This is my first winter as a pump owner and it is stored outside.  Do I need to drain my water tank every day after I am done?  Can I add antifreeze to my tank to keep it from freezing and if so how much do I add? 

What do all of you use to keep from iceing up in the winter?  I have a line pump and my water tank sits totaly exposed behind my cab.  would an insulating layer be enough and if so what about my water pump, under the deck, and hose? 

Am I correct in thinking that the water box will not ice up as long as I am pumping or do I need to deal with that as well?  What else should I worry about in the cold.  We usually hit about -10 to -15 Celsius abou 5 to 15 F.

Hi Newby,will try to give the best insight I can.

1) Generally water tanks are more imune to rapid freezing,however the plumbing sytem freezes very quickly.A good rule would be to drain tank,hose,water pump,hos,water box at the end of every day.

With not knowing how your sytem is set up a general thought.You should have a drain valve and charge vale on your tank,these should be insulated in some way.I used to use several layers of rages and wrap in duct tape.Your garden hose should have disconnects,drain,remove,put in cab.You also need to purge the water pump and remaining plumbing.

Between pours should you be lucky enough to have 2 or more the following.Again close water tank valve and purge rest of system,then off to next pour.As for water box,yeah,why not you should anyway.You shouldn't need any antifreeze at all.

Old man winter will freeze anything it can.I know there are operators on this list from the Colorado/Wyoming regions that can add to this.I for one was never smart enough to take pic's for examples,just doing it.

Good Luck

hey newby ! we have a 200 gallon tank ontop of our line pump truck.  it was sprayed with commercial expndablee foam that they put in homes.  About 2inches thick. it looks like a big peanut,but it is very effective.  We put in 100 to 115 dgree water in the morning. drve 1 hour tojob pump for three hours and the water is still hot enough to steam your glasses .  IT WORKS WELL ENOUGH FOR OUR NRTH WESTERN INDIANA  WINTERS.  But make certain you can drain the lines.  If it is to cold to be doing anything and  you have to  still pump thejob  just make a special hose so it can drain on the  way to the lob and the top it off with ready mix water on the job.

I like tank heaters for water and hydraulic oil. Doesn't take much. Put them on adjustable timers that light up a couple hours before your leave time.

Put water hose in cab of truck. Insulate ALL water feed lines and valves. EMPTY your waterbox every night - summer and winter. Put radd hose over exhaust stack to heat system......... if you use a good hose it will ruin it.

Put calcium or something like it in your slurry.

Take three pair of work gloves + your washout gloves.

STAY WARM ;~)

LIKE.........DUH !

RAGG HOSE

Thanks for the advice so far guys.  I hope to put it into practice as I work through winter, I hope.  =)

It may rain alot up here in the Great Pacific Northwest but at least we don't have to shovel it...

Big T

newby, I pump in norhtern minnesota. I drain al my water lines everyday and blow them out with tank air from my air brakes. I drain my waterbox after the job and dont fill it until I get to the job with the mixer truck when I fill my hopper to prime up. Also if you use sponge balls to clean out, put them in your cab after the job so they thaw out during the job in the cab with the heat on. I also run my tank water thru a radiator off the engine. I regulate the heat thru a valve by how much water goes thru. Also watch out for the mud to freeze in your boom if you stop to long. Gotta keep it moving and never shut off your agitator or the top laayer of mud in your hopper will freeze solid. I've pumped when its 10 below zero and it sucks. The contractors always add cloride to the mud and you only have minutes to clean out with 2% in the mix. Good luck, any more cold weather questions. feel free to ask.

I pump in canada and winter can be a real pain in the ass if you dont stay on top of the water situation. A water tank heater is a must. Keep the sponge and hose in the cab and either have your system on a gravity drain or blow out with air after every use. And if you ever freeze up your water, clean out your barrells and push all the concrete out of the hopper as best as you can ,then go power wash that shit later its all frozen on the metal and comes off as soon as the hot water hits it so no worries.