Many companies view the act of chipping concrete as an unnecessary expense — or something that only needs to happen once a drum stops working. The truth is, concrete chipping is one of the best ways to keep your mixing drums healthy and pouring the concrete you need. And most experts say
it should be carried out every three months. Why so often? At General Chipping, our team likes to use the analogy of
a water bottle flipped on its side. Even if you’ve finished all the water inside the bottle, it’s not 100% empty. No matter how hard you work to clear that bottle out, some droplets will remain. That’s how it works with your ready mix drum. Every concrete pour your company carries out leaves a bit of residue behind. And although that residue might not be cause for concern at the start, with time it can accumulate. That accumulation can impact everything from
your truck drum’s balance, to
your poured concrete and ability to pour material at all. Regular concrete chipping appointments are the easiest way to stop potential trouble in its tracks, before it leads to costly repairs.
Fun Fact: The average concrete chipping appointment involves more than chipping concrete. Because the crew you hire is focused on keeping your overall operations working efficiently and effectively, they’ll also want to check in on your cement storage silos and central mixers. Your concrete chipping appointment will most likely include a mix of ready mix drum chipping, cement silo cleaning and central mixer cleaning work. Here’s what those tasks boil down to:
- Concrete Chipping: Using handheld jackhammers, crews physically enter your ready-mix truck drums to remove hardened material that has dried along the walls. This improves your carrying capacity and helps ward off mechanical issues which can lead to costly slowdowns, repairs and replacements.
- Silo Cleaning: Members of your chosen company’s silo cleaning crew are lowered down into your cement storage silos. Once inside, they remove clumps and clogs that slow the release of your cement — and can hold up your projects. Those clogs are ushered out the bottom of the silo.
NOTE: Excess moisture often results in clumps and clogs inside your cement storage silos. For that reason, silo cleaning is especially important in areas that experience heightened humidity levels.
- Central Mixer Cleaning: Similar to concrete chipping services, central mixer cleaning involves crew members reaching inside your team’s mixer to remove hardened material from drum walls. This results in a healthier mixer capable of holding more material than before.
As with any business decision, a number of factors will go into finding the right concrete chippers for the job. It’s important that you do business with a company you can trust to do the work on time, within budget — and in a way that keeps your valuable fleet and equipment safe. Here’s a bit of advice from our team:
- Work with a Concrete Chipping Company That Will Work with You: A little flexibility goes a long way when chipping concrete. You’ll want to do business with a company that’s willing to learn the way you operate, take into consideration any special requirements you might have and then work within those guidelines. If your plant is located near a residential area, for instance, your job might need to be done outside regular concrete chipping hours. If one of your trucks isn’t pouring material as easily as it once did — or clumping seems to be occurring in one cement silo more than others — that equipment might require a little more care than the rest. Be sure to clue your potential concrete chipping team into any such issues from the start. Although they’ll more than likely be willing to work with you on such constraints, it’s important to know for sure.
- Work with a Concrete Chipping Crew That Has its Ducks in a Row: Of course, by “ducks” we mean licenses and certifications. You might be surprised to learn just how many unlicensed concrete chippers are out there, carrying out work without adequate training. Although such teams might come with an attractive price tag, if they damage your silos, drums and related equipment, you could be left footing the repair and replacement bills. We recommend asking to see proof of proper licenses and coverage before signing anything official. You might also ask about the company’s stance on continuing education. Technologies are changing all the time, and so are recommended chipping practices. When you do business with a company that’s dedicated to keeping its crew members on top of their game, you’re ensuring your work will be carried out in the safest, most effective manner. At General Chipping, for instance, our crew regularly undergoes OSHA safety training.
- Work with Concrete Chippers Your Colleagues Have Seen Success with: There’s a lot to be said about hiring a company that’s trusted by someone you trust. We encourage companies to reach out to people they know in the business to ask about the concrete chipping crews they’ve worked with before. How was their overall experience? Was the crew thorough, on time and within budget? Was there anything they’d do differently? Of course, in today’s high-tech world, you have other tools at your fingertips. Consider going online to scope out reviews, or taking a look at a company’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) rankings. You might also reach out to your potential concrete chipping company about testimonials or references they might send your way.
Every company’s concrete chipping timeline will vary slightly, thanks to differences in factors such as
the type of concrete being poured, to the trucks that make up the fleet and overall volume of work. Generally, however, experts say
concrete chipping should take place once a quarter. Remember, you can life a lot easier for your crew when you book
silo cleaning services and
central mixer cleaning at the same time your drums are being serviced. (That’s just a friendly reminder from your Texas neighbors.
We’re proudly headquartered in Houston!)
