Consistent masonry mix on demand
Mixers, pumps and delivery systems
A gravity-fed silo system combined with a conventional mortar mixer is a reliable way to produce a consistent mortar mix and keep your crew members on the site busy at all times. Silo systems can be delivered and assembled with minimal effort and hold up to 15,000 pounds of pre-blended mortar, core fill grout or stucco. That means you can order up to five, 3,000-pound bulk bags and simply load them into the silo. Laborers can then dispense the pre-blended mix directly into a conventional mixer, add water, mix, and produce consistent batches as needed.
When using pre-blended products, you can rest assured you’ll always get a consistent mix that’s pretested to ASTM specifications. Plus, you’ll save money on labor and increase the productivity of your team.
In the past, the type of masonry product you mixed determined the type of mixer you would have on site. With recent advancements, you now can mix masonry products in a mortar mixer that incorporates rotating blades. These high-volume mortar mixers eliminate the need to have a separate mixer. Builders now have the opportunity to reduce the number of large tools on the jobsite that need to be cleaned and maintained daily.
Taking control of the mess
A silo and conventional mixer combination helps increase the efficiency of producing mortar, grout and stucco by eliminating the need to buy smaller bags of cement and sand separately. Laborers must then contend with finding the right balance of masonry mix, sand and water, which can inevitably result in poor consistency. These variables can affect directly the workability of the masonry mix and product specifications, as well as the color and texture of the finished product. Creating the wrong mix due to inconsistencies could result in having to tear down your work and start over – a costly mistake that nobody wants to make.Working with bags also requires more people to load the silo and more time to get the mixer started. Your workers also must also deal with a tremendous amount of airborne dust from cutting open hundreds of bags, and then properly disposing of the paper waste. With environmental concerns taking center stage on so many worksites today, laborers are asked to be aware of the dust they create, especially when in close proximity to the public. Keeping the dust down should be on everyone’s list.
Why use a silo and mixer?
- Ensures consistency with every batch
- Improves productivity
- Eliminates the need to order separate components
- Optimizes workspace
- Reduces labor and lost time moving and breaking open bagged products
- Reduces dust and paper waste
Dialing in the perfect mix
Advances in continuous mixers are gaining the attention of more builders as quality, ease of use and durability increase. Mixers like the Amerimix D-35 continuous mixer are attached directly to the silo and are designed to work with factory pre-blended mortars, grouts and stuccos. The unique mixing paddle configuration – in conjunction with the agitators – folds and sheers the products to efficiently mix the material and mechanically entrain air for maximum workability and boardlife.The D-35 can be attached to any Amerimix silo for a turnkey solution for mixing consistent batches. Simply add a water supply from a hose or potable water tank and let the mixer do its job. Since the D-35 Mixer mixes material and water to exact ratio specifications, you can choose how much product you need at any given time and minimize waste. The D-35 is self cleaning within minutes, and there is no need to break apart the machine just to shut it down for the night.
Continuous Mixer advantages
- Push-button ease
- Reduce waste by making only the amount of product needed
- Perfect consistency
- No jobsite mixer required
- Increase productivity
- Minimize labor
- Easy operation and clean out
Dry to wet, on demand
- Crews will save time and money on the jobsite by getting consistent materials with just the push of a button.
Delivering the goods
Pump systems are time savers on sites that require a consistent flow of material to workers. The D-35 Continuous Mixer from Amerimix is equipped to supply pump systems with a consistent mix of product that can be sent 50 feet up or 125 feet horizontally to workers. This helps eliminate the back-and-forth hauling of tubs that interrupts workflow multiple times throughout the day.When concrete, mortar and stucco are consistent and readily available on a worksite, the rest of the team can excel at their jobs. The right delivery tools make all the difference.
Originally published in Masonry magazine.
About the Author
Andy Brinkmeier is Vice President of Amerimix for Bonsal American/Oldcastle.
