Remember when we'd just eyeball the slump on a big pour? A job in Tacoma back in '05 changed that for me.

The whole basement floor for that apartment complex turned out weak because the load was too wet, and the foreman said 'that's a $15,000 lesson right there.' Anyone still use the old cone test regularly, or is it all digital meters now?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray_coleman417d agoOG Member

Funny how that old school cone test can still catch things a digital meter might miss, like weird aggregate.

ericfox7d ago

I hear what you're saying, ray_coleman41, about the cone test catching weird aggregate. But I've found a good digital meter with the right settings is just as good now. For example, a meter can track the exact water absorption rate over time, which a simple slump cone can't show. That data helps spot inconsistent aggregate way before the pour. The old methods have their place, but tech has really closed that gap.