Anyone have any good plug and save stories?
Todd 06-22-2011
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Anyone have any good plug and save stories? Anyone have any good, Oh Crap I should not of done that examples?
Todd 06-24-2011
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This was sent to my email so I thought I would post it.

If you are within an hour of the shop and you plug up and cannot finish the job.  Dump your hopper - head to the shop.  The shop should be ready with tools and high volume water hose.  Break off the elbow from the turret going into the 1st section of the boom.  Put a ball into the transition elbow.  Fill the hopper with water.   Put the pump in forward - work it back and forth a couple of times and you should be able to clear out the deck and turret pipe.   If the mud is still pretty fresh put the ball into the first section of boom and reclamp the elbow.   Start pumping again.  You can hear and see if anything is moving.  Keep everyone away while trying to pump out the plug.  If it is hard you will have to unclamp the elbows and blow straight pipe of each section separately.  Elbows you can hand clean.
 
If you are out of town you can usually get to a ready mix plant and follow the above and I have found the guys at the plant will always jump in and help. 
 
NEVER USE AIR TO BLOW OUT THE BOOM.   We have acutually hooked up trailer pumps or other booms to blow out a boom with water or a pressure washer when the pump was out or motor went down.  Water will not compress like air will!  It is still dangerous but far safer then using air.  Think about it - a pump will generate a lot more pressure then air!
 
Simple Safe methods to clean out booms - In over 10 years we only lost a couple of pipe that we could not clean out.
 
Dipstick 06-24-2011
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Not so spectacular but I remember my last plug... Was completely my own fault and I could have seen it coming and could have avoided it.

A poor under a roof of a parking garage with a 40m. Hanging boom just had to stick it about 7 meters under and than slowly working out. 'Normal' concrete. I had the choise to prime outside the normal way but I had to be so stupid to think I could stick the boom under the roof already to safe time. 1st section up, 2nd horizontal, 3rd down and 4th a bit up again.

Completely wrong and against everything I know but I thought we have so nice concrete here so I'll mannage. Of course it pluged like hell in the elbow from 3rd to 4th.

But the only thing I had to do was open a bend and stick the vibrator in for a while and it was loose again.

Point is that very often you can see it coming when you plug. Check the mix. If it sucks like hell don't start. Let them stick it where the sun don't shine. Its your pump and you decide whats good enough to go in it !! ;-) Always folow the ''rules'' ,so not like i did in this example. always know whats going on in your hopper/pipes when your waiting.

Only thing we can't avoid is shit coming from the mixer like steal or whatever and the mixerdriver not seeing it.

 
Dipstick 06-24-2011
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Or also an interesting one... A part of your agitator stuck in the pipes. Or even more interesting.. a peace of the agitator stuck in between the s-tube and the cutting ring.
TooTall 06-24-2011
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Every time a pump gags on a plug without blowing something is a good strory!
Many 06-25-2011
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TT,your so right.Not a plug of sorts,pumping lightwieght with a 52m and push the liner from one pipe on the main out.You should have been there for that,finishers filled there britches.
getRdone 06-27-2011
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With the ready mix companies out here, everyday. If you dont go to fast 97% of the time you can catch it and reverse it a couple of strokes and then off you go again. Beats trying to push it threw and losing what little cream the mixers companies grace our concrete with.
SUPERDOFFER 06-28-2011
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Can sombody tell me what a plug is?
Many 06-29-2011
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Fishing Plug
FISHING PLUG
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