Cleaning old cement off a mixer drum

[maverickone]

Hi guys, what do you use to clean old concrete & cement from the inside & outside of a cement mixer drum and frame?

Thanks

 

[noseall]

Carefully peck away at it with a brick hammer and sack the labourer.

 

[2019]

Carefully peck away at it with a brick hammer and sack the labourer.

Agree!!


Nothing worse than the labourer leaving it harden in the mixer.


OP, I remember a time there was a fire lite in the drum to loosen it all up.

 

[Burnerman]

We had to hoy in bricks and water after the mix and keep the thing turning - or risk a bouncing by the boss
If its a Belle, replacement drums are available if its totally goosed.
John

 

[^woody^]

Carefully peck away at it with a brick hammer and sack the labourer.

Peck it away with the labourer first.

 

[garyo]

When I've bought second hand ones in a distressed condition I've found that running them for 20 minutes with 50mm sized broken bricks and water etc helps take the hard work out of it, but kiss goodbye to any paint that might have been clinging on.

 

[maverickone]

Thanks for the replies. For some reason I though someone would tell me there is a magic acid or something I could spray on then power wash off lol. Life's rarely that simple eh?

 

[Ian H]

Have you tried that magic acid stuff?

 

[23vc]

On the same subject, best way of actually cleaning it after a mix (particularly if you haven’t got a labourer)? Pea gravel/broken bricks? Brush and elbow grease? Hose jet?
Always admire it when you see one that looks like new, still orange inside. Mine sadly doesn’t.

 

[^woody^]

Have you tried that magic acid stuff?

That will cause the metal to rust at an alarming rate. It pits the steel.

 

[^woody^]

On the same subject, best way of actually cleaning it after a mix (particularly if you haven’t got a labourer)? Pea gravel/broken bricks? Brush and elbow grease? Hose jet?
Always admire it when you see one that looks like new, still orange inside. Mine sadly doesn’t.

We may throw a couple of bricks in but more often than not its a hose on the jet setting.

The important thing is to tip the mixer forward so that the drum is horizontal and then the actual sides and blades get cleaned. If you just leave the mixer tipped back, only the back is cleaned and the mortar builds up around the blades.

The other important thing is the rinse it properly. Tip the mixer up and hose or throw a bucket of water in so that it washed straight back out.

 

[23vc]

That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing, thanks.

 

[noseall]

The important thing is to tip water immediately into the drum the moment it is emptied of muck and then run the customers leccy bill up a few quid by letting the mixer drone on for 25 mins.

 

[garyo]

The important thing is to tip water immediately into the drum the moment it is emptied of muck and then run the customers leccy bill up a few quid by letting the mixer drone on for 2

Do you still do that if you're putting a mix on every 90 minutes

 

[noseall]

Do you still do that if you're putting a mix on every 90 minutes

My lad does yes. Others who use the same mixer sadly don't. I'm not averse to buying the odd new drum though.