Looking After the Old Dominion State’s Drums.

As we mentioned above, the key reason for chipping concrete from the walls of your ready-mix truck drums and mixers, and clearing clumped cement from your silos, is to keep them free of unnecessary buildup — and to improve their overall health. Think about your central mixers and concrete truck drums like a water bottle resting on its side. If you took that water bottle and tried to pour out each and every drop inside, there would always be a bit of moisture left along the walls. That’s how it works with your concrete pours. Every concrete job results in some amount of material left behind — and at the start, it’s no big deal. As time progresses and that caked-on concrete accumulates, however, its effects make themselves known. Your crew could find itself dealing with diminished carrying capacity, dried bits appearing in your concrete blends and other warning signs that your drum is in trouble. Left unchecked, you could wind up facing complete equipment breakdowns that grind work to a halt and require budget-breaking replacements and repair work. As it relates to your cement silos, regular maintenance helps to break up and eliminate humidity-induced clumps that often result in slowed pours or all-out blockages. A bit of advance planning (paired with elbow grease from a trained and licensed team) can help keep your work moving safely forward.

Concrete and construction companies are often surprised to learn that most concrete chipping appointments actually consist of three separate services. Your concrete chipping company will traditionally tackle concrete central mixer cleaning, cement silo cleaning and concrete truck chipping work all in one appointment. Why? Because the overall goal is to look after every aspect of your operations. Here’s a closer look at what those three processes entail:

• 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: Silo cleaning is especially important in areas that regularly experience extreme humidity, since excess moisture leads to clumped cement.
  
  
• 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.
  
  

Selecting a concrete chipping company with whom to work can be easier said than done. You’ll want to find a company you can trust to handle such work in a safe and efficient manner — and one you feel comfortable doing business with, too. Here are a few tips to make that process easier.

• Find a Concrete Chipping Company that’s Willing to be Flexible: Although most concrete chipping jobs are fairly similar in nature, no two are exactly alike. When evaluating potential companies to work with, be sure to fill them in on any special considerations they might need to factor in. Is your concrete plant located near residential areas that might require crews to do your work outside of regular concrete chipping hours? Are certain drums behaving in a way that might require added attention? Is there a trick to getting into and out of your business? Whatever the situation, make such issues known to your potential concrete chipping crew early on. Doing so helps them ensure they’re adequately equipped to take on your work, and keeps everyone on the same page.
  
  
• Hire Concrete Chippers Whose Reputation (Positively) Precedes Them: Consider talking with friends and colleagues in your line of work to learn which companies they’ve hired in the past. Who have they worked with? How was the work? Would they hire them again? What would they do differently? Chances are their experience will give you a decent understanding of how your concrete chipping company works on the regular. Once you’ve covered those bases, take your search online. Look up your potential company’s online reviews and see what comes up in terms of Better Business Bureau (BBB) If you’re still undecided, consider asking your candidate(s) for references or testimonials from past clients.
  
  
• Go with a Concrete Chipping Company That is Trained for the Work: Did you know many people who advertise concrete chipping services aren’t actually trained to do the work? And although many such companies advertise prices that undercut their competition, the potential repercussions aren’t worth it. Trusting an untrained or unlicensed company with such work can lead to costly damage to your mixers, drums and silos — damage you’re left paying for, if that company isn’t insured. Even worse, that decision to save a few dollars could place lives at risk. Cement silo cleaning and concrete truck chipping are both incredibly dangerous, and such tasks should only be left to the pros. We recommend asking potential concrete chipping companies for proof of insurance, and inquiring about certifications and continuing education requirements they have in place for their team. At General Chipping, for example, our safety-minded team regularly takes part in OSHA training initiatives, topic-specific toolbox talks and related efforts aimed at keeping everyone working in as safe and efficient a manner as possible. (Not only that, but it also helps to ensure we’re working in compliance with industry best practices.)
  
  

Every company operates on a slightly different chipping schedule, due to factors such as the volume of work they take on, the type of concrete blends in use and the age and make of their ready-mix trucks. In general, however, industry experts recommend booking concrete chipping and silo cleaning appointments every three months. Doing so helps you avoid the damaging effects extreme buildup can bring to the mix — and can help you spot and correct issues before they become costly problems.

PRO TIP: Consider booking a full year’s worth of chipping appointments out at once. Doing so not only helps to ensure you won’t forget to factor it into your plans, but also helps you sidestep issues such as trouble booking appointments during busy seasons and rush fees for emergency work.