Appreciation post: That time I figured out why my concrete kept cracking

For three years I was adding too much water to my mix on jobs around Nashville, thinking it made the pour easier. Then a foreman pulled me aside and showed me the slump test results, and my good pours were way off the spec. How many of you learned a basic step the hard way after years of doing it wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_fisher2d ago

Ngl I did the same thing with my concrete mixer for two years before I figured out it was the water.

patricia_wright3d ago

...and the thing is, I knew slump test existed but I thought it was just some formality the big crews did. For two years I was on a crew where the old timer would just eyeball the mix and add water until it looked "right" to him. I picked up his bad habits thinking that was the professional way to do it. Finally got on a job where a young inspector called him out and made us redo a whole driveway. That's when I actually read the spec sheet and spent a weekend watching YouTube videos on proper water ratios. Now I measure everything by weight instead of volume and my pours haven't cracked a single time since.