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Posted by Ook on March 18, 2007, 5:57 pm
I finally got my new driveway poured. Question: Should I let it dry out, and
if not, how long should I keep it wet? I've been going out several times a
day and hosing it off to keep it wet. It's not hot, but the wind is blowing
and the sun is shining, and it drys out after a few hours. At what point do
I stop and just let it dry?
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Posted by DanG on March 18, 2007, 6:05 pm
The first 3 days are the most critical. If you had a way to
cover it with visqueen or set a lawn sprinkler to run
continuously, your task would be easier.
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)
dgriff237@7cox.net
"Ook" <Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com
delete the Don't send me any freakin' spam> wrote in message
>I finally got my new driveway poured. Question: Should I let it
>dry out, and if not, how long should I keep it wet? I've been
>going out several times a day and hosing it off to keep it wet.
>It's not hot, but the wind is blowing and the sun is shining, and
>it drys out after a few hours. At what point do I stop and just
>let it dry?
>
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Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on March 18, 2007, 9:31 pm
"Ook" <Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the
Don't send me any freakin' spam> wrote in message
> How critical is it that it not dry out? I wasn't paying attention, and
> part of it got a bit dry for a few hours. I've kept it wet ever since. The
> weather is cool, with occaisonal sprinkles, so it's not hard to keep it
> wet. And when can I finally let it dry out?
>
Thousands of yard of concrete are poured every day and allowed to dry. The
few hours your dried will make little difference. The longer you can keep
it wet the better though, as it will cure stronger. A week would be great,
but a few days will be sufficient.
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Posted by Ook on March 18, 2007, 11:57 pm
>
> "Ook" <Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the
> Don't send me any freakin' spam> wrote in message
>> How critical is it that it not dry out? I wasn't paying attention, and
>> part of it got a bit dry for a few hours. I've kept it wet ever since.
>> The weather is cool, with occaisonal sprinkles, so it's not hard to keep
>> it wet. And when can I finally let it dry out?
>>
>
> Thousands of yard of concrete are poured every day and allowed to dry.
> The few hours your dried will make little difference. The longer you can
> keep it wet the better though, as it will cure stronger. A week would be
> great, but a few days will be sufficient.
In my case, the cement company had electrical problems, so they could only
send one truck. My driveway is done, but the sidewalk in front of it
probably won't get poured for a few more weeks. This driveway will not see
vehicle traffic for a month, and it will rain on it most of that time.
I've seen a lot of concrete where the top has eroded over the years due to
rain. My old driveway was badly eroded, and there are sidewalks all over the
neighborhood that are in bad shape because the top has eroded. Is that
because the outer layer dried before it could setup hard, or is that just
what happens over time to concrete?
I guess what I'm really after is, what is the difference between a few days,
a week, and a few weeks? I'd love to see a hardness or strength versus time
kept wet curve.
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Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on March 19, 2007, 6:32 am
"Ook" <Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the
Don't send me any freakin' spam> wrote in message
> I guess what I'm really after is, what is the difference between a few
> days, a week, and a few weeks? I'd love to see a hardness or strength
> versus time kept wet curve.
>
I'd bet you cold find it with google
Results of Proper Curing
• More Durable Concrete: Good concrete, properly cured, has fewer pores and
crevices where water can enter, freeze, expand and crack the concrete. Air
entrainment helps make more durable concrete, but its use must also be
accompanied by proper curing.
• More Wear-Resistant Concrete: Well cured concrete (28 day curing period)
will develop a surface twice as wear resistant as a surface that is cured
for only three days. Proper curing prevents dusting and means less cracking,
crazing and spalling of the concrete. All in all, the better the curing, the
better the concrete.
http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/slabs/watercure.htm
After concrete is placed, the concrete increases in strength very quickly
for a period of 3-7 days. Concrete which is moist cured for 7 days is about
50% stronger than uncured concrete.
Water curing can be done after the slab pour by building dams with soil
around the house and flooding the slab. The enclosed area is continually
flooded with water. Ideally, the slab could be water cured for 7 days. Some
builders on a tight schedule water cure for 3 days as this achieves
approximately 80% of the benefit of water curing for 7 days.
Consider planning your job to pour at the end of the week, build berms, then
flood over the weekend. You get he benefit of water curing without losing
too much time in the schedule.
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