09/23/2024
We find CO alarms anywhere, almost in each hardware store or even at different Wholesales.
The price is only ~25$ compared to industrial monitors that can start at 250$ ...
Can we used it in the industry?
The low price can be very attractive especially if we need to install hundreds of them at the plant.
We can save thousands of $$$$!!!
What are the main differences between domestic and industrial gas detectors or gas alarms?
Just to remind you : CO is colorless gas and it cannot be smelled ---> you must use an electronic device as our nose will not work!!! It is not sensitive enough.
Did you know that Carbon monoxide (CO) can cause to death?
In the industry we must comply with industrial standards such as ISO,OSHA and others and mostly, to have only UL will not work.
All domestic CO alarms are NOT designed to measure compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) . It should be written on back of the warning that we usually don't read.
I circled it for you in the second picture.
For Carbon monoxide the occupational exposure limit are :
TWA=20ppm it is Time Weighted Average for 8 hrs!!
STEL=100ppm it is 15min Short exposure time
It is recommended to set the detector first alarm at 20ppm and second at 55ppm.
This cannot be done with a domestic monitor but only with industrial.
Industrial gas alarm should not be operated at
high power source (120v) but mostly 24v DC(it is much safer) additionally having 9v battery backup sounds good but at industry we must connect it to a global battery backup of the plant line.
Sometimes the environment we install the detector in industry can be defined as Explosion ( because of many combustible gases present at air ) therefore our gas detector must be Explosion proof. It means, that the detector should be designed to not cause an explosion. There is no domestic gas alarm that is Explosion proof!
The ❤️ of each detector is his internal sensor. From the moment it was created the sensor depleted and must be sent for calibration.
The calibration should be performed at least once per 12 months. There are no calibration certificates that come with domestic gas alarms and no option to recalibrate it.
So, how can we be sure that this kind of detector is really doing its job?
Conclusions:
You cannot use domestic detector for industrial sector.
When you use it for your home don't trust on it that it will save you life in an emergency.
Always leave your 🪟 open, and ventilate your room with fresh air continuesly .