Pouring concrete with overnight frost?

[flanagaj]

This week is looking nice and dry with daytime temperatures in the region of 14c-18c, but with low temperatures overnight.  If the concrete is poured in the morning and I cover the trenches with a concrete frost protection blanket, will that suffice and ensure that the concrete doesn't suffer irreparable damage. 

[markc]

In trenches you won’t have any problems (unless you are pouring into permafrost) as the ground will be several degrees above freezing.

[SteamyTea]

From my limited understanding of the chemistry involved, once the water is added, the reactions start.

So if warm(ish) when poured in the morning, a frost should not bother it.

 

[Russell griffiths]

For footings, pour it in get it level go to pub, that is it. 
do not cover, waste of money. 
slab, that’s a different matter, finished floor that’s a very different matter. 
 

[Oz07]

Yeh trenches be fine. I'd like to think now we are past the stage of hard ground frosts. I'd like to think we're past the window scraper stage tbh

[saveasteading]

Agreed.

But as I say to everyone.  Do not add any water to the supplied mix. That spoils the concrete but also remains as liquid water and might freeze.

If using a builder tell them this strictly and also the concrete driver. No added water. 

If requested the driver insists on a signature to absolve his company.

 

Your concrete will be safe after about 4 hours.

 

@flanagaj you haven't set out the building, let alone dug the trenches. Ambition is great but assume there will be challenges. You may hit obstructions.

How are you going to control the concrete level?

[flanagaj]

6 hours ago, saveasteading said:

Agreed.

But as I say to everyone.  Do not add any water to the supplied mix. That spoils the concrete but also remains as liquid water and might freeze.

If using a builder tell them this strictly and also the concrete driver. No added water. 

If requested the driver insists on a signature to absolve his company.

 

Your concrete will be safe after about 4 hours.

 

@flanagaj you haven't set out the building, let alone dug the trenches. Ambition is great but assume there will be challenges. You may hit obstructions.

How are you going to control the concrete level?

I'm going to bang some vertical rebar into the centre line of the trenches and level the tops with my laser level.  I'll spray the tops red to aid visibility.

 

I'm also hiring an inline pump so it can be poured quickly.

[saveasteading]

42 minutes ago, flanagaj said:

rebar into the centre line

OK that works. Lethal to fall on so be ultracareful.You can alternatively bang them in the sides, even using big nails or lath.

[Russell griffiths]

Side wall of trench is better. 
if you bang them in the bottom and go over by 10 mm you will never find them. 
if in the side the concrete tends to build up around the bar like a dam and is more visable. 
 

do you have a rotary laser and a receiver 

if so you fix the receiver on to a chunk of wood with a flat t shape on the bottom, tamp the concrete and put the receiver on it and wait for the beep beep noise. 
10-20 mm out of level from end to end over 15m is perfectly acceptable. 
and will be taken out with the first course of blocks. 

[Oz07]

Also I think you have to specify a pump mix so they dont just water it down. Best bet is to hire pump and concrete off same firm or at least 2 who regularly work together. 

[flanagaj]

37 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

Side wall of trench is better. 
if you bang them in the bottom and go over by 10 mm you will never find them. 
if in the side the concrete tends to build up around the bar like a dam and is more visable. 
 

do you have a rotary laser and a receiver 

if so you fix the receiver on to a chunk of wood with a flat t shape on the bottom, tamp the concrete and put the receiver on it and wait for the beep beep noise. 
10-20 mm out of level from end to end over 15m is perfectly acceptable. 
and will be taken out with the first course of blocks. 

I bought a Topcon rotary last year.  Invaluable piece of kit.

[Nickfromwales]

On 16/03/2026 at 07:29, saveasteading said:

Lethal to fall on so be ultracareful

Yup. These should be bent over and sprayed white. Then mark the depth with a fat permanent marker. 
 

There’s a high risk of someone slipping and falling into the trench, and if they land on a rebar it’s game over. 🪦 

[flanagaj]

I will hammer the rebar into the sides or simply spray lines on the side of the trench.

[Nickfromwales]

39 minutes ago, flanagaj said:

I will hammer the rebar into the sides or simply spray lines on the side of the trench.

You should really hire a laser for the day tbh. Sooooooooooooooooooooooo much easier.

[flanagaj]

16 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

You should really hire a laser for the day tbh. Sooooooooooooooooooooooo much easier.

I've got a topcon.  It was more for a visual cue when the concrete is being pumped into the trench.

[Nickfromwales]

1 minute ago, flanagaj said:

I've got a topcon.  It was more for a visual cue when the concrete is being pumped into the trench.

Make up a staff, with a 6' long piece of 2x2" and fix a square piece of plywood or other to the end, 150mm x 150mm as a pad to rest on the concrete. When you then rest on the surface of the wet pour, to get a level off the laser, it'll 'float' vs using, say, a bit of 2x1; this just pokes into the mix and sinks in, and is a PITA to keep still to see 'what's what'.  

[flanagaj]

7 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Make up a staff, with a 6' long piece of 2x2" and fix a square piece of plywood or other to the end, 150mm x 150mm as a pad to rest on the concrete. When you then rest on the surface of the wet pour, to get a level off the laser, it'll 'float' vs using, say, a bit of 2x1; this just pokes into the mix and sinks in, and is a PITA to keep still to see 'what's what'.  

Thanks.  I am going to knock one of those up tomorrow.

[Nickfromwales]

1 minute ago, flanagaj said:

Thanks.  I am going to knock one of those up tomorrow.

The apprentice will soon become the master.

 

 

 

 

 

Then you'll be all geared up for the next self build, as you'll be clever as fook.

[flanagaj]

14 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

The apprentice will soon become the master.

Then you'll be all geared up for the next self build, as you'll be clever as fook.

I just need to make sure that the stress of the first one doesn't kill me first!

[G and J]

Before our current build I’d never been involved in a pour.  It was a shock, an unpleasant one. 
 

I had two really experienced guys with me and mostly helpful and knowledgeable barrel drivers.  It was still daft level tough.  Now I’ve been through it I’m of a mind that I’d never, ever contemplate it without experienced help.  

[flanagaj]

8 hours ago, G and J said:

Before our current build I’d never been involved in a pour.  It was a shock, an unpleasant one. 
 

I had two really experienced guys with me and mostly helpful and knowledgeable barrel drivers.  It was still daft level tough.  Now I’ve been through it I’m of a mind that I’d never, ever contemplate it without experienced help.  

So, I'm doing it with just the wife and I.  We are having a pump though, so hoping that will negate any problems.  

[Russell griffiths]

Are you having a step in the concrete, if so get the shuttering set up ready and fixed into the sidewall of the trench. 
don’t be faffing about on the day. 
 

do you have room to get the trucks off the road, if so make sure it can take the weight, 30 tons of concrete truck are hard to get out of the mud. 
don’t think a sprinkling of type one on the surface will be good enough. 
proper parking base needed. 

[Nickfromwales]

2 hours ago, flanagaj said:

So, I'm doing it with just the wife and I.  We are having a pump though, so hoping that will negate any problems.  

Have you worked out where they’ll clean the wagons, and where to dump the end of mix? 
 

They’ll drive through slops etc so you need to have a hose set up to clean the road if any concrete / residue gets on it.

 

I’d get another pair of hands on site as you’re not going to be able to be in two places at once.

 

Concrete pours are very much ‘full on’, so don’t relax too much.  

[crispy_wafer]

Been thinking about sharing these...

 

Found's werent as longs as yours and no pump, because we had reasonable access all round @flanagaj but if you wanted a quick vid or two, we did have a bit of rain between dig and pour, and we handballed a little slop out when an edge or two fell in.  But that's the nature of it.  If I remember rightly, we had a surveyer mark out the layout, sprayed blue line paint between the pins.  Nothing too technical.  We used pins in the sides of the trench for depth management. and a laser with staff for levels!

 

 

 

 

 

[flanagaj]

56 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Have you worked out where they’ll clean the wagons, and where to dump the end of mix? 
 

They’ll drive through slops etc so you need to have a hose set up to clean the road if any concrete / residue gets on it.

 

I’d get another pair of hands on site as you’re not going to be able to be in two places at once.

 

Concrete pours are very much ‘full on’, so don’t relax too much.  

I'm already feeling very apprehensive.  Being a catastrophiser, doesn't help matters.