Concrete curing time???

[dhanson]

Hi Everyone...
We finally did it...we bought our first hot tub! Caldera (Geneva)  We are soooo excited! We have really enjoyed and have learned a ton of info from all of you!

We are having the concrete poured (11' x 12' x 6") on Tuesday morning and thinking of having the tub installed on Friday.  Is 48 hours long enough for the concrete to cure?

The reason I am asking, the concrete guys are telling us we need to wait 4 to 6 days and our dealer is telling us that 48 hours is enough time to cure.  

What do you guys think?

Thanks for you help!

 

[Dekken Tubb]

I think I'd take the concrete guys' word for it.  The surface is probably hard enough in 48 hours, but I don't think the concrete is ready to handle 5000 pounds of weight in 48 hours. :-?

[Vinny]

Take the concrete person's advice.

Concrete takes a long time to set up and harden to it's full capacity and if you are going through a heat wave you need to spritz the concrete every so often so it doesn't dry out too soon. (some concrete people put a plastic cover over to control evaporation).

You really only want to do it right once, so if waiting an extra few days is what you need to do, don't second guess it.

[Chad]

If it's just a standard concrete mix, then by the book you're suppose to wait 3-4 weeks depending on ambient temps, humidity, dew point, etc... I waited 3. If the earth below the slab hasn't been tampered with(i.e.- isn't fill), you should be fine.
Follow Vinny's advice about keeping the slab moist. It helps slow down the curing process.

Check this link out
http://www.trmca.org/solutions/faq11.htm

[Vinny]

Yep, US Italians know concrete!

[dhanson]

Thanks for your input on the concrete pad, guys.  We will wait and let the concrete cure and rough it out. Better safe than sorry!!!  Vinny, very funny come back about knowing concrete, we lol on that one.