Kontrol Krystals ? (Anhydrous Calcium Chloride flakes)

Piliger

My friend from Latvia uses these crystals to extract the damp from her apartment air.

Anyone ever hear of them ? Any idea where to buy them ? I have searched on the internet but cannot find them anywhere in Ireland ....:rolleyes:

The Hill Billy

Not relevant to Dublin City forum. Moved to DIY.

tHB

Sulla Felix

Try googling. I got some years ago sent over from Germany. Broken Mittel Co or something like that. Wasn't that expensive.

Piliger

I found it in the UK but it's expensive to ship. It is used a lot in camping and cheap bedsits in the UK that suffer from damp, I believe ... I find it odd that it is not being sold here ...... ?

Alun

I guess Kontrol Kryustals is just a trademark for a product you can get in Europe, but you can buy dehumidifiers that use the same chemical (anhydrous CaCl2) either in loose crystal or tablet form to absorb water in any DIY place like Woodies or even Tesco etc. and you can get refills for them too. They don't last that long and need to be refilled a lot especially if used in an environment that is very damp though.

I have one of these ...

http://www.tesco.com/direct/unibond-humidity-absorber-large-device-450g/215-6727.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=215-6727

Piliger

Alun wrote: »

I guess Kontrol Kryustals is just a trademark for a product you can get in Europe, but you can buy dehumidifiers that use the same chemical (anhydrous CaCl2) either in loose crystal or tablet form to absorb water in any DIY place like Woodies or even Tesco etc. and you can get refills for them too. They don't last that long and need to be refilled a lot especially if used in an environment that is very damp though.

I have one of these ...

http://www.tesco.com/direct/unibond-humidity-absorber-large-device-450g/215-6727.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=215-6727

NOW YOUR TALKING - thanks for that Alan ....... I'll chase that down. I see Woodies have a variation on this.

Piliger

Got two small ones in my local hardware store just now

Just shows Google doesn't always produce the results we need ...

Q: I wonder does moist air tend to sink or rise ..... if the best place for these devices is high up or down near the floor ...... Any ideas ?

Alun

Not sure ... cold air sinks and hot air rises. I have mine on the window sill in the en-suite while I figure out the best way of getting a proper vent installed. The cowboys who built our house decided that the vent on the inside and the one on the outside shouldn't actually line up and therefore not actually function as a vent. It seems to function quite well there.

Piliger

Tks for the help Alun.

Villaines

Belief it or not, heatons sell silica type containers, non refillable, 2 euro a pop. Last about a month.

Piliger

I have been using the Calcium Chloride in a nice container from "Tetrion" that I bought in a local hardware store. I use it mainly in a very damp and unventilated bathroom.

It does work well. It collects significant amounts of moisture (glass fulls) and has lasted about two months.

Now I need to find a cheaper source of refills .... bags of Calcium Chloride (anhydrous) .....


Anyone ?

Alun

I was in Woodies the other day looking for refills for my Unibond dehumidifiers (which they seem to have stopped stocking ... grrrrr!!) and noticed they now have the Kontrol Krystals brand dehumidifiers in stock. They had 2.5kg bags of crystals for sale separately as well as smaller bags.

Arciphel

They sell them in B&Q also, both the containers pre filled and the big refill bags.

Piliger

Thanks guys. I would love to find someone in more central Dublin - both Woodies and B&Q need a car to get to them ...

Alun

Arnotts (basement home store) maybe? Lenehans on Capel Street or even McQuillans Tools on the same street?

Piliger

Alun wrote: »

Arnotts (basement home store) maybe? Lenehans on Capel Street or even McQuillans Tools on the same street?

Hmm... maybe Lenehans... tks Alun.

hickey_b

Piliger wrote: »

My friend from Latvia uses these crystals to extract the damp from her apartment air.

Anyone ever hear of them ? Any idea where to buy them ? I have searched on the internet but cannot find them anywhere in Ireland ....:rolleyes:

You can buy the trap and the krystals in B&Q dublin less the €20.00

Roscommon John

Aldi were selling dehumidifiers with calcium chloride 4 kgs for € 7.00 a couple of weeks ago. Also as far as I know a lot of de-icing salt is Calcium chloride , check out any hardware stores it's usually listed on the bags.

CuppaCocoa

I use the ones from the Euro shops for controlling damp in my mother's hallway. It's an old house and she doesn't turn the radiator in the hall on! They only cost €1.50/€2.00 are are quite effective at removing moisture. Think they're called 'damp trap'. Any of the 'walk around' shops should have them.

olewy

Old-ish thread now but does anybody know of any builder's merchants or suppliers in Leinster (preferably Dublin) who sell Anhydrous Calcium Chloride flakes in bulk by any chance? Chadwicks & TJ O'Mahony don't sell it & didn't know who might. The 2.5kg Kontrol refill bags in Woodies are pricey enough at €11 a pop. Ebay isn't a goer due to the weight (shipping costs).

Arciphel

olewy wrote: »

Old-ish thread now but does anybody know of any builder's merchants or suppliers in Leinster (preferably Dublin) who sell Anhydrous Calcium Chloride flakes in bulk by any chance? Chadwicks & TJ O'Mahony don't sell it & didn't know who might. The 2.5kg Kontrol refill bags in Woodies are pricey enough at €11 a pop. Ebay isn't a goer due to the weight (shipping costs).

You could always buy them from ebay or Amazon and use Parcel Motel for the delivery maybe?

olewy

Arciphel wrote: »

You could always buy them from ebay or Amazon and use Parcel Motel for the delivery maybe?

True, I could, and I was thinking of that earlier. Turns out the ebay items are even more expensive than Woodies (that doesn't happen often!). Ideally I'd like to find a local supplier that I could just pick it up from myself.

IRL303

Piliger wrote: »

I have been using the Calcium Chloride in a nice container from "Tetrion" that I bought in a local hardware store. I use it mainly in a very damp and unventilated bathroom.

It does work well. It collects significant amounts of moisture (glass fulls) and has lasted about two months.

Now I need to find a cheaper source of refills .... bags of Calcium Chloride (anhydrous) .....


Anyone ?

Line a bowl or container with tin foil and the collected water and Calcium Chloride, put it in the oven at a very low temperature. Make it as low as you can get it, 200 degrees or less. If you put the temp too high it will boil and make a giant mess. Let the water evaporate completely and you will be left with a dry white powder. This powder sticks to any surface, that is why it is essential to line the bowl with foil or you will never get the powder out of the bowl. Pull the powder and foil out of the bowl, wrap in a towel and hit it with a hammer until the powder is all broken up. Then you can put it back in the original container and re-use it. You can do this forever.