Had a pour go sideways in the rain last Tuesday and learned to watch the mix water
We were finishing a 40x60 slab in Council Bluffs and the driver added water at the chute without telling me, so the mix came in wet and started setting up way too fast. I had two guys on the power trowel chasing it and we ended up with a few rough spots near the west edge that I had to grind down the next morning. Talked to the batch plant guy after and he said the slump was already at 5 inches before the driver touched it. Now I check the ticket and eyeball the mix before anyone adds a drop, does anyone else have a trick for catching that early?
Did the driver even show you the batch ticket before he started dumping in water? I had a similar mess last summer where the guy swore he only added a few gallons but the slump went from a 4 to a 7 and we were fighting it the whole pour. Now I make them hand me the ticket and I do the slump test myself before the truck backs up to the forms. Takes two minutes and saves you a morning of grinding.