An architect who was a friend of mine once told me the reason house slabs crack is because there was not enough water put on the ground before the pour. This was in New Mexico which is very dry, similar to the location you are at. Really nice save.
You've been doing this 40 years and already a few out there dealing with the soil conditions and weather. I was thinking maybe soil pulled too much moisture outta the mix, but I'm sure it was just a bad mix as youve never had this happen before. Complain to S&S. They should make it right 👍
As a retired conductor for Southern Pacific I know that a railroad tie is good for 50 years before the company plans to replace them in mainline service. Branch lines and yard track will last longer, sometimes 75 to 100 years. /// Regarding the cracking, perhaps you should have put down 3" of gravel over the dirt.
Try to measure the moisture in the slab and check for irregularities. If one part has already been cured and the other part is still curing, obviously, it will create tension on the already cured part, causing it to crack. The greater the difference, the more tension it creates.
by no means am I an expert at all, but ive seen just about every odell video like im the 300th subscriber. This cracked because of 2 things. 1 the conditions are too dry. Both the soil and the air. too dry. I didnt see you soaking the base like you normally do, yeah sure you brought out the hose in all but I didnt see puddles. and 2. that was not 50% horse hair 50% nylon.
was the ground to dry(?) causing the slab to dry unevenly as water was wicked away? after watching your videos for years now, it didnt look like you changed your techniques any, so the failure has to be in the environment or the concrete that was ordered
Batch plant probably sent a truck that arrived way too hot. When we pour down south, there are a lot of times you get a hot load. So I've had them batch with ice chips. Some larger substation pours we had sent with liquid nitrogen. Sounds like BS but you'll see it on massive continuous pours. If the temp out the chute was above 140, failure is pretty much guaranteed
I believe the issue lies with the soil, as the concrete cracked completely through and doesn’t appear related to the finishing or surface process. Observing your team dig for the form ties, it’s clear the soil far below the surface is very dry and uncompacted. From what I can see of the other lots, this looks like a recently built-up and graded subdivision. It’s possible the grading wasn’t compacted properly at the necessary depth for the lifts. I don’t think you did anything wrong-sometimes, things like this just happen.
I seen the craziest thing happened to a concrete pad that kept cracking. Turned out to be right next to an airport and the vibrations from the planes were cracking the slab.🤑
Cracking happens usually after it fully dries doesn't it???? Could it have been a too dry mix, or dried too fast, or not enough cement in the mix??????? Is it also possible there was a big temperature change????? Here in Michigan, we have to watch the temperature as well as the mix. Another possibility is an unseen flaw in the dirt under the slab. The weight of the concrete causing a settling in spots. "Just guessing???? "
I think of all those factors together. Not enough moister in the ground, wind drying the surface along with the sun hitting it, not adding cure immediately after to have the curing process. That type of cracking is from moister leaving the concrete at a quick rate. I want to know what was in the mix too.
The Home Owners flooded the ground for three days prior. The high temperature of the day was 75 F. Cracking started before a chance to spray curing compound. I've poured this exact same way in much worse condition without these kind of problems, so your guess is wrong but thanks for the feed back
Bad concrete mix from your supplier,in my opinion. I’ve been watching you do professional work on here for years ,so it is nothing that you or the fellas did incorrectly.
Bad mix. Originally I was thinking maybe wind/ closing too quick with steel. But those dont look like plastic cracks that develop on crusted concrete, those are shrinkage cracks that developed early. Ill be shocked if they dont come back in a short time, but I dont think the finishing had anything to do with it.
ive had that same problem out here in kingman arizona. if you dont burn it black. it cracks. i think its the heat and dryness of the desert air, and soil.
The concrete plant trying something new to add profit. Were you just practicing with all the troweling? That concrete is junk. It’ll crack that exact same place as it shrinks with curing. Why not at a minimum use a soft cut to try and control the crack after all that troweling? If it works and customer accepts with a discount you still are ahead.
Amazing video, thank you for making it! You guys really know what you’re doing, maybe check slump/air on the delivery ticket and compare to the mix design?
This literally happened to me today. Poured about 500sqf. But it's hot and dry in Abuja, Nigeria now. Was excited when I saw your video looking for answers. But looks like you're stumped also. Put a power trowel on and it really helped. Then cut joints in early. Spawled on the lines but hopefully will reduce random cracking. Will pour another slab tomorrow and will drench the ground before the pour!
Congrats on the battery powered compactor. I eventually just want to battery power everything, so much more convenient. I assume the soil just drained the hell out of the concrete. That happens here in Caribbean when they pour without much work to the top layer. Glad you saved it though.
Since it happened in two separate areas, I would assume it was the concrete mix itself that was the culprit. If you have to tear it out and re do it, suggest to home owner to go for washed / exposed aggregate finish. A broom finish is not suitable for a residence - it looks way too commercial. A washed/exposed aggregate finish looks far superior and much more natural as compared to a brushed finish. You can also play with the colour of the finished concrete pad by having different coloured aggregates in the mix.
40 YRS DESIGN AND INSPECTION, plant sand and rock dry created 3 percent instant moisture loss in pump hose, flassh set alligator cracks, retRDER AND PALTIC IN DESERT CONDITON DRY SUBGRADE WET SURFACE NOT DEEP WET, OTHER POSIBLITY MIX , BIG STRANGE LOT OF FACTOR COULD WRITE 20MPAGES , CHARGE 5000 FOR MY REPORTS 😂 😂 1984 TO NOW , TRAVEL THRU MIDWEST SOLVING THESE ISSUES
An architect who was a friend of mine once told me the reason house slabs crack is because there was not enough water put on the ground before the pour. This was in New Mexico which is very dry, similar to the location you are at. Really nice save.
Great video! Thank you for not adding unnecessary background music.
Using the power trowel was a great idea, really helped to consolidate the concrete and minimized the cracks
I think all the power trowel did was work up enough cream to fill the crack but I bet the cracks come back !
You've been doing this 40 years and already a few out there dealing with the soil conditions and weather. I was thinking maybe soil pulled too much moisture outta the mix, but I'm sure it was just a bad mix as youve never had this happen before. Complain to S&S. They should make it right 👍
Nice save Dave! Experience saves the day.
I would say 1 of 3 things, 1) the mix was off, 2) the ground sucked the moisture from the concreate, 3) ground/concreate shifted somehow
As a retired conductor for Southern Pacific I know that a railroad tie is good for 50 years before the company plans to replace them in mainline service. Branch lines and yard track will last longer, sometimes 75 to 100 years. /// Regarding the cracking, perhaps you should have put down 3" of gravel over the dirt.
Another video from Odell complete concrete still does not disappoint
The railroad ties in this project at the concrete edges look good. I didn't think they would look good when you first started.
Nice touch
It seems the water from the concrete was absorbed into the ground too quick. Wetting the area more/plastic should help you avoid this.
I will agree that it dried too quickly. Someway, somehow, it all made it dry too quickly. Moisture loss.
Try to measure the moisture in the slab and check for irregularities. If one part has already been cured and the other part is still curing, obviously, it will create tension on the already cured part, causing it to crack. The greater the difference, the more tension it creates.
You never mention the sister job next door. Did it suffer the same consequences? Wasn’t it all from the same truck?
I doing hardscaping and concrete jobs in DC area for almost 20 years, yes I had same problems at least 5-6 times, every time it was BAD mix!
by no means am I an expert at all, but ive seen just about every odell video like im the 300th subscriber. This cracked because of 2 things. 1 the conditions are too dry. Both the soil and the air. too dry. I didnt see you soaking the base like you normally do, yeah sure you brought out the hose in all but I didnt see puddles. and 2. that was not 50% horse hair 50% nylon.
was the ground to dry(?) causing the slab to dry unevenly as water was wicked away?
after watching your videos for years now, it didnt look like you changed your techniques any, so the failure has to be in the environment or the concrete that was ordered
Was the ground packed good ? The mix looked Quit Creamy maybe to much powder ?
Batch plant probably sent a truck that arrived way too hot. When we pour down south, there are a lot of times you get a hot load. So I've had them batch with ice chips. Some larger substation pours we had sent with liquid nitrogen. Sounds like BS but you'll see it on massive continuous pours.
If the temp out the chute was above 140, failure is pretty much guaranteed
Can you grab some samples of the mix from the work site and get them tested?
I believe the issue lies with the soil, as the concrete cracked completely through and doesn’t appear related to the finishing or surface process. Observing your team dig for the form ties, it’s clear the soil far below the surface is very dry and uncompacted. From what I can see of the other lots, this looks like a recently built-up and graded subdivision. It’s possible the grading wasn’t compacted properly at the necessary depth for the lifts. I don’t think you did anything wrong-sometimes, things like this just happen.
Beautiful all in the wrist
I concur
I seen the craziest thing happened to a concrete pad that kept cracking. Turned out to be right next to an airport and the vibrations from the planes were cracking the slab.🤑
Should added nca reduce curing. Also spray it with water
Im thinking the Mix or the base
Or both...
👍keep us updated
Cracking happens usually after it fully dries doesn't it???? Could it have been a too dry mix, or dried too fast, or not enough cement in the mix??????? Is it also possible there was a big temperature change????? Here in Michigan, we have to watch the temperature as well as the mix. Another possibility is an unseen flaw in the dirt under the slab. The weight of the concrete causing a settling in spots. "Just guessing???? "
nice work and videos...... i feel like i could almost do it myself ....... :-)
My guess is 2 things could have helped:
1) Concrete retarder added at the plant.
2) Polyethylene plastic sheeting under the wire mesh.
I think of all those factors together. Not enough moister in the ground, wind drying the surface along with the sun hitting it, not adding cure immediately after to have the curing process. That type of cracking is from moister leaving the concrete at a quick rate. I want to know what was in the mix too.
The Home Owners flooded the ground for three days prior.
The high temperature of the day was 75 F.
Cracking started before a chance to spray curing compound.
I've poured this exact same way in much worse condition without these kind of problems, so your guess is wrong but thanks for the feed back
Its hard to tell but i would say its louis fault. Dont spray water on it that soon. Who knows tho
The finishers had already went home when this happened
@OdellCompleteConcrete that is crazy I have no idea 💡 tbh I wasn't there , that was just a Guess.
What caused the cracks?
Dry mix and not enough moisture on the soil.
(I do know it because of my concrete classes at Odell's University).
😎
I think you over finished it ! Started hitting it to early and to often !
I've did the same way for 4p years
28:40 that shits cooked
Rock hard
@@OdellCompleteConcrete the old power trowel brought her back tho huh?
Is it possible to make a slab 1m high, 10m wide, 20m length?
Sure
did you lift the screen ? ......maybe bad mix
Watch the video to see
you could use plastic to insulate the concrete from the ground and cover it with more plastic to prevent the concrete dehydration
Bad concrete mix from your supplier,in my opinion.
I’ve been watching you do professional work on here for years ,so it is nothing that you or the fellas did incorrectly.
Seems to me like it was a mix plant issue
I concur.
The only answer that makes sense to me.
What happened ? I'm a guitar player so, yeah, I have no idea.
Me either, but I'll find out soon
lmfao
What will you do if the customer wants it replaced because of the severe cracking?
Have the concrete company pay
Bad mix. Originally I was thinking maybe wind/ closing too quick with steel. But those dont look like plastic cracks that develop on crusted concrete, those are shrinkage cracks that developed early. Ill be shocked if they dont come back in a short time, but I dont think the finishing had anything to do with it.
High winds and Santa Ana winds will make it crack
Good work as always and nice flags waving in the background! 💪
It has to be a bad ingredient in the concrete, something contaminated etc
Yes
•Hot load
•Water absorption Along with heat of the sun
its the creosol
crazy
ive had that same problem out here in kingman arizona. if you dont burn it black. it cracks. i think its the heat and dryness of the desert air, and soil.
The day of this pour. 75 degrees, no wind ideal conditions.
I've poured the same mix design in this area in 110 degrees plus an no cracking.
31:06 It's the concrete. Too dry maybe?
Bad mix
I concur
Poured too wet in hot dry conditions
The concrete plant trying something new to add profit. Were you just practicing with all the troweling? That concrete is junk. It’ll crack that exact same place as it shrinks with curing. Why not at a minimum use a soft cut to try and control the crack after all that troweling? If it works and customer accepts with a discount you still are ahead.
I'm still up in the air on the solution.
So where are your sons? I miss them.
Dried out too quickly. Causing it to shrink too fast. Sun, wind, soil, maybe even mud were all contributors, who know to what degree or percentage.
I would like too see it now, some days later
Me too
@@OdellCompleteConcrete will you take a look on it a few days ahead ?
It was Eric's fault 😂
Probably
Amazing video, thank you for making it!
You guys really know what you’re doing, maybe check slump/air on the delivery ticket and compare to the mix design?
Great suggestion!
This literally happened to me today. Poured about 500sqf. But it's hot and dry in Abuja, Nigeria now. Was excited when I saw your video looking for answers. But looks like you're stumped also. Put a power trowel on and it really helped. Then cut joints in early. Spawled on the lines but hopefully will reduce random cracking. Will pour another slab tomorrow and will drench the ground before the pour!
Good idea, good luck
@12:10 SAMMY !!
OsS
Dirty aggregate
I wouldn’t say you did anything wrong. Probably just the result of a bad mixture from the plant. It happens, but you did a great job of saving it…
Congrats on the battery powered compactor. I eventually just want to battery power everything, so much more convenient.
I assume the soil just drained the hell out of the concrete. That happens here in Caribbean when they pour without much work to the top layer. Glad you saved it though.
First 👍
Sweet
Bad mix and I think that in the southwestern states you over work the concrete. To me you’re steel troweling way too soon.
@3:05 I see you're wearing your winter clothes. What is it .......77 degrees ?? BBUUURRRRR !!!
Yes 77 75
Since it happened in two separate areas, I would assume it was the concrete mix itself that was the culprit. If you have to tear it out and re do it, suggest to home owner to go for washed / exposed aggregate finish. A broom finish is not suitable for a residence - it looks way too commercial. A washed/exposed aggregate finish looks far superior and much more natural as compared to a brushed finish. You can also play with the colour of the finished concrete pad by having different coloured aggregates in the mix.
I concur, two locations, the same outcome.
Custom finishes work
I think you have bad concrete because everyone looks like they know what they were doing
It could be just a bad mix
That's my guess
I think it dry s out too fast. The sun and wind and the dirt underneas.
I considered that but crossed those all off the list.
40 YRS DESIGN AND INSPECTION, plant sand and rock dry created 3 percent instant moisture loss in pump hose, flassh set alligator cracks, retRDER AND PALTIC IN DESERT CONDITON DRY SUBGRADE WET SURFACE NOT DEEP WET, OTHER POSIBLITY MIX , BIG STRANGE LOT OF FACTOR COULD WRITE 20MPAGES , CHARGE 5000 FOR MY REPORTS 😂 😂 1984 TO NOW , TRAVEL THRU MIDWEST SOLVING THESE ISSUES
Come out here and solve this one.
TY