Does Cold Weather Affect Concrete Jacking?
Yes, to an extent. If the soil is frozen, it will be harder to compact using our material which makes it harder to tell for our technicians how compacted the soil is at any given point during the process. The adjacent slab may also freeze to the slab being lifted, adding a bit more pressure that prevents the slab from lifting as it otherwise would. Sometimes cold temperatures can also affect our material, requiring each of the two ingredients to be heated for a while prior to being injected through your concrete. This doesn’t affect the project at all; however, it does mean some extra time on site is incurred for our crew.
None of these issues are insurmountable nor are they particularly dangerous to the success of a project, but they are best avoided if possible. Sidewalk or porch slabs that are settling next to a house, interior slabs, or garage slabs are least affected by temperature. In fact, garages and interior slabs can be worked during any weather condition or temperature.
What is a Safe Temperature to Lift Sunken Concrete?
If the temperature is above freezing, there shouldn’t be an issue. Ideally, the temperature should be 40 degrees and rising, though we can certainly inject in lower temperatures (though our technicians don’t enjoy it too much). If it is under 40 degrees, we take extra precautions to ensure that the project will run smoothly.
How Does JACKCRETE Prepare for the Cold?
We take many precautions to ensure that all projects are successful year-round. However, these precautions are amplified as the temperature starts to drop. At our shop, we have a climate-controlled storage room, so our chemicals stay at the manufacturer’s recommended temperature while not in use. This allows us to arrive to your property confident that we are installing the highest quality materials possible. No one wants a bad product that leads to warranty claims and headaches!
While proper storage of the materials is the most important aspect of delivering quality product, other measures are also taken. Our crews come in earlier during the winter to start warming the chemicals and cleaning our equipment for the day. By warming the chemicals before leaving the shop, we reduce the amount of wait time at your property. Similarly, at the end of each day, our crews work together to clean the shop. Why is having a clean shop important during the winter? So we can park our spray foam trailers inside the building! While the chemical drums are stored in the climate-controlled storage room, some chemical remains in the hoses we use to inject, so we do our best to protect even that small amount of material! If you can’t tell, we take great pride in the quality of our material and perform every step necessary to ensure that quality.
What Other Conditions Affect Project Success?
Rain can affect concrete lifting if it is in an area with poor drainage and the soil is saturated. Otherwise, JACKCRETE concrete leveling will work in any weather condition. There are some other factors that can make a concrete lifting project unsuccessful, but as long as it is above 35 with reasonably dry soil weather won’t be a factor.
