So your on a jobsite were you can't washout on the ground or wash into the mixer due to power lines. You do not have a cleanout ball or any thing else to do the job because the operator who normally runs the pump is too lazy to go get a ball from the parts room. You know your 15 to 20 minutes from the shop what would you do?

I would always ask the contractor before I start pumping where can i wash out and if he does not have a place prepaird for me than I would not put mud in the hopper.

If its a last min plan you can always do one of these.

It depends on how the concrete is. If it is a nice slump and low psi then fold up and go to shop then suck sponge. It is basically like moving to a 2nd house slab. The other option is to look around for rags or even the shirt you are wearing. Roll it up in tape and suck that back.

Todd, #1 is always an option because that sign can be removed easily but #2 and #3 are usually not the best option. I will take door #1.

I am sure you already heard it from your boss but you should have checked the pump before you left for hammer and sponge. Plus if the shop is that close, why didn't anybody bring you a sponge????

if you are not a sponge, you can of wet newspapers and a piece of rope to make a ball, then you at least clean the boom so far.
your company again suck the sponge back.

always better than having to disassemble your lines

Hummm. 10 to 15 Minutes from shop. I always had a 5 Lb bag of sugar on the truck for "Just in case"

I would have circulated the mud and mixed in sugar and a little water to make a run to a clean out spot, like the shop. Just make sure the concrete is never used in a pour anywhere else it is destroyed by the sugar. Some guys use Sods Pop to do the same thing.

As far as sucking back I used my sweat shirt balled up once it worked fine, then when I got to the shop I opened up and ran a sponge through.

Well here's how it  went down. I knew that i would be making the trip to the shop  so at the last yard or so i wet the mud up to good 6" slump, the end result was the last picture of Todd's. As far as sending one out no one was available and yes it is being declared operator error. So next time i run that pump i will take all of his clothes out the cab and turn them into ball and clean the boom out. Because there's nothing better then tearing a 42m down in 90+ weather.

You can't drive with mud in your pipes. It will shake down and turn rock hard. 

Been there done that, even a 1/4 mile trip through the woods to the other side of the site. 

Always suck back, also stop every ten mile reverse stroke, and agitate the hopper mud.

The way i see it , the primary operator should have everything on the pump. We normally don't jump from truck to truck . Duelly noted Many, i will add day care operator to my resume.

Day care operator?  You're sent out on your own to take care of somebody else's $500,000 (42 meter plus pipe and labor to replace/install pipe), I think that it is totally reasonable that you are expected to do more than show up half asleep, turn the key on and go.  Not to pile on, but man you guys have some issues.  Shop is 20 minutes away, you know you don't have a place to clean or a sponge, nobody has to come bring you a sponge (although I'm shocked that in order to avoid a boom party nobody did).  How can you not figure out a way to keep it alive for 15 or 20 minutes?  No sugar, have the customer drive to a freaking gas station and buy a couple of sodas.  Recirculate it as you add 50 gallons of water, not a 6" slump.  Hell, one time I went door to door until somebody was home and paid them $10 for a Coca-Cola bottle once.  Grow up and take responsibility, the scenario you're laying out is completely unacceptable at our business, and the fact that you're blaming the operator who ran the truck last is even more pathetic.  Being a tough guy and a real concrete pump operator entails more than driving a truck, and putting a toggle switch in the "Pump on" position.  Sorry if this is harsh, but fuck me, what the hell?  Your failure to accept the blame is even more annoying.

Would have loved to recirculate.

I think you need to start watching what type of mud you put in the pump. There is no way that it should have set up that fast in the pipes unless the concrete was old, or 5000# or more, or calcium or something else. It was obviously not regular house slab mud that was still fresh. I work in 100plus temperatuers and have never had it set up that soon. So something is obviously overlooked in this whole situation.

There is something not completely righ with this story... You've got concrete in your boom but you can't pump in the mixer due to power lines??? I would have liked to see that set up..

But if we would ignore that fact...... Put a lock on the endhose.. drive to the yard and suck a ball there. I've been driving with crete in the boom for 45 min and no problem. Could even suck the ball without unpacking the boom.

But if your concrete in adition is very hard and has loads of acelerator in it your might want to call the yard and bring you a ball instead of driving your self..

But this is a tippical case of bad preperation.. You should have been thinking about all this much earlyer I'd think..

And even more interesting.. How can you reserculate in your hopper but not pump up in the mixer due to power lines? Isn't the mixer about 1 meter from your hopper when he is filling it up?

DIPSTICK.... he never said he did recirculate. He said he would have loved to do that. I was on a job yesterday where powerlines were about 10' above boom while folded up. The last 8 feet were undeer the lines. I had to pick up the boom out of the cradle and swing to the side to unfold. So yes it can happen that the only place to set up is also one where you cannot recirculate. Not saying that he did everything properly because he obviously had hard pipe at the end of the day.

This is how it is impossible to recirculate but still pump a job

Ther setup that Pink Panther is showing is what i had only worse. I should've just driven away worse.  And the office knew i did'nt  have a ball and they still did'nt come . As far as having a hot load ,it's crossed my mind. How the trucks were loaded was not normal. Running dirty around here is pretty normal and not major issue.And you're right Parris i should take responsibility, but i'm having a hard time accepting that this time. I useing this topic to vent  because for the last 5 months when i run other peoples pumps somethings wrong .The first was plugged tip section and after that it's been tip hoses slugs of concrete that you have beat out in front of customers because the operators don't to  want rinse their hoses anymore. I say this to office  and  and the subject dies right there. As for asking to have a ball delivered, i gave up on that years ago and this is why. I was doing line pump order with drops, twists turns you name it when one of elbows breaks at  a 10 ft. drop. The customer walks off and refuses to help. I tried put it back together but could'nt . I called the office because i needed some help and all i got is quote " you need to  stop screwing around out there because you have a 2 o'clock order." That's why i don't count on the office to much.

Sounds like you need to find a better company to work for. I have no idea who you work for and it does not matter. I recently changed companies for the fact that I was not happy dealing with people that did not care about their job and are just plain dirty and lazy operators. I love where I am now and everyone really takes pride in what they do. Just food for thought.

If that was high power that would be a bad setup..

But it sounds to me like you just had one of those days where everything goes wrong. I think we all have them... Best is to just learn from them and move on ;-) 

Its what they call in racing a '' racing incident''

y es a very bad day,it happens to all of us. fuel for thought next time you realize you dont have a ball/sponge anything to suck back, raise boom and reverse any way it wont get all the mud back but will put voids in the boom that will help run water through when back at yard. another thing to ponder on is concrete use it to your advantage remove your shirt or,pants,or socks fill with concrete and tie in a knot and wrap with d-tape plastic bag ,anything that will hold together a wad put in tip and reverse,anything is better than nothing.oh buy the way allways please allways wear under wear or youll end up in a court room explaining why you were streaking on a job site.

I've been thinking about  leaving pretty heavily after this incident. Thanks for the other ideas with the clothes and the clothes and concrete idea. After 11 years of doing this , this was my first boom party and it was'nt a party. I'll remeber all of them.

 Screw That! Suck a barrel of water back.. No barrrel???= A wheel barrow or neighbors garbage can works too!.. Dig a 30 or 40 gallon hole, line it with plastic, fill it with water & suck that back!?!

 If you're not savvy on sucking back water... Roll up 8 or 10 oil pads outta your spill kit & Wrap 'em in the plastic bag they came in... Roll up a sweatshirt in plastic or ductape it... Hell I've sucked back the foam out of the passenger seat pad before!

 15 or 20 minutes from the shop!?! Juice up the last yard to go thru the pump then fold it up & run wet back to the shop to suck a ball or Whatever.. Tell (Ask) the mixer driver to pull down the block where you CAN wash into the mixer, even if it's in the Walmart parking lot!!

 The check list for runnin unfamiliar pumps is.. (1) a Hammer (2) a ball/rabbit etc. (3) a roll of Ductape (4) a 5lb. bag of Sugar. I wont run a pump without a blow out cap with an air hose & will bring my own if I need to. You gottta be prepared for the worst and running around with no ball, no barrel & no back up plan is Asking for problems.

 I'm not preaching I just learned the hard way.. by having to DO all the BS listed above to avoid the dreaded B...m P..rty!

Dear weaver. I just wanted to thank you for this post. You are not the only guy that needed this info. I am sure lots of guys are now better informed.

it may be a little embarrasing but not enuff to quit over,your probrably one of the better opps working where your at, i mean 11 years and no party come on. dont give up because of a brain fart,quit when your really ready to hang up the remote.

also when i started pumping i was told your not an opperator untill you[" party all night with the big boys" ] from there you perfect the steps to avoid the dance.i personally cant dance and would rather party with the ladys.haha and if you pump concrete its inevitable, not if.but when.

PUMPER CHUCK..... any talk of him leaving was not due to a boom party or being embarassed. It was more of that the office would not help him getting a sponge and other little things. Even though he should have checked the pump. That has all been discussed plenty and I am sure he will check for sponges now. This just helps others to think about checking a pump before they take one out.

32 ounce gatorade empty gatorade or powerade bottle with a shirt wrapped around it works great when in a bind , I used one for a week one time waiting on a dozen go devils to come in , now I always keep one on my pump.

Tommorrow I have to go out with someone else his machine. I know that he doesn't always have his stuff sorted out so ill be at the yard about 30min before i have to start driving. I HATE surprises so id rather get up half an hour earlyer...