Manufacturing concrete in hot conditions can impact the end result. Whether it’s due to abnormally high weather temperatures (anything above 30 degrees can have an impact, and this is common in Australia) or because of surrounding furnaces or heat generating machinery impacting negatively on the quality of your concrete. Here’s why it’s well worth considering choosing an insulated water tank.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TEMPERATURE
Most concrete mixtures are made up of 70 or 90 percent of water and aggregates, and as a whole the mixture gains and loses heat easily. When mixing concrete in very hot temperatures it can impact the mixture as a whole, causing it to harden unevenly and also have one part shrink while the other remains stationary. This is recipe for disaster as it can lead to discrepancies in the quality and strength of the concrete. To make sure that the concrete cures evenly, it is helpful to take several countermeasures like ensuring that the aggregate and dry cement mix is stored out of direct sunlight in a silo. However, once it’s time to mix it, water has a critical role to play.
INSULATED WATER TANKS
Having an insulated water tank is important when you’re working on an isolated site for hours and access to running water is restricted. It might not keep the stored water ice cold but will keep it at an ambient temperature that is well-suited for concrete, as well as preventing evaporation and impurities from contaminating it.
An insulated tank will keep the water relatively cool, and will also allow you to keep the concrete cool after it’s been placed and is busy curing – a critical time that takes place between five to seven days afterwards. A loss of moisture can occur as a result of the environment’s heat and wind, and this will result in weaker, cracked cement. Hosing down a moist slab with a hose or sprinkler will help it to set evenly and this should be done at regularly intervals throughout the curing process.
It’s well worth your while to invest in a large capacity water tank of this nature, and if you’re looking for a quality one at a decent price we would recommend you get in touch with the team at Batchcrete for more information.
Related Tag: Concrete Mixing Plants
