Got stuck for three hours on a weird concrete bleed water issue last Tuesday.

We poured a big garage floor and the bleed water just would not go away. It sat there for hours, way past when we normally start finishing. I tried using the bull float to push it off, but it kept coming back. My buddy finally said we should check the subgrade moisture, and sure enough, the ground was way too wet from rain the night before. We had to wait a full three extra hours for it to evaporate before we could trowel. Anyone have a faster fix for a wet subgrade messing with your timing?

3 comments

3 Comments

garcia.tyler22d ago

That "wait a full three extra hours" part is the worst. Reminds me of a patio job where we had to use a propane torch on a small area to dry it out enough to move forward. Felt a bit silly, but it worked.

ryan36922d ago

Oh man, @garcia.tyler, that torch trick is classic. It reminds me of the time my buddy tried to dry out a wet socket with a hairdryer so he could fix an outlet. He had it rigged up with extension cords and everything, looked totally nuts. It did work, but his wife walked in and just shook her head for a solid minute. Sometimes you just have to get creative with the tools you have on hand.

gavin69218d ago

Honestly that hairdryer story sounds like a huge safety risk. Water and electricity are no joke, even if it worked out that one time. I get being in a pinch but some shortcuts just are not worth taking. A wet socket needs to dry on its own or get replaced, not get blasted with heat next to live wires. His wife was right to just stand there and judge.