Concrete Pump Hire: Everything You Need to Know

What type of pump is used for concrete?

There are essentially two types of pumps used for concrete: Line Pumps and Boom Pumps.

The technology used in line pumps has an extended hose attached to a stationary trailer or truck. In this truck, liquid concrete is mixed, and it can be transported through the hose. Concrete line pumps hired are especially beneficial when concreting needs to be done on platforms or surfaces that are too high or far to be reached by ordinary concrete pumps.

Whereas concrete boom pumps hire are concrete pumps that have the pump mounted on a truck and an arm-like system controlled remotely to transport and deliver the concrete. Its high speed and voluminous capacity help you pump a massive amount of concrete in a short amount of time.

How long does it take to pump concrete?

Results demand on the size of a construction site. A predetermined period cannot be fixed to confirm the amount of time taken to pump concrete on your site. However, pushing traditional methods to the curb, concrete pumps are recognised as versatile and efficient in pouring concrete onto the construction site. Advanced concrete pumps can pump as much as 30 to 100 cubic metres of concrete per hour, enabling it to overcome the obstacle of time and thus, is one of its most significant advantages.

What size concrete pump do I need?

While searching for concrete pump hire ‘near me’, the size required varies depending on your construction site. A brief overview of the sizes that are available for availing concrete pump services are as follows:

Boom pump is a stationary concrete truck with an arm-like pump to transport concrete quickly and efficiently. Typically, sizes available for boom pumps come in 20-65 meters.

Similarly, line pumps extend from 17 to 70 meters and transport concrete higher or farther than reach locations.

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What are four reasons why a concrete pump may need to be used?

As you may have understood, concrete pumps play an essential role in construction. It binds the materials and keeps the structure intact against internal and external factors. Some of the reasons that you may need concrete pump hire are:

A voluminous quantity of concrete can be transported per hour to the site. This can save time by transporting concrete quickly and efficiently.

Local concrete pumps can save concrete pump hire costs to an extent. Unlike the traditional crane and bucket method of transporting concrete, modern concrete pumps can be operated remotely.

For convenience, concrete pumps come as portable concrete pump hire. Mobile concrete pumps enable the operator to remotely perform an on-site ready mix concrete pump and pour it immediately to save time.

Concrete pump equipment can be used to multitask. The crane used to transport the concrete can also lift steelworks and other construction parts.

How far away can a concrete truck pour?

Pouring concrete to the construction site depends on the placement of concrete trucks and the pump’s length. A concrete pump truck has a chute opening that can lift several feet of concrete and rotate 90 degrees to make the placement more efficient. Most concrete pumps can extend up to 18 feet depending on the service company and the truck transporting the concrete.

How do you pump concrete?

The concrete brought into the construction site needs to be liquefied before laying it down. This concrete is mixed and churned inside a rotating drum mounted on a truck. Mixing accelerators of concrete are sodium silicate type, sodium aluminate type, aluminium sulfate type and aluminium potassium sulfate, and a chamber that supplies water to blend the mix well.

The concrete is pumped through a hose supported by a hydraulic twin-cylindrical piston system that facilitates back and forth movement of the concrete. In this way, an accurate amount of concrete can be poured onto the site without risking any spill or wastage.

What are the significant problems in using pumping for concreting works?

While pumping concrete, one of the main problems that operators face is the frictional tension between the concrete and the pumping pipes. It causes pressure within the pump by the flow of concrete. Concretes have a thick consistency, and to transport them, we must utilise a system that can exert force into them.

However, the main problem with using pumping for concreting works is segregation and bleeding. This is because when there is a delay in pumping, the components within the concrete starts to separate. To compensate for this effect, the proportion of other elements such as cement increases. If not done professionally, this can lead to disproportions in the ingredients and make a poor concreting work.

How do concrete boom pumps work?

The working of concrete pumps is elaborate. To simplify the understanding of concrete pumping, concrete trucks have a rotating drum within which concrete is mixed until it liquefies. Then it is transferred to the churn space, where it continues to mix so that the concrete does not get solid. The concrete is sucked by the pump from this churner and poured onto the said location.

The twin-cylindrical system within the pump is facilitated by hydraulics driven by pistons that move the concrete back and forth.

How much do concrete pumps cost?

Since concrete pumps play an essential role in construction, their demand is equally high. Considering all factors that might lead to hiring concrete pumps, one must expect an average price range of £300-£400. Above all, finding the right concrete pump contractors that can provide high-quality concrete pump hire services with expert operators needs to be prioritised.

Among the leading companies in the UK for concrete pumping, we stand out as we provide top quality concrete pumping service at highly competitive prices that are favourable to the customers.

You can also read: What Is the Difference Between a Boom Pump and a Line Pump?