Is there a minimum temp for mortar repair?

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papakevin

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I have some cracks in my existing mortar and I have received a quote to repair them. Question on temperature. I’m in Southern Indiana where the daytime high is mid 40’s and lows at night in the 20’s right now. I thought the temp had to be above 40 to do mortar work, but the guy who provided the quote says they can work year round regardless of temps. Is it OK to proceed with this work in the winter or should I wait until Spring when the temps are warmer?
 
I've seen them do it but they had it tarped off with a blast heater blowing in.so I'd say wait until a warmer day.
 
Being a bricklayer myself, I can understand why he wants to do the job as we need to work as much of the year as we can. Work can proceed in winter if the correct methods are used.
However if work can wait till the spring it's normally better, although it is better to stop any moisture entering the cracks and freezing and making them worse.
 
Too often, people are hung up on the air temperature.

Due to the weight and mass of masonry products the over-riding factor is the temperature of the materials (units, sand, water, etc.). For curing of a wall, the temperature of the materials governs. Any good contractor will have the sand on site over a culvert (and covered) to heat it over night.

While working for a block manufacturer, we typically loaded the trucks the night before (to put the trucks inside the garage during the sub-zero temps). We also palletized the block in a pattern with the faces of the block in the top layers upwards (a "snow cap") to prevent snow from getting into the cores of the block. The lower layers had the cores vertical to drain since all block were on wood pallets ($8.00 or $10.00 deposit).

Fortunately, the contractors were smart enough to prep the site to handle the deliveries instead of just demanding last minute decisions.

Somehow, we managed to sell and deliver 12,000,000 to 16,000,000 block a year and never would meet a competitors price. - Brick were a totally different product because we had them shipped in in whatever size and configuration the brick manufacturer decided.

For winter construction, if you have the basic materials warm enough, the normal curing heat of hydration can proceed to provide strength.

Dick
 
dick's right - its material temp more than anything else,,, notwithstanding you get some jabonie who wants to work in 20f weather w/winds howling, wait'll its a bit warmer
 

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