Does portland cement get "stale"?
 

Does bagged ordinary portland cement get stale after a while? --in
other words does it lose it's ability to perform up to it's
specification? If so, how can I tell if its not worth using?

I have about 5 sacks that have sat in my garage for several years.
While the powder hasn't
hardened its somewhat cakey or crusty.

--Zeb

Does portland cement get "stale"?
 

On 31 Mar 2006 09:56:43 -0800, wrote:

Does bagged ordinary portland cement get stale after a while? --in
other words does it lose it's ability to perform up to it's
specification? If so, how can I tell if its not worth using?

I have about 5 sacks that have sat in my garage for several years.
While the powder hasn't
hardened its somewhat cakey or crusty.

Unless you've got a calcining furnace, what you've got
there is 5 bags of clean fill.

Does portland cement get "stale"?
 

I was in the same boat as you last fall, with a couple of old bags in
the garage, probably about four-five years old. Wanted to use them to
set a fence post.

Did some googling and while I don't remember the exact reasons, etc.
Basically it won't work. So, I spent $13 on a bag of rapid set, which
nearly set too quick (15 minutes and that stuff was HARD).

Does portland cement get "stale"?
 

Does portland cement get "stale"?
 

If it's been in there for years then forget about using it.

Does portland cement get "stale"?
 

In article . com, wrote:
Does bagged ordinary portland cement get stale after a while? --in
other words does it lose it's ability to perform up to it's
specification?

Yes, it does.

If so, how can I tell if its not worth using?

See below. :-)

I have about 5 sacks that have sat in my garage for several years.

They're no good.

While the powder hasn't
hardened its somewhat cakey or crusty.

That's how you tell that it's no good. You see, the stuff cures by means of a
chemical reaction with the water that you add to it. The same reaction occurs
(more slowly, but it occurs nonetheless) with water vapor in the air, causing
the powder to become cakey and crusty. The chemical reaction can occur only
once -- and now that it's already happened, it won't happen again. You have
five sacks of garbage.
--Zeb


--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.