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Kentron buys ice container for upcoming concrete projects

They decided it was more cost-efficient to buy a shipping container off their previous ice supplier
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Kentron Construction transporting the used insulated storage container, that they bought from Aqua Clear, so they can store ice for their paving and cement contracts. Ice helps to slow down the cement hydration process. (Jacob Lubberts photo)

With a lot of concrete work expected to occur this summer, Kentron Construction has bought an insulated shipping container to store ice.

Ice helps to slow down the cement from heating up because if it settles in with just water, it creates heat which can make the concrete too hot and harden. Therefore adding ice makes the concrete more workable as it can sit for a longer period of time before being used.

“A kilogram of ice is the equivalent of a litre of water. […] We normally put water in our mix but say if there are 140 litres of water per cubic metre of concrete, now [with the ice from the insulated shipping container] we can substitute 40 litres of that water with 40 kilograms of ice, which grinds and melts and turns into cold water and brings the concrete temperature down,” said a spokesperson for Kentron Construction.

Kentron also decided it was more cost-efficient to buy the shipping container off their previous ice supplier, Aqua Clear, from Terrace, instead of looking for alternative solutions.

“Last year Aqua Clear used to lend us their trucks but they’re out of the ice business now so we decided to buy their [shipping container],” the Kentron spokesperson said.

“I remember once we needed more ice so we had to go down to [Save-On-Foods] and buy $550 worth of little bags of ice and mix it in [with the cement].”

Now with Aqua Clear out of the ice business, the Kentron spokesperson said that the company looked into making its own ice but decided to buy ice instead from companies in Kamloops and Surrey.

“I can’t believe we can get ice delivered all the way from Kamloops for basically the same price [as making it], […] They have to keep it cool and transport it all the way up here in big [refrigerator truck],” the spokesperson said.

The company will be using the ice to help with its industrial projects around town, like the completion of the new Haisla Bridge and piling projects at the LNG Canada site.

According to a Kentron worker who helped move the insulated shipping container, more than 1,100 metres of concrete is being poured at the LNG Canada site per day.

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jacob.lubberts@northernsentinel.com