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Warning: the guy at the yard said my 8 inch block shouldn't be soaked, and now I'm second guessing everything
I was picking up a pallet of CMUs at the yard in Tulsa on Friday and one of the older guys there said he never soaks his block unless it's crazy hot out. I've been dunking mine for years, probably 2 or 3 seconds a unit, and always figured it helped the mortar set up right. He said in our heat it just makes the block slide around and messes with the bond. We got to talking for maybe ten minutes and he's been laying 30 plus years so I don't want to blow him off. Now I'm half way through a garage wall and honestly the units are not moving at all. Has anyone here tested soaked vs dry block side by side, what did your joints do?
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the_parker28d ago
Did you ever read that old Portland Cement Association note about how wet block mostly matters in dry heat because the mortar dries too fast to cure? From what I remember, soaking is more about keeping the mortar from losing its water too quick, not about making the block stick better. If your units are holding steady and the joints look good, the guy probably just saved you a backache.
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