That week last summer when my mix kept setting too fast

We were doing a retaining wall for a client out in Woodland Hills, and the heat was brutal. I mixed up my first batch around 8am and it was hard as a rock in fifteen minutes, just crumbling in my hands. Tried adding more water and using cooler water from a thermos, but nothing helped until I switched to a Type N mix on the third day. Lost a whole afternoon chiseling out a section I had to tear down and redo. Has anyone else dealt with mortar setting too fast in dry heat, or do you just add ice to the water?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_fiona1mo ago

Hard as a rock in fifteen minutes" - come on. You're acting like you poured quickcrete and it set before you could blink. Fifteen minutes is slow for a hot day in Woodland Hills. I've had mix go stiff in like 4 minutes flat when it's 100+ out. That's not a mix issue, that's you not working fast enough or keeping your mudboard wet. Chiseling out a whole section because it set faster than you wanted? Sounds like a you problem. Maybe just spread your butter and get it on the block instead of fussing over water temps.

pat7811mo ago

Buddy of mine out in Lancaster tried working with a batch on a day that hit 108. He mixed it up, turned to grab his hawk, and by the time he looked back the stuff on top of his bucket was peeling like dried glue. He scraped it off and threw it in the trash, but the bottom half was still good so he kept going. Ended up patching a wall with what was basically half a mix and it held fine, but he said he learned his lesson about leaving mud in the sun for even ten seconds.

thomas_sanchez1mo ago

What is it about heat that turns perfectly good mud into a worthless crust the second you blink?