Except cement and sand, the third, but not less important component of concrete is certainly water. Thanks to chemical processes, water helps to pass solidification. These processes are impossible without water. During time of solidification, it is necessary to hold concrete surfaces always in a damp condition. If these conditions are absent concrete will simply fuse, and will have only a part of necessary durability. Pure water is necessary for qualitative hardening of concrete. If the water is potable than you can manage without additional researches. In those places where there is no water pipe, it will be necessary to conduct additional researches in laboratories. It’s necessary for the definition whether the given water has substances which are harmful to concrete. It happens that such that potable water can not match for concrete hardening. The reason may be the impurity of salts and additional chemical components dissolved in water.
The water, which structure and composition are unknown can pose the concrete to serious danger. Sulfates which are dissolved in water destroy and corrode concrete. So, sulfurous water is especially dangerous to concrete preparation.
In individual building there are additives which accelerate processes solidification and raise frost resistance. Also they accelerate water resistance and solidity. An active component is chloride calcium, known as the accelerator of solidification. It also serves as anti-frost additive. But most people can’t imagine what problems arise in case of abusing the given additives.
Frost resistance additives will operate on concrete at the same way as salt on roads and highways performs on cars. This additives cause corrosion processes. Because of that salts of calcium in the form of a solution with water arrive in a body of iron-concrete constructions. They interact with an armature surface causing electrochemical corrosion. Negative properties of anti-frost additives are already known to experts for a long time. To these additives also combined with certain quantities of chemical substances which interfere with corrosion. These substances are named inhibitors.
If you apply additives in large quantities they do huge harm to the not reinforced concrete. For instance, there will be a superficial filtration, stains on the surface. Given defects are eliminated very hardly. In most cases it is impossible to stop such processes, and it is necessary to completely replace imperfect parts of construction.
