Holiday Detectors

Holiday detector or Porosity detector is a non-destructive instrument used for detecting flaws in a coating system including holidays, pinholes, and cracks.

Protective coatings are applied to metallic and concrete substrates to prevent corrosion. Pinholes or holidays in coatings will eventually lead to corrosion and must be detected at the earliest possible stage. It is important to ensure there are no flaws present that expose the substrate beneath where coatings have to provide an effective safeguard against corrosion. Even very small areas of thin coating can become an avenue for corrosion and drastically reduce the life of a protective coating. Other names for holiday detectors include continuity testers, porosity detectors, and jeep meters.

ABQ Industrial offers two types of holiday detectors: low voltage, also known as wet sponge tester and high voltage, also known as spark tester. Low voltage holiday detectors are typically used on paint systems less than 500 µm (20 mils) thick. High voltage holiday detectors operate at voltages up to 35,000 V and are typically used on coatings at least 200 µm (8 mils) thick.