Almost lost a wall last month from a bad mortar mix

I was working on a retaining wall job over in Fresno and mixed up a batch of mortar that looked fine but started crumbling after 3 days. Turned out the sand I grabbed from the supplier had too much clay in it and ruined the bond. Has anyone else gotten a bad batch of sand that didn't pass the taste test?}

2 comments

2 Comments

henryf5312d ago

Wait you actually tasted the sand to check it?

the_richard12d ago

Wait, you had a batch go bad after 3 days? That is brutal. I had the same thing happen last summer with a batch of sand I got from a supplier out near Bakersfield. It looked clean but when I wet it, it got all slimy and wouldn't bind right. The mortar I laid on a small garden wall started cracking within a week and I had to tear down 8 feet of work. Did you try the jar test on that sand before mixing? I started doing that after my mess up and it saved me a few times since.