Associated Products | Ice and Chilled Water
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Hot weather can lead to many problems in mixing, placing, and curing of concrete. American Concrete Institute (ACI) committee 305 defines hot weather concrete as any combination of high ambient temperature, low relative humidity, wind velocity, and solar radiation. The effects of any combination of the above can lead to rapid evaporation of moisture, which is the primary cause of plastic shrinkage cracks in concrete.
The easiest way to keep concrete cool during hot weather is using ice or chilled water in place of some or all of the water during batching. Ice or chilled water added during batching will slightly extend the setting time during hot weather. This allows more time to place, consolidate, and finish concrete as desired.
THE TEMPERATURE OF CONCRETE CAN BE REDUCED 1°F BY REDUCING THE WATER TEMPERATURE BY 4°F.
Hot Weather Options
| Approximate Increase to or Extension of Standard Set Time | ||||||
| Temp. | Approximate Standard Set Time |
Chilled Water | 2 oz Retarder | 4 oz Retarder | Chilled Water 2 oz Retarder |
Chilled Water 4 oz Retarder |
| 100ºF | 1.75 - 2 Hours | Negligible | 30 - 45 Mins | 1 - 1.5 Hrs | 45 Mins - 1 Hr | 1.5 - 2 Hrs |
| 90ºF | 2.5 - 2.75 Hours | 20 - 30 Mins | 45 Mins - 1 Hr | 1.5 - 2 Hrs | 1 - 1.5 Hrs | 2 - 2.5 Hrs |
| 80ºF | 3.5 - 4 Hours | 30 - 45 Mins | 1 - 1.5 Hrs | 2 - 2.5 Hrs | 1.5 - 2 Hrs | 2.5 - 3 Hrs |
| 70ºF | 5 - 6 Hours | 40 - 60 Mins | 1.5 - 2 Hours | 2.5 - 3.5 Hrs | 2 - 2.5 Hrs | 3 - 4 Hrs |
**Concrete must be protected to eliminate or minimize the evaporation of moisture. Moisture is essential for efficient hydration performance
*** Chilled water offers initial temperature reduction benefits in addition to a slight increase in set time