Here’s Is Why Your Gas Detectors Aren’t Working

By Author: Belinda Rahme Barakat
Total Articles: 52
Comment this article

The processing and manufacturing industries are one of dangerous places to work. It’s filled with potential hazardous substances that are toxic and flammable. Ensuring the crew and processing and manufacturing facility is safe from toxic, dangerous gases is crucial. Portable gas detectors is one of the life-saving and important pieces of equipment that can prevent major fires and fatal injuries to people and facility. However, poor maintenance or worn out detectors won’t work properly, costing you time and money if you don’t have a proper, efficient kit.

If your gas detectors aren’t working properly, the following are the possible reasons:-

Calibrating

All sensors, regardless of the make and type, tend to drift over time. It’s important to calibrate the sensors frequently to ensure the efficiency of the equipment. Calibration brings the gas detectors back into the right equilibrium and provides accurate readings. If you aren’t calibrating the equipment using the calibration gas regularly, you may not know the detectors have drifted until it stops working and there’s a fatal accident. Hence, ...
... calibrate the gas monitors regularly.

Environmental Factors

Dirt, dust, and water can all affect the efficiency of the gas monitors. Dirt and dust can block gases and vapours from entering the sensor chamber of the device, preventing the detection of toxic and flammable gases and other liquids. The dust and dirt could get collected within the sensor area, sample lines, sampling pump, and filters. It’s essential to clean the equipment regularly, especially when the environment is dusty and dirty like mines and other confined spaces. If the sensors can’t detect the gases in the atmosphere, you are risking your employees and facility.

Gas Exposure

Exposure to highly concentrated gases will impact the calibration curve of the detectors, resulting in false and inaccurate readings. False alarms can create chaos, including evacuation, automatic shutdown, and downtime that could cost your time and money. Yes, extremely high concentrated gases can negatively impact the sensor’s ability to measure gas. Detectors will fail to provide the warning and trigger the alarms at the right time.

Battery Life and Sensor Capability

In order to work efficiently, the sensors must be electrically stable. While some sensors can be conditioned in an hour, others like ammonia detectors can take 24hours or longer than that to reach their stability or working condition. If the equipment isn’t charged properly, turning it on and using it without conditioning or warming up can make the instrument to provide false reading.

Temperature

Storage and usage of gas monitors in too cold and hot temperatures can affect the efficiency of the sensors. Read the user manual and use and store in the right temperatures as instructed.