carbide bomb tester

[judge]

hi peeps,is the carbide bomb test still the best way to measure moisture in a anhydrate screed ?? Been thinking of buying a kit but they dont come cheap :yikes:!! mind you, a failure could cost a lot more than a kit. Also if they are still the best method where can i get my hands on one ??? Thanks in advance:smilewinkgrin:

 

[bugs183]

Some say hygrometers, some carbide bomb tests.
Kerakoll sell them as do protimeter.
Google it and you'll find suppliers on the uk.
I looked into all this thoroughly a while ago. I'd also get a electronic moisture tester so you can take rough readings all over the floor, then test the dampest area with a carbide bomb or hair hygrometer, ir hood hygrometer test.

 

[Ajax123]

hi peeps,is the carbide bomb test still the best way to measure moisture in a anhydrate screed ?? Been thinking of buying a kit but they dont come cheap :yikes:!! mind you, a failure could cost a lot more than a kit. Also if they are still the best method where can i get my hands on one ??? Thanks in advance:smilewinkgrin:

Carbide bomb has NEVER been the best method. It is simply one of three. Problem with this method is the sampling is critical. It needs a full depth sample of screed crushed and resampled. If the floor is heated you have to be really careful where the sample comes from. Bs8204 along with all of the anhydrite manufacturers in the UK suggest the hygrometer as a better method.

however...that said I would suggest you hold fire for a few months. Francis flower, the company's now work for, and one of the leading manufacturer of anhydrite screed binders are working with a major moisture measurement test manufacturer on a system which could make testing very significantly easier. I am not able to give details yet but feild trials will commence soon. In the meantime if you need to measure buy a digital hygrometer from tramex or f ball and co and use this.

 

[Spud]

I called Tramex asking the same question about the CM testing method ,the technical guy said that the carbide bomb test wasnt guaranteed on anhydrite but did work on hemihydrite ,i dont know the difference between the two screeds he mentioned but it is why the carbide bomb test has never been endorsed by british standards and the only true reading in his opinion was the relative humidty testing method

 

[macten]

Just get out your divining rods and hope for the best - seems as good a method as any with these screeds :whistling:

 

[Ajax123]

I called Tramex asking the same question about the CM testing method ,the technical guy said that the carbide bomb test wasnt guaranteed on anhydrite but did work on hemihydrite ,i dont know the difference between the two screeds he mentioned but it is why the carbide bomb test has never been endorsed by british standards and the only true reading in his opinion was the relative humidty testing method

Technical dunce perhaps.... This is just total bo**cks. The carbide bomb works with any screed or concrete. It is just that the sampling means breaking a lump out of the screed. The carbide bomb IS endorsed by British standards (bs8204:7:2003) ..... God I wish these people knew what they were talking about. The hygrometer and the carbide bomb measure different things. They are both fine as long as they are used correctly.

 

[Spud]

Thanks Alan he was trying to sell me a 700 pound moisture meter lol what is the difference between the 2 screeds he mentioned

 

[Ajax123]

Thanks Alan he was trying to sell me a 700 pound moisture meter lol what is the difference between the 2 screeds he mentioned

Once set there is almost no difference at all mate. They both form gypsum around a sand matrix. The difference is in the source raw material and how it is processed. Anhydrite is generally not heat treated and is the waste from the chemical industry whereas hemi hydrate is calcined (heat treated) or autoclaved (heat treated under huge pressure) and is the waste from coal fired power stations.

When you add water they both form gypsum. There is generally not as much in hemi hydrate than in anhydrite.

Currently the gypsum industry do not acknowledge the efficacy of the electronic meters on either type of screed although more testing is going on.

And if you want a moisture meter Ill sell you one for £650if you like... Should make me a tidy profit when I get it from b & q for £30 ...... What do you say??

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By the way... When they can be proven to work I shall be delighted to promote electronic moisture measurements.