WALTER RD3maX keeps twin-shaft mixer clean and operators safe
First published in the December 2025 issue of Quarry Management
A busy ready-mixed concrete plant in the south of England was having trouble keeping its twin-shaft mixer and discharge chute clean. Working with ConSpare, a WALTER washout system was installed in the mixer and discharge chute, solving two cleaning problems with one system and reducing staff entry into the mixer by 45h per year
Operators at the ready-mixed concrete plant, which produces around 200m3 per day, were well-versed in living with the problems associated with concrete build-up on equipment, as the 2.25m3 twin-shaft mixer was extremely difficult to keep clean. When originally installed, the mixer was specified with an OEM mixer washout system, but this proved ineffective and was removed by the site team many years ago.
Instead, a daily clean was being performed by stoning out the mixer and hosing it down for 30 mins. This approach had limited effect, so the team were required to enter the mixer for a manual clean once a week at the end of production – ‘gunning it out’ for one hour with hand-held breaker tools. This cleaning routine regularly required operators to work within a confined space and exposed them to HAVS risks. The task was also unproductive, and extended the team’s working day.
Moreover, as part of routine maintenance, the operators were required to clean down the mixer discharge chute on a monthly basis. The operation of dropping, cleaning, and repositioning the chute would take more than an hour to complete.
Already familiar with the success of WALTER cleaning systems within the client’s group, the area manager contacted ConSpare and a member of their Capital division devised a custom solution that could both deep clean the twin-shaft mixer and provide automated cleaning of the mixer discharge chute.
The mixer washout was specified with WALTER’s DAB pump unit and four RD3maX cleaning heads – generating an extra 25% power over the standard system and designed to excel in twin-shaft mixers. A fifth cleaning head was installed in the discharge chute, allowing automated cleaning at the end of each mixer cleaning cycle.
In the two years since installation, the results of the WALTER system are perhaps best summed up in this comment from the batcher: ‘The mixer is a hundred times cleaner now; it’s the best thing we’ve ever had installed on site.’
Daily use of the WALTER system and lance has resulted in the elimination of the weekly manual clean. Operators now only enter the mixer by choice, rather than necessity, to gun out any minor remnants for a short period once a month. This significantly reduces staff entry into the mixer by around 45h per year.
Moreover, the WALTER head in the discharge chute has eliminated the need for operators to perform a monthly manual clean, and removed the troublesome task of dropping the chute and repositioning it after cleaning. The combination of the WALTER system and ConeFlex liner has made this a ‘fit and forget’ area. Overall, operators are exposed to less risk, undertake fewer laborious tasks, and perform less ‘out-of-hours’ work – resulting in improved staff safety and better well-being.
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