Thankfully, the climate of this part of the country rarely prohibits installation of concrete — at least in regards to temperature. The generally accepted guideline is that one should not pour concrete in an exposed environment if the temperature will dip to twenty-five degrees or lower the second night after installation. The chemical reaction that begins the moment concrete is batched generates a significant amount of heat. Thus, the concrete keeps itself warm during the initial stages of the curing process. However, this process has slowed considerably by the following day, thus making the concrete vulnerable to freeze-damage. This can impact the long-term structural integrity of the concrete.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is extreme heat — in conditions of excessively high temperatures, about 100 degrees and higher, concrete can cure too fast, thus compromising the structural integrity of the concrete, often resulting in “shrink-cracks”.
Baltz and Sons Concrete carefully monitors the changing weather temperature conditions and forecasts, and simply will not risk the quality of our work (or the safety of our crew). Thus, we will only embark on a project if we judge there to be an ample window of weather for the work to be fully, soundly and safely executed.