To ensure the top performance of your ready-mix truck, maintenance is key. Rather than allowing the concrete to harden, washing away concrete buildup daily is the easiest way to extend the life of the truck. Although routine washing may seem like a hassle, it is the most efficient method to keep the trucks clean.

When the concrete is allowed to set inside the mixing drum, the only solution is chipping off the hardened concrete with a jackhammer. Or if chipping does not properly remove the concrete, some have resorted to small explosives. Chipping also poses many safety hazards: rolling drum, sharp mixing blades, falling concrete, and many more. You can read more about these safety hazards HERE. The main question is, why go through such difficult measures when all of that can be avoided.

A routine wash keeps the truck and all its parts in pristine condition. The only downfall of washing cement trucks and mixing drums daily is the large amount of water involved. Using a high-pressure power washer to clean the ready mix truck can use up to 5-12 gallons of water per minute, depending on the intensity of the power wash. On the other hand, cleaning the mixing drum takes at least 200 gallons of water.

With this excess amount of water, the ability to recycle and reuse the same water is tremendous. AQUAmaxx provides such a solution, since it has the ability to separate water from concrete particles. Essentially, AQUAmaxx acts as a slurry flocculant.

Normally, the cleaning process will turn the water into concrete slurry. However, with the addition of AQUAmaxx, the water has the same cleaning power as before without turning into concrete slurry. Once the water from the mixing drum is poured into the washout, the AQUAmaxx will start to separate the slurry in the washout as well. Thus, you are getting more out of the slurry separator than what is being used in the drum.

Once the system is in place, the positive effects of AQUAmaxx become apparent. The AQUAmaxx will separate the water in the washout quicker than allowing the slurry to naturally fall. And by allowing the slurry water to sit for a few days, it will turn the slurry waste into a dry cake like you see in the example on the right. The dry slurry is perfectly acceptable to dispose in any standard trashcan.

The more drums you clean with AQUAmaxx, eventually the less water and product you will have to use. As more drums are mixed in the washout, the better the separation will be.  Since the washout water already has some of the slurry flocclant in it, you will need less product when using it to clean the mixing drum.

Cleaning the ready-mix trucks daily will certainly prolong the life and performance of the machine. Just make sure to use AQUAmaxx slurry separator to help. The process maximizes the use of water and AQUAmaxx while reducing waste and resources. This will cut costs and ensure productivity.