Capabilities of the Hydrodemolition Hand Lance

Aug 12, 2014 in Announcements

Rampart is often asked the question, “Can’t you just do this with hand wands?”  Yes, it is true, there are hand lances or hand wands in the hydrodemolition industry operating at the same ultra-high pressure (36,000 psi) as the standard hydromill robots.  Hand lances excel at membrane, coating, paint, and light concrete surface preparation (1/8”-1/4”) removals.  However, unlike the standard hydromill robot, hand lances are not necessarily designed for bulk concrete removal.  The biggest difference between the two methods is the flow rate or volume of water.  A hand lance operating at 36,000 psi can only safely handle approximately 5-6 GPM, while our standard hydromill robots handle approximately 32-48 GPM.  This lack of water volume makes any hand lance removal beyond a depth of ½” extremely slow and labor intensive.  The removal rate is approximately 0.5-1.0 CF per hour for a hand lance versus 60-70 CF per hour for a hydromill robot.

Please contact Tom McCann ( for more information on hand lances or any of our hydrodemolition equipment.