Winter Concrete Construction Bismarck ND

I often get questions about winter construction and more specifically whether or not concrete construction can occur in the winter months. Although not idea it is very normal for concrete construction to occur during the winter months.

Local Companies

Central Concrete Inc
(701) 255-7350
3500 E Divide Ave
Bismarck, ND
Strata Corporation-Construction Division
(701) 530-9174
1201 W Cavalry Dr
Bismarck, ND
Atlas Inc
(701) 223-5480
2370 Vermont Ave
Bismarck, ND
Quality Concrete
(701) 223-4711
4330 Kodiak Pl
Bismarck, ND
Phoenix Construction
(701) 222-1416
1871 O Box
Bismarck, ND
Boundary Construction Inc
(701) 223-5306
3322 Franklin Ave
Bismarck, ND
Lamphy Concrete
(701) 223-0530
Bismarck, ND
Reisenauer Concrete
(701) 258-4117
4801 Wildrose Cres
Bismarck, ND
L & S Tibke Concrete Llc
(701) 258-2544
4255 Patriot Dr
Bismarck, ND
Concrete Lifting Inc
(701) 258-0166
910 Industrial Dr
Bismarck, ND

Provided By:

[caption id="attachment_750" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Winter Concrete Blankets"]Winter Concrete Blankets[/caption]I often get questions about winter construction and more specifically whether or not concrete construction can occur in the winter months. Although not idea it is very normal for concrete construction to occur during the winter months. We are in the process of building a 36,000 sq. ft. commercial building this winter for a client. As you can see in the photos we're right in the middle of pouring concrete footings for the building. Winter concrete construction is certainly more complicated for several reasons.
  1. Concrete achieves strength by a chemical process called hydration. The process happens when water combines with Portland cement. This process works best when the hydration water is warm. The cold weather in the winter slows down the chemical reaction and therefore slows down the rate of strength gain. Ultimately all that really means is you need to wait longer before you apply any significant structural loads to the concrete.
  2. In order to combat the low temperatures and slow rate of hydration, chemical accelerators can be used. In the past calcium was used to accelerate th[caption id="attachment_751" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Pouring Concrete Footing In Winter"]Pouring Concrete Footing In Winter[/caption]e chemical reaction and increase the strength gain of concrete. However, over the years we've discovered that calcium helps cause corrosion in the reinforcing steel. So today we use non-chloride accelerators in order to protect the reinforcing steel from corrosion.
  3. Concrete plants actually use warm water when mixing concrete in the winter. As you can imagine this can be quite costly due to the shear volume of water that must be heated.
  4. Finally insulated blankets and heaters are used to protect concrete from freezing when it's first poured. This allows the chemical process of hydration to continue and therefore continue to create stronger concrete.
So the answer is yes you can continue concrete construction in the winter. It's typically more expensive and slower going. However, there are times when winter concrete makes sense from a schedule point of view. Be sure to ask your concrete construction contractor whether they have experience doing winter concrete work. Make sure they are responsible for covering their work with frost blankets.

Tags: Home Improvement, Home Improvement Blog, Home Improvement Advice, Winter Concrete Construction

Click here to read article at HomeConstructionImprovement.Com

Related Articles
Related Articles

Rss   Delicious   Digg   Add To My Yahoo   Add To My Google   Bookmark   Search Plugin

Topics:
Advertising Family Home Services Real Estate Resources
Business Services Fashion Industrial Goods & Services Retail & Consumer Services
Career Financial Services Insurance Software
Cars Food & Beverage Internet Technology
Computer Hardware Franchise Legal Telecommunications
Construction Health Miscellaneous Trade Shows
Education Holidays Nightlife Travel
Entertainment Home Appliances Online Database Weddings
Environmental Home Electronics Pets World History