Pumping concrete is not just for big, commercial construction projects, even a homeowner building a small patio can save money and time pumping concrete instead of moving it in a wheelbarrow. There are a lot of reasons a project manager at Stronger Foundations considers concrete pumping Ipswich on their job site. There are also a lot of benefits of concrete pumping over other methods.
What Is Concrete Pumping?
The pumping machine has two cylinders with pistons. Liquid concrete is poured into the hopper attached to the machine. The first piston builds air pressure to draw liquid concrete from the hopper into the first cylinder. At the same time, the second piston pushes the concrete out through a discharge pipe. Then the two pistons swap their jobs. This makes the concrete flow continuously. A valve switches the cylinders between the hopper and discharge pipe.
Types Of Concrete Pumps
Truck-mounted Pump – The pump is mounted on a truck as the name suggests. It is also called a boon pump because an articulating robotic arm called a boom places the concrete. The boom is controlled by a remote. This type of pump is used on large building projects. It can pour large volumes of concrete quickly. The result is a faster accurate pour. The robotic arm is used for other tasks like Electrical and piping repairs.
Trailer, Line, Or Stationary Pump – In this style of pump, rubber or steel hoses are attached to the machine, mounted on a trailer. Multiple hoses are joined to extend the reach of the pump. Trailer pumps are good for smaller jobs that need the concrete to pump at a lower volume. They are also known as the line or stationary pumps and are used for projects like sidewalks and swimming pools.
Specialized Usage Pump – Specialized equipment is more expensive. But some job sites like tunnels need custom made concrete pumps. One type of specialized usage pump is rail mounted, though it is rarely used.
Reasons To Use Concrete Pumping
So Far Away – You cannot always get the mixer close enough to where you require to pour the concrete. It is common in construction sites located in a city or residential neighborhood.
Labor Shortage – The wheelbarrow is one of the greatest inventions. But it needs a lot of muscle to move wet concrete around. Even if saving money on labor is not the primary goal, it may be challenging to find enough workers in today’s economy.
Instability – Even if there are enough workers to push around a bunch of wheelbarrows, they cannot readily wheel over uneven rocky ground that may surround around the pour site.
No swinging room – You will be required to use concrete pumping if the pour site is inside a building, underground, or at height.
Behind Schedule – If the project is running over, concrete pumping is much faster and will get you back on schedule.
Advantages –
There are many advantages of using concrete pumping –
- You can place the concrete at greater heights and farther away.
- You can place the concrete in bad weather also
- It is easy to go for small amounts in multiple locations as required by some job sites.
- It takes you, workers, to pour in place
- The concrete moves faster from the source to the location of pouring
- It can allow you to reach areas not accessible by crane
- The time savings allow you to complete work on multiple job sites in a day, lowering the cost.
Conclusion
There is no job really too small or too big that a concrete pump cannot handle. In most situations, the product manager finds that there are overall cost savings in using concrete pumping on the job sites. Even if it is costlier than other pouring methods, the savings in labor and time can more than offset the service. In some cases, it may be the only solution for challenging job sites.
