How to Change Lawn Mower Oil: No Fancy Tools Needed!

© Eugene Brennan

Motor oil is an essential requirement of all engines. It has several functions, including lubrication of metal parts in contact (reducing friction), cooling, keeping surfaces clean, sealing and corrosion inhibition.
Your 4-stroke, walk-behind lawn mower engine is no different. The oil inside it gets dirty over time and without an oil filter to remove metal particles and soot, these contaminants can build up over time and cause engine wear. So it’s good policy as part of a maintenance schedule to give it an oil change after every 20 to 50 hours of use (consult the manual or check the engine block for exact details).

What Time of Year Should I Change the Oil in My Mower?

Ideally change oil at the end of the cutting season, before the mower is stored away for the winter. Combustion products in oil such as tars, carbon, sulfur and nitrogen dioxides can settle out, coating engine parts or possibly causing corrosion, so it’s best to remove it and replace it with fresh oil.

Safety First While Working on a Lawn Mower

• Don’t run a lawn mower in an enclosed space. Carbon monoxide gas, which is present in exhaust fumes, is odourless, colourless and tasteless, but it’s poisonous and can kill. Ideally, run a mower outdoors when testing. If the mower is run in a garage/workshop, it should only be operated for a short period and you must ensure all doors and windows are open in order to provide adequate ventilation.
• Set controls to off and remove the spark plug lead before working on any moving parts on an engine e.g. the blade. Ideally, you should also remove the spark plug to be totally sure that the engine won’t fire if you turn the blade.
• Keep petrol (gas) away from any sources of ignition.

What Tools Are Required to Change Oil?

• Socket wrench set or a wrench(spanner) to fit the drain plug
• Spark plug wrench
• Shallow container for collecting drained oil. A biscuit (cookie) tin is ideal
• Some cloths for mopping spillage and wiping hands
• Disposable gloves
• Some newspapers/plastic sheeting for covering the floor or ground surface
• Bricks or short pieces of 2″ timber for raising the mower off the ground

A shallow tin like this one is ideal for draining oil into. Metal tins aren’t totally leak proof and oil will eventually ooze out, so dispose of it safely
© Eugene Brennan

What Type of Oil Is Used in a Lawn Mower?

Generally, an SAE 30 or 10W30 multigrade oil is recommended. Sometimes 15W40, which is more viscous when hot is recommended for larger engines. Check your manual for the required quantity and type of oil.

Checking oil level

During the cutting season, keep the oil level under the max level on the dipstick. To check oil:

1. Move your mower to a level surface.
2. Remove the dipstick.
3. Clean oil off the end of the dipstick with paper towel or a rag.
4. Replace the dipstick. Some engine manufacturers recommend that you don’t screw it back in again.
5. Remove the dipstick again and check where the level of the oil is between the max and min marks on the stick.

Step 1: Find a Location

Pick a suitable location for working on, ideally the concrete floor of your garage, or you can work outdoors on a driveway.

Step 2: Keep Your Working Area Clean!

To avoid mess, cover the working surface with a few newspapers, plastic sheets or refuse sacks (trash bags) to collect any drips/spills.

You can use a refuse sack (trash bag) for covering the ground or floor.
© Eugene Brennan

Cover the floor with a refuse sack (trash bag), newspapers, plastic sheet etc.
© Eugene Brennan

Step 3: Add A Little Fuel to the Lawn Mower Tank

Pour a small amount of petrol into the tank, enough to allow it to run, so that it doesn’t leak out when you turn the mower on its side. Alternatively, drain petrol after running the engine.

Step 4: Run the Engine to Warm the Oil

Run the engine for about 5 minutes to warm up the oil. This makes it less viscous and more fluid and it will drain easier. Don’t run it any longer than this or the oil will scald you if it gets on your hands while draining!
Turn off the fuel tap if fitted after running the engine.

Step 5: Remove the Spark Lead

Caution !!!

Detach the spark plug lead and ideally remove the spark plug from the engine to prevent it from starting.

Step 6: Decide Whether to Drain Through the Plug or the Oil Fill

The oil in a 4-stroke engine is held in a reservoir at the lowest point called the sump. Usually, an oil drain plug is screwed into the underside of the sump and when this is removed, oil can be easily drained. Any sludge which has settled should drain also.

What if the engine doesn’t have a drain plug?

Not all engines have a drain plug and oil must be drained from the oil fill plug by tilting the mower.

Step 7: Tilt the Mower to Access the Drain Plug

If you decide to empty the oil through the drain plug, you need to either turn the mower on its side or onto its back handles to access it or at least tilt it so that you can get at the drain plug with a wrench. Check with the instructions or the manufacturer/your dealer first to see which method is recommended. If you turn the mower on its side, turn off the fuel tap if fitted. The float bowl on some engines is vented and fuel can trickle out this vent and into the intake manifold or onto the engine. If this happens when the engine is hot, it can potentially start a fire, so ideally drain fuel from the bowl first via the drain plug.

Some manufacturers recommend placing the mower on its side. The breather is usually on the same side as the carburetor, so keeping it upright prevents oil from leaking out and fouling the carb or air cleaner
© Eugene Brennan

Alternatively lower the mower back onto its handles. A weight such as a block will keep it in place.
© Eugene Brennan

The breather, a vent to the oil containing sump on the underside of the engine, is usually on the side of the engine adjacent to the air filter and carburetor. Keep it upright to avoid an oil leak
© Eugene Brennan

Step 8: Locate the Drain Plug

Locate the drain plug. This may look like the hex head of a bolt in which case you can loosen it with a socket wrench. If you don’t have a socket set, you can use an open-ended wrench (spanner). Alternatively, the plug may have a square head and you will need to use an open-ended wrench. Some plugs are recessed and flush with the sump with a hex socket or square socket head, requiring an Allen key or the 1/2 inch drive of a socket wrench respectively to be loosened. Turn the blade of the mower to move it out of the way if it is obstructing access. You can also remove it. In general, the bolt which fastens a lawn mower blade in place is loosened by turning it counter-clockwise.

Drain plug on a mower.
© Eugene Brennan

Oil drain plug.
© Eugene Brennan

Step 9: Loosen the Drain Plug

Loosen the plug, but don’t remove it fully. Turn the mower back onto its wheels and position it over the tin. If you raise the cutting height to the highest setting, it may be easier to accommodate the tin under the deck of the mower. You can also raise the front and back wheels onto short slabs of timber or bricks to increase clearance so that you can get your hands under the mower. Just be careful that it doesn’t roll off these and drop down onto your hands while removing the drain plug.

Step 10: Drain the Oil Into a Tin

Now this is the difficult bit. You need to fully unscrew and remove the plug and move your hand quickly to one side out of the way. Disposable gloves will keep your hands clean but sometimes it is difficult to work with these. If you work bare handed, ensure you wash your hands well with a cleanser to remove oil and use moisturizer. Allow the mower to drain for several minutes into the tin and then tip it slightly from side to side to remove any remaining oil.

If you remove the fill plug from the top of the engine, oil will drain quicker because the sump is vented. However, don’t forget to replace it before tipping the mower back on its side to replace the drain plug. Otherwise some oil may trickle out the fill hole.

You can raise the wheels up on pieces of timber or bricks for added clearance to fit the tin underneath. Roll up your sleeves and wear disposable gloves while draining.
© Eugene Brennan

I drained oil into this tin…..
© Eugene Brennan

……..and bent a “spout” with a pliers to make it easier to empty the tin.
© Eugene Brennan

Step 11: Replace the Drain Plug

Turn the mower back on its side and replace the drain plug. Don’t over-tighten it, especially if it is made from plastic. Wipe away any oil from the underside of the deck.

Caution !!!

Don’t overtighten the drain plug. If it’s plastic you can split it in two, or worse still, if it’s metal you can cause thread damage to the sump.

Step 12: Add the Recommended Type and Amount of Oil to the Engine

Add the new oil to the engine through the fill plug. A funnel helps to avoid mess. Small bottles of oil specially for mowers sometimes have a narrow spout, so a funnel isn’t necessary.

How much oil is needed for a lawn mower engine?

For small to medium-sized mowers, you need from 17 to 20 fluid ounces (U.S.) or 500 to 600 ml of oil. Usually, there are graduations on the side of small bottles of oil so that you can ascertain how much you have poured out. However, I find it more convenient to use a plastic milk container which I have placed a mark on the side of, indicating the required amount of oil to fill my mower. I keep this container from year to year and I fill up to the mark from the oil can, and then just empty this amount of oil into the mower.

Oil level should be between the high and low mark on the dipstick
© Eugene Brennan

How Often Does Oil Need to be Changed?

Generally every 25 to 50 hours or every season, whichever comes first. Check your engine manual for the recommended interval between changes.
Sometimes it’s recommended that oil in a new engine is changed after 5 hours, so again, check with your dealer/the engine manual.

Related Reading

How to Fix a Lawn Mower That Won’t Start

References

Castrol United States (English). (n.d.). Oil viscosity chart: Motor oil grades: High Performance Engine Oil, Fluids & Lubricants. United States (English). Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home/car-engine-oil-and-fluids/engine-oils/engine-oil-viscosity-grades.html

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

© 2013 Eugene Brennan

How to Replace a Spigot Washer – Dripping Outside Tap (Bibcock)

© Eugene Brennan

Like any other faucet (also known as a tap), a spigot has an internal washer which seals and cuts off flow when the spigot is turned off. Eventually after thousands of on/off cycles, this washer wears away, and the result is a dripping spigot.
Fortunately only a couple of tools are needed for this repair and a washer only costs tens of cents. The most tricky and problematic part of the repair is likely to be unscrewing the top of the device.

Spigot mechanism. The black washer part is screwed down onto a seat, shutting off flow.
Chabacano / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Outside tap, also known as a spigot or bibcock.
© Eugene Brennan

What is a Spigot?

Depending on where you live in the world, this valve is known by different names. In the USA, it’s commonly referred to as a spigot, bibcock, bib, hose bib, outdoor or garden faucet or silcock. In Britain and Ireland, we call it an outside or garden tap.

What Tools Are Needed For Repairing a Spigot?

1. Vice grip locking pliers for holding body of spigot
2. Wrench (spanner) or alternatively a second vice grips, water pump pliers or pipe wrench (stilsons) for removing upper body of spigot

Step 1. Identify Where the Water is Coming from on the Spigot

Spigots leak either from the spout itself or from around the spindle (shaft) of the spigot where it enters the packing nut (gland nut). If the latter is the case, it will dribble from this point when turned on.

Step 2. Turn Off the Water

Locate the valve for shutting off water to the spigot and close it. These are usually turned off by turning clockwise. There are three common types:

• Gate valve. The handle must be continuously turned until it goes no further.
• Ball valve (quadrant valve). Turn the lever 90 degrees. Usually when the valve is off, the lever is perpendicular to the pipe.
• Miniature inline ball valve. These are often used to shut off flow to individual appliances. Turn the screw 90 degrees clockwise with a screwdriver so it’s perpendicular to the pipe.

Turn on the spigot to release any water.

Gate valve – Turn fully clockwise for off
© Eugene Brennan

Quadrant or ball valve. This is off when the handle is perpendicular or 90 degrees to the pipe
© Eugene Brennan

Miniature inline valve, which is opened/closed with a screwdriver. Turn so the slot is 90 degrees to the pipe.
© Eugene Brennan

Step 3. Remove the Head of the Spigot

Fixing the spigot washer

Open the spigot a couple of turns. Use the vice grips to hold the valve body of the spigot. A curved jaw vice grips will give a better grip than a plain/straight jawed type. Alternatively hold the body of the spigot with a water pump pliers. If you don’t hold the spigot body securely and have to use a large force to undo the upper section or head, its quite possible to rip out the fixing screws and pull the spigot off the wall or timber its mounted on.

You can use either a wrench (spanner), stilsons (pipe wrench) or water pump pliers to remove the head of the spigot. The head is removed anticlockwise.

Remove the head. Ideally you should hold the body also to restrain it,
© Eugene Brennan

From left to right – Wrench (spanner), stilsons (pipe wrench), water pump pliers. Either of these can be used to remove the head of the spigot
© Eugene Brennan

If the head is stuck fast, and difficult to unscrew, try heating the lower section of the spigot with boiling water. This usually works because it expands the brass body sufficiently to reduce its holding grip. The important thing is to only heat the lower body of the spigot. If you pour boiling water over both parts, the two sections will expand, defeating the purpose.

You can also try tapping the wrench with a light hammer. This can be difficult to do (a third hand would be useful for holding the vice grips, but your belly might suffice!). A second straight jaw vice grips comes in useful if you need to do this.

If you can’t remove the head, try using hot water. This expands the lower metal body of the spigot and loosens its grip. Pour water on the lower half only, not the head
© Eugene Brennan

Tap gently if the head still remains difficult to remove
© Eugene Brennan

A second vice grips comes in useful
© Eugene Brennan

Head removed from spigot.
© Eugene Brennan

The washer seals against the rim of the hole inside the spigot (called the valve seat)
© Eugene Brennan

Step 4. Remove the Old Washer

This is often held on with a “mushroom” type projection or lug extending from the “jumper” or flange section. Alternatively a nut is used for retaining the washer.

Worn washer
© Eugene Brennan

Worn washer
© Eugene Brennan

This flanged piece is called a “jumper” and has a mushroom shaped lug (or nut) at the center to retain the washer
© Eugene Brennan

Step 5. Fit the New Washer

You will need a 3/4 inch or 20mm diameter washer for a 1/2 inch spigot.
Use your thumbs and nails to push the washer into place.

Push the the new washer on with your thumbs
© Eugene Brennan

New washer in place
© Eugene Brennan

Step 6. Smear a Little Vaseline on the Threads and Replace the Head

A little Vaseline makes it easier to remove the head the next time.

Smear a little Vaseline on the threads
© Eugene Brennan

Water Leaking From the Spindle of a Spigot

Sometimes a spigot may leak from the point where the shaft or spindle enters the head. If this is the case, you need to replace the packing nut washer. This is held in place by the packing nut, screwed into the head. Use the same steps above to undo this nut and you should be able to buy a replacement in a plumbers suppliers or good homestore. A solution which may also work is to wrap the spindle with PTFE plumbing tape and push this down into the hollow inside the head nut. Then replace the packing nut.

If it Still Leaks……

The valve seat may be worn. This is the part inside the spigot which the washer pushes against to cut off flow. This can be reground flat with a valve reseating tool. Now while this option could be considered for faucets on wash basins, baths and sinks which are more difficult and awkward to replace, its not worth buying a tool to regrind an outdoor spigot. These are relatively inexpensive compared to their chrome plated counterparts indoors and easy to replace.

Amazon’s Choice for Replacement Bib With Sharkbite Fitting

If you need to replace your garden bibcock, this is Amazon’s Choice for an outside faucet with Sharkbite fittings. The 3/4″ GHT – 1/2″ NPT bibcock can be quickly connected by anyone without plumbing skills because it has a Sharkbite push fitting connector for for use with copper, PEX, CPVC, PE-RT or HDPE plumbing. So no wrenches are required. Just cut the pipe square and push into the Bib. You will also need a double check valve connected inline in the feed pipe to the spigot to prevent dirty water from e.g. a connected hose back flowing into your home supply. This is usually located indoors in the feed pipe.

Hose bib or garden faucet.
© Eugene Brennan

Fixing a Leaking Hose Connection

If your hose has a connection like the one below, the O-ring in the coupler can wear over time.
Remove the old O-ring with a screwdriver. Try to get a new one with the same thickness, although a thicker or smaller diameter one may still work. Push the new ring into place with your thumbs and make sure its fully seated in the groove.

A leaking hose connector is caused by a worn O-ring
© Eugene Brennan

O-rings become worn and cracked over time, causing leaks
© Eugene Brennan

O-ring
© Eugene Brennan

Remove the old O-ring with a screwdriver
© Eugene Brennan

Care of Hoses During Winter

In winter after you turn off the faucet/spigot/tap, turn the spray nozzle back on and allow water to drain from the hose. You won’t get all the water out, but it may leave enough air spaces in the hose for expansion of water to occur and help prevent bursting in severely cold weather. If the spray nozzle is hanging downwards and turned off, water can collect in it and freeze, cracking the fitting. This has happened to me on a couple of occasions. So leave it on for water to drain out. See photo below.

This spray nozzle cracked because it was left turned off in freezing weather
© Eugene Brennan

References

Day, A. J. A. (2001). Collins Complete DIY Manual. London, England: Burns & Oates.

Disclaimer 

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

© 2015 Eugene Brennan

A Guide to Names of Weeds (With Pictures)

AI image generated by Bing Image Creator

Weed Identification Guide

This guide helps you identify the 25 most common weeds that you’ll encounter in your yard, flower beds or lawn. Some are annuals and others are perennials—many are easy to eradicate, others more difficult to eliminate.

How to Build a Nest Box for Robins From Scrap Timber

© Eugene Brennan

In this guide I’m going to make a nesting box suitable for European robins, although it can be sized down a little to make it suitable for finches, wrens or similar small songbirds. You can make a birdhouse like this from any waste timber (lumber) that comes to hand such as cladding, fascia or soffit, skirting board (baseboard), palette timber or ply.

A Complete Guide to Pipe Fittings and How to Use Them to Connect PEX, PVC and Copper Tube

© Eugene Brennan

A DIY Guide to Plumbing fittings and Pipe Materials

Basic plumbing isn’t rocket science. If you are reasonably adept at DIY, understand the basics, and take care when putting it all together, it’s not too difficult. This is a comprehensive and easy-to-understand guide to pipe types, plumbing fittings, thread sizes, with instructions for how to use fittings to connect copper, PVC, and PEX pipes.

How to Mix Concrete With a Cement Mixer: Steps and Tips

Learn how to use a concrete mixer to get consistent, high-quality results every time.
Original image, pre-text overlay, Antranias, public domain via Pixabay.com.

Mixing Concrete With a Mixer

In my other guide on mixing concrete by hand, we discovered that it’s feasible to mix concrete with just a shovel. This is fine for small amounts of concrete. However, a mixer thoroughly mixes the materials, lessening the chances of weak spots in the final result. If you’re going to be laying floors or pavements or casting gate pillars or walls, a cement mixer is pretty much essential if you want to get the job done reasonably quickly.

What Is Concrete and What Are the Different Strength Mixes?

I go into more detail in my other article, but let’s cover the basics here:

• Concrete is a composite material consisting of cement, sand and stone.
• Cement acts as a binder joining the stone and sand together.
• Stone and sand, also known as aggregate, mixed together on their own with no cement added would have no strength. However, cement holds them together and interlocks the particles like a 3D jigsaw puzzle. This is what gives concrete its shear and compressive strength.

Concrete Mixes

Varying the proportion of cement, sand, and stone controls the strength of concrete and the force it can withstand without failing. “C” types are used to specify the strength of concrete. These recipes specify the proportion of materials (by volume) which will produce concrete that can have a certain strength.

• C20 is a general-purpose mix for fixing posts, making concrete pads, doorsteps, and bases for garden sheds, floors, etc. This mix consists of 1 part cement, 4 parts stone and 2 parts sand.
• C30 is a stronger mix suitable for thinner and narrower concrete slabs, e.g. pavements. This mix consists of 1 part cement, 3 parts stone and 2 parts sand.

Quantity of Water Needed When Mixing Concrete

The drier concrete is, the stronger it is. Ideally, it must only be wet enough so that it’s workable.

By Weight of Cement

The quantity of water needed should be 0.4 to 0.6 times the weight of cement. For a 25kg (4 stone approx) bag, if we take a figure of 0.5, this works out at:

25 x 0.50 = 12.5 kg of water

Now since 1 kg of water has a volume of 1 litre, this equates to 12.5 litres of water for 25 kg of cement.

12.5 litres is nearly 2 3/4 imperial (UK) gallons or 3.3 US gallons.

In Terms of Buckets

Loose cement has a density of about 1.5 kg/litre. That’s 1.5 times the density of water. So if we have 1 bucket of cement, it takes 1.5 buckets of water to weigh the same amount, and again, taking a figure of 0.5, we need 0.5 x 1.5 = 0.75 or 3/4 buckets of water per bucket of cement.

Concrete shouldn’t be excessively wet after mixing and should have a minimum slump. A shovelful deposited on the ground should self-support itself without spreading out (slumping). Concrete that is too dry is unworkable and also won’t have sufficient water for the chemical reaction with cement to progress properly and the concrete to cure, therefore reducing its ultimate strength.

Too much water is also detrimental to the final strength because as excess water that doesn’t combine with cement evaporates, it leaves behind micropores which are tiny air cavities. The concrete is effectively a sponge.

Tools Required for Mixing Concrete in a Mixer

• Cement mixer: Electric or gas (petrol)
• 3 buckets: One for cement, one for sand and gravel and one for water (aggregate can be wet, so having a separate bucket for cement keeps the bucket dry, otherwise cement will stick to the sides when measuring it out)
• Barrel: For holding water
• Wheelbarrow: For transporting concrete
• Shovel

A barrel is more convenient than a hose because buckets can be filled quicker.
© Eugene Brennan

Stone and sand can be wet, so using a separate bucket for cement keeps it dry and stops cement sticking to the sides.
© Eugene Brennan

PPE for Mixing Concrete

• Dust mask to protect your lungs
• Gloves to protect your hands from abrasion and cement which is an irritant and somewhat caustic
• Safety glasses to protect your eyes from splashes from the mixer
• Steel toe cap shoes/boots for foot protection

Warning

Always read the safety information on bags of cement.

How to Use a Cement Mixer: Step-by-Step Guide

A cement mixer allows you to mix concrete quickly, and you can produce a wheelbarrow of it in about 10 minutes. Here are some tips to get the best results.

1. A UK builders bucket will typically hold 3 UK gallons or 13.5 litres. These are convenient for measuring out quantities of materials before mixing commences.
2. A small Belle mixer such as the Minimix 130 or Minimix 150 will mix about 90 litres of concrete, so if you do a C20 mix, i.e. 1 bucket of cement, 2 buckets of sand and 4 buckets of stone, this will produce about a wheelbarrow full of concrete. You can make the mix stronger by reducing the amount of stone to 3 buckets (C30 mix).
3. Measure out the stone, sand and cement into 3 separate piles on the ground. A sheet of plastic or large wooden board, such as a sheet of plywood, keeps the ground clean and prevents contamination of the materials by soil and dirt.
4. It’s advisable to use a small barrel or other type of large container to hold water if you’re doing several mixes. You’ll need multiple buckets of water, and you don’t want to have to go off filling a bucket from a tap/faucet or hose if a mix begins to stick to the drum.
5. Start the mixer.
6. Shovel half of the stone in first and one-quarter of a bucket of water. The abrasive nature of stone helps to scour any remaining wet concrete stuck to the drum from an earlier mix session.
7. Next, add cement, sand and stone alternately from the piles. As you add cement and sand, watch for a moment to see how the mix is progressing and add water so that the mix is not over-sloppy but at the same time not so dry that it sticks to the drum.
8. You can add all the materials to the drum first and do a dry mix. However, cement will stick to the inside of the drum, and the likelihood is that material at the back of the drum won’t mix properly and get wetted as you add water. So it’s better to add them a bit at a time.
9. Continue to add the remainder of the cement and sand.
10. Never put a shovel into a rotating mixer drum. The mixing spoons can catch the shovel and swing it around, and hit you in the face. If the mixture seems to be sticking to the back of the drum, stop the mixer, scrape the mix off the back and pull it forward. Repeat this, or add a little more water as necessary.
11. If the mix starts to overflow out of the drum, place the wheelbarrow underneath to catch any spill.
12. Allow to mix on full speed for about 3 minutes.
13. Reduce the speed of the engine and commence unloading the mixer into the barrow.
14. When the drum is empty, a new mix can be started. Add some water first to rinse off the concrete stuck to the inside of the drum. This slush can be incorporated into the next mix. If you are working alone, stop the mixer so that you can deal with transporting and unloading the barrow.
15. Don’t forget to wash all concrete from your tools before it sets and hose out the drum, ideally while the engine is running and the drum is tipped. Try to avoid getting water from the hose onto the engine. If the mixer is electric, unplug it and relocate the extension lead out of range while hosing.

Protecting Concrete in Dry and Cold Weather

Water added to concrete isn’t just for making it plastic and workable so it can be formed into slabs and other shapes. Water or H₂O combines with cement in a chemical reaction and actually becomes part of the concrete for all eternity (well not quite, but as long as the concrete is in existence!).

Any excess water evaporates over a period of weeks. Since water is necessary for this chemical reaction, it’s essential that it is retained until concrete cures or hardens over days to weeks. So once you lay concrete, cover it with plastic to stop it from drying. This is important in hot weather and/or when windy. Water can be added onto the surface in subsequent days to keep it wet while curing.

Protecting Concrete in Cold Weather

Cold weather is defined as when the average temperature is less than 41 F (5 C) and also less than 50 F (10 C) for 12 hours in a 24-hour period. During cold weather, concrete should be protected with blankets, bubble wrap or other suitable insulation. This traps the heat of the chemical reaction and stops the concrete from freezing.

Concrete is a cheap, strong material that can be used for making lots of things like gate pillars and pavements.
© Eugene Brennan - From the Article "How to Build a Concrete Gate Pier"

A newly concreted slab at the back of my house.
© Eugene Brennan

How Do I Store Cement?

Cement bags should be kept up off the ground so moisture doesn’t soak into them. You can use a palette or place the bags on boards spanned between wood offcuts or bricks. Unused, unopened bags of cement can be sealed into plastic bags (use heavy rubble bags instead of trash bags, which can puncture) to lengthen its shelf life, but apparently, it still deteriorates if bags are airtight. It’s recommended that it should be used within 6 months.

How Long Does Cement Last? Does It Have a “Use By” Date?

Use cement within three months of the manufacture date printed on the bag. After this it often becomes lumpy where it’s in contact with the inside of the bag.

Disclaimer

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters. 

Power and hand tools can be dangerous. Read and understand all manuals before use and take reasonable precautions including wearing personal protection equipment (PPE) to prevent against injury. 

© 2020 Eugene Brennan

8 Steps to Mixing Concrete by Hand (for Beginners)

© Eugene Brennan

Make Concrete Without a Mixer

A cement mixer does a great job at mixing concrete, thoroughly blending the materials to give a consistent result. However it’s also possible to mix concrete by hand without a mixer with a little care and some effort.

How to Use Air Tools and an Air Compressor in Your Workshop

© Eugene Brennan

A Guide to Using Air Tools For DIY

Air tools, as the name suggests, are tools powered by compressed air, unlike conventional power tools which are either powered by a 120/240-volt mains supply, battery or petrol. This article outlines the basics of how they work, what tools are available, and how to use them with an air compressor.

How to Grow Fuchsia From Cuttings: Make New Plants for Free

© Eugene Brennan

Propagating New Plants From Cuttings

Did you know that plants can be cloned? Yes you can make duplicate plants for your garden by taking cuttings. The new plant will have identical properties to the original plant and you can repeat this process lots of times.

How to Sow Seeds Indoors & Outdoors: Beginner Steps & Tips

© Eugene Brennan

Sowing Seeds Is Really Easy!

You can buy “ready-made” plants in a store, but it can be much more fun and a lot less expensive to grow them yourself from seed! The magical journey of a plant from a tiny seed to adulthood is fascinating for both adults and children alike!