How to Pour Concrete in Cold Weather

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We just poured concrete in the middle of January with snow on the ground.
Let me show you exactly how we did it.
After we cleared out all the ice, we put down blankets to trap in all the heat from the earth, so we’re not pouring on frozen ground.
We left it covered up till the last minute.
Next, we added calcium chloride as an accelerator - this gets dumped directly into the truck, so it has a chance to mix before going through the pump.
We’re careful to use the right amount- too much calcium can discolor the concrete or corrode the rebar.
It’s been unusually cold here and we had a narrow window to get this done.
The forecast was calling for a high of 42 degrees with light winds, it was cloudy in the morning, and we had full sunshine in the afternoon.
A number of you asked in the comments, “why don’t you wait till spring to pour concrete?”
If we sat around and waited for the perfect weather in construction, nothing would ever get done. Plus, we have workers that are depending on this job.
That being said, we’re spending a lot of money, and we don’t want to do anything that would risk quality; so, it’s a balance.
By 3:30 in the afternoon it was done. This slab turned out smoother than a used car salesman.
Let me know in the comments if you think it will crack. @hausplans

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