Changed my mind about using accelerators in hot weather

For years I swore by calcium chloride accelerators no matter what the thermometer said. Last August we had a 97 degree day on a driveway job outside Austin. I mixed in my usual dose and that concrete went off in like 15 minutes. We were scrambling just trying to get it screeded and the finish turned out rough with a bunch of cold joints. My partner Mike said why not just let the heat do the work next time. So this spring I tried a batch with nothing added on a 90 degree afternoon and it gave me a solid 40 minutes of work time. The finish came out way smoother and I didn't have to panic the whole time. Has anyone else made the switch off accelerators when it gets hot?

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linda6585mo ago

Read a study once that said heat alone can accelerate just as much as those additives.

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the_julia5mo ago

Exactly, I just set it and forget it and it works fine.

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