Why is my sand order wet?

kmc

Might be a dumb question, but how come the order I just received of 25 tons of wash plaster sand is wet? The whole pile is moist like it would be after rains. We are in the middle of September 100+ degree weather and no rain in the last 3 months. Is there something in the process that requires them to wet the sand? I'm sure the water weight is probably in the 100's lbs in itself.

ddawg16

If it's too dry, the dust gets really bad. It's wetted down to control the dust....

or

It's really fresh and clean sand

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joed

It weighs more. You get charged more for the same volume or you get less volume for the same weight.

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ddawg16

Maybe in Canada....but otherwise, I disagree.

In reality......a pile of sand will never be dry....even in a hot climate....the first few inches will dry out....but the rest will stay wet.

Down here you buy sand by the scoop or yard....water content is not going to change the volume any measurable amount.

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kmc

It's sold by the ton not by the yard. That is my concern. The water contant is charged to us as sand weight. We get sand all the time that gets bone dry as it sits. There is no way dew or air moisture here is making the pile wet. The sand company wet it intentionally. I wonder if it was part of the process or just to make it easier for them to deliver (no dust). Or are they trying to rip us off? BTW I also noticed the quickrete sand at lowes was just as wet in the bag.

ddawg16

If your paying by weight....then I would take a gallon pale of dry...weigh it....then do the same with the wet sand they sent you..compare the difference....ask them for an adjustment.....

However....you may have a hard time proving to them that you didn't wet it down....

BTW....are you sure you are paying by actual weight? What if they say that a 'ton' of sand is = to x amount of scoops....so they give you x amount of scoops and call it 25 tons....I really doubt they are weighing it....I'm willing to bet that a guy in a scooper just puts x amount of scoops in the dump truck....

And....weight of dry vs wet...

2700 lb/yd³ for dry sand
3500 lb/yd³ for wet sand

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BigJim

When I ordered sand they charged me by the yard. The sand in west Tennessee comes from a pit which looks like a lake. The sand is mixed with all sizes rock and is screened to size the sand and gravel, in the process they wash the sand/gravel as it comes from the pit. The sand is piled in a huge hill and they scoop the sand from the bottom as they load it and as you know that is where the water is.

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Jim

concretemasonry

Good sand is washed and you may have just gotten out of a fresh pile. You are buying washed sand, so water must be used somewhere in the process.

Dry sand will bulk up with the addition of water, so a yard of dry sand that is damp will have more volume.

For some thing like concrete sand, the maximum amout of water it will hold is about 10% before is starts to run out. Plaster sand may hold a little more water because of the fineness. The shape of the sand particles also has an effect (angular sand will hold a little more moisture than rounded particles).

The real cost of sand is the loading and delivery and not the cost of the sand itself.

The sand supplier sets the price on the average conditions for the sand sold. Compensating for moisture will raise the cost because of testing. Do you complain when it is very dry and get more than you wanted. Dry sand will suck up the added mix water and take time before it is stable and can be used without problems. - Same thing as with mortar.

If you are talking about aggregate that really holds moisture, lightweight aggregates can have well over 30% moisture and some suppliers will adjust for moisture variations. Users (concrete producers) often wet down the sand before putting it in storage bins to make the batching more accurate.

Something like the delivered cost of sand is not that important if the sand is good and used properly to keep the labor cost down on the job.

The sand that ddawg16 is mentioning must really be dirty, very fine or volcanic to have a 30% moisture content.

Dick