays during the day. The summertime pouring of the foundation is followed by timely moistening of the future building’s base. Its surface is watered every ten hours during the first three days of hot weather. You will need to water it every three hours if there is wind.

Watering is done once every three days after that. The process ends if the air temperature falls below +5. Bitumen emulsions or water-soluble latex compounds are used to treat the foundation when water is not present.

Features of filling in winter

It’s crucial to keep the water in the prepared solution from freezing when it’s chilly outside. For this, particular additives are utilized. They hold onto the heat energy that hardening concrete releases during hydration.

Researchers have discovered that one concrete cube releases 36,000 kcal of heat during the hardening process. In the first three days, half of this heat is lost; the remaining half is lost over the next seven days. The final product loses strength if this process proceeds more quickly. Supplements aid in avoiding unfavorable side effects. When they are used, pouring is possible even at -15 °C.

However, follow-up care is not discontinued. Skilled builders utilize these technologies to avoid freezing:

• A “warmhouse” or warm tent is built on top of the foundation or site, and a heat gun is placed inside. But practice shows that it is very difficult to control its operation (overdrying may occur). It is easier to prevent this by giving preference to infrared heaters. It is important to strictly observe the distance between the heating lamp and the top layer of the structure. It must be at least 120 cm.
• You can insulate the formwork itself by covering it with foam plastic or mineral wool. In this case, the concrete will heat itself. The method is justified when pouring is carried out in a zone of border temperatures.
• When it"s below -20°C outside, construction work doesn"t stop. The foundations are poured using a structure consisting of metal plates. Heating elements are mounted in them, then formwork is assembled from them. The outer layer is additionally insulated. While the solution is setting, it is forcibly heated. After three or four days, the formwork is removed, the foundation is covered from above with a tarpaulin or special thermomats. Under such a cocoon, the concrete finally cools down. This process is under the constant control of the foreman.
• Some builders heat up the newly mixed solution using electrical heating using powerful transformers. The measures are expensive, but completely justified: after all, if the foundation becomes covered with cracks, it will need to be redone. And this is an even bigger expense.
• If the solution is prepared without adding special additives, you need to use water that has been highly heated in advance.
• It is important to carry out the laying continuously; if the top layer manages to freeze at low temperatures, the builders remove the ice with steam and immediately continue concreting.

There are situations where combining different approaches is necessary. Formwork insulation and electrical heating are frequently combined by builders. Under such circumstances, forced heating is applied for two days, and only external measures are effective for the remaining five days. In this case, a week after pouring, the concrete regains 80% of its strength.

Drawing up the order of necessary activities and exercising control

Special laboratories are in charge of creating a plan for the subsequent steps after pouring during the capital construction process because the proper maintenance of concrete during the summer, winter, spring, and fall directly influences the strength of the final product. Standards exist. They fall under SNiP regulation. The technical manager of the construction site has approved the document.

The "Concrete Work Log" documents the order in which the tasks were completed. Every day, it is completed. This makes it easier to see how much water to use and how many days the concrete needs to be watered after pouring.

Concrete needs to be maintained in the summer to maintain its strength and longevity. Rapid drying brought on by high temperatures can result in fractures and weakened structures. Keeping the concrete moist, shielding it from the sun with covers or shade, and applying curing compounds to preserve ideal hydration are all part of proper summertime care. You can save damage and prolong the life of your concrete surfaces in the summer by taking these easy precautions.

Professional concrete care compounds

Special compounds are required to help the concrete reach its design strength when pouring in large quantities. There are many comparable products available in the chemical industry. Each has a specific range of use.

The getting ready "Novapor" is designed to keep the mixture from drying out while pouring concrete in low-humidity environments with high wind and direct sunlight. A single application of the composition helps stop cracks from forming during shrinkage, which leads to cement shedding. The composition is paraffin substances in an aqueous emulsion.

Add ecofob to the mixture. It promotes the defrosting of chemicals and strengthens the solution’s resistance to frost. This mixture is most frequently used to treat concrete airfield runways, highways, bridge construction, garage blocks, and concrete supports.

"Antisol E20," a non-flammable white liquid, contains ingredients that cause corrosive processes. Chlorine is absent. The solution’s primary goal is to prevent newly constructed buildings from drying out too soon; usage instructions and concrete wetness levels are listed on the package. It completely fills the pores, guaranteeing the base’s resistance to frost and water permeability. When operating new surfaces in the most extreme conditions is planned, the composition should be used.

Concrete needs to be properly cared for in the summer to maintain its strength and longevity. The rapid evaporation of moisture from concrete due to high temperatures and direct sunlight can result in potential cracks and weakened structure. You can preserve the quality of your concrete during the summer months by adhering to a few easy rules.

It’s crucial to maintain moisture on the concrete surface first. Water can be sprayed on it frequently, or it can be covered with plastic sheets or wet burlap. Concrete that is kept well-hydrated will cure more quickly and won’t crack on the surface.

Next, make an effort to avoid pouring concrete in the heat of the day. For this task, early mornings or late evenings work best. If working during rush hour, think about utilizing windbreaks or shade to shield the newly laid concrete from intense heat and wind.

Using curing compounds can also be advantageous. These substances coat the concrete in a protective layer that aids in moisture retention and lowers the likelihood of cracks. For optimal outcomes, make sure you adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Lastly, exercise patience. Concrete must be given time to solidify; otherwise, its integrity may be compromised. A week or more is usually needed for proper curing, but in extremely hot weather, you may need to extend this time to make sure the concrete sets properly.

You can make sure that your concrete projects endure the summer’s heat and stay sturdy and long-lasting by following these procedures. The performance of concrete structures over time is greatly impacted by proper maintenance during the early phases.

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