ᐅ Is Rain Harmful to a Concrete Slab?

Created on: 26 Jun 2016 01:04
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sammy77
Hello,
yesterday the concrete slab was poured at our site.

However, it’s been raining for the past few days.

What does this mean for the fresh concrete slab?

The mason laid a plastic sheet over the fresh concrete. Are there any negative effects from this? Doesn’t concrete need to be able to breathe?
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toxicmolotof
20 Dec 2016 14:20
Are you asking that in freezing temperatures at night? Surely no concrete was poured then, right?
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Caspar2020
20 Dec 2016 14:31
Phantom schrieb:
What kind of protective covering would you recommend here?

I would discuss this with your foundation slab contractor.

Do you have to apply it yourselves? Especially in cooler temperatures, using the covering can be tricky. In summer, you mainly need it to prevent evaporation, so the type of covering is not so critical; but if the temperature is below 5°C (41°F), you need to take additional measures—such as using insulating covers, etc.
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Phantom
21 Dec 2016 14:36
toxicmolotow schrieb:
Are you asking that for below-freezing temperatures at night? Surely no concrete was poured then, right?

Yes, it was.

Thank you very much for your answers.
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toxicmolotof
21 Dec 2016 23:18
Pouring concrete in freezing conditions requires proper expertise... Above all, the concrete must have a temperature above 10°C (50°F) when placed and must be well insulated afterwards. Using only a plastic sheet will almost certainly not be sufficient.
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merlin83
21 Dec 2016 23:50
So, in our case, the concrete plant does not deliver concrete when the temperature gets too low....
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Peanuts74
22 Dec 2016 08:24
There are additives for almost everything, such as retarders and accelerators (for frost conditions), so as far as I know, concrete can easily be poured down to -5°C (23°F)...