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Got a call for a 10x20 patio in Tacoma that had a weird slump issue nobody could figure out.
We ended up spending almost 8 hours just on the pour and initial finishing because the mix was coming off the truck way too wet, and it took forever to figure out the batch plant had a faulty water meter that day.
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victorh812mo agoMost Upvoted
That "faulty water meter" thing is a nightmare. I used to just blame the driver or the weather when a mix was off. But after one pour where the slump was all wrong and we later found out it was a plant calibration error, I always call for a slump test right off the truck now. It's the only way to know for sure before you commit.
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danielnelson2mo ago
Right? I learned that lesson the hard way too, now I treat every truck like it's trying to pull a fast one on me lol.
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Ugh see I just can't agree with calling for a test on every truck. That feels like overkill and slows everything down. I mean, you build a relationship with a good plant and trust their mix. I'd only ask for a slump test if something looked obviously wrong right from the start.
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the_wendy7d ago
Read an article in one of those trade mags where a testing lab broke down how often plants are actually off spec. It was way higher than I expected, like almost 1 in 5 trucks had some kind of water or admixture issue they didn't catch. Made me realize trusting the plant is fine until it isn't. One bad pour can wipe out whatever time you saved by not testing. With concrete costs what they are now, skipping a two minute slump test feels like gambling with a whole day's work.
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