The water consumption of lightweight castable during construction needs to be determined according to specific product types and construction requirements. The following are relevant suggestions:

I. Water consumption range of general light castable

Ordinary lightweight castable: usually the water content is between 16% and 25%. For example, the construction reference water consumption of some light heat insulation castables is 16%~20%.

Lightweight alkali-resistant castable: the water consumption of top-class products is 16%~17%, and that of first-class products is 18%~20%.

II. Difference of water consumption of different types of light castable

High aluminum series lightweight castable: the water content is generally 10%~15%.

Low-cement lightweight castable: the water content is usually 6%~8%.

Self-leveling lightweight castable: the water addition is relatively small, generally 10%~15%.

III. Adjustment principle of water consumption during construction

Minimize the water consumption on the premise of satisfying the construction performance: too much water will reduce the strength and increase the porosity of castable, thus affecting its service life.

Adjust the water consumption according to the construction environment: in dry or high temperature environment, it may be necessary to increase the water consumption appropriately, but make sure that it does not exceed the maximum value specified in the product manual.

Use clean drinking water: the pH value of construction water should be between 6 and 8.

IV. Matters needing attention during construction

Strictly control the amount of water added: operate strictly according to the amount of water added in the product manual or construction specification, so as to avoid affecting the construction quality and service life due to too much or too little water added.

Uniformly stirring: use a forced mixer to stir to ensure that all components of the castable are evenly mixed.

Timely use: the stirred castable should be used up within 30 minutes to avoid material hardening due to long standing time.