I found CO in tanks
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That's it. I leave it on all the time and carry it everywhere. I don't care if I look like a nerd, and I am curious about unknown CO levels that are often not monitored. It's great protection for hotel stays, etc. but just today I checked the CO level in my garage after I backed in and turn the car off. (I always back in so I can better watch for kids & pets when I leave my home.) Only 3-4 ppm. It's a lot worse when I first start the car, quickly above 50 ppm - but I never do unless the garage door is open and I am ready to drive out.
Some might suggest holding it up to a cracked valve to test a tank, but I like to drop it in a gallon ziplock, trap tank air, then close the bag & tank before reading. Warning! Crack valve first, then place bag in place! I once sent a bag & device overboard by cracking after placement. It's also good to pack several bags, as many as one/day, and carry a spare to the boat or just replace daily, as they do develop leaks - or maybe buy better quality bags than I take.
It's only $139, their calibration service is only $39, and the company is great to work with from my limited experience. I sent one in for calibration before a dive trip, but at a time when they were relocating a few miles, and before they had updated their site with the new address - so it got delayed by postal forwarding. After a few days, I called to complain & request help. They cheerfully apologized and sent me a brand new unit.
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A see-thru dry bag that doesn't leak? If I find CO, I want to leave the unit inside the bad with the evidence easily seen as I report it.
I do try to minimize my use of plastic and recycle what I do use, but it is everywhere in life!
It should be new, calibrated, and ready to go. You'll notice in the specs that it's accurate to " +/- 10% of reading or +/- 2ppm (whichever is higher)," but that's close enough for personal protection. It claims "Initial response time: < 5 seconds," but it seems faster than that. It also advises "Full response time: < 20 seconds," which is part of why I like to leave it in the bag - but that's so much better than the 3 minutes I used to wait on the first model I tried. It's small enough at 4 oz.
Traveling, I wear it clipped to my backpack as I know that neither the courtesy van or plane has a CO alarm, and TSA didn't seem interested. If the alarm goes off on either of those, I'd be the obnoxious hero and make sure they know.
It gets boring testing each & every tank while getting zero readings you should get, until you get your first hit.
Just keep testing to confirm the tanks are as clean as they are supposed to be, and have a camera handy for that first hit - then let us know here.
Well, (somewhere on) the manufacturers website I read that it will leave their place calibrated if you order from them (not sure about shipping cost).
So, if Amazon has them drop ship (don't know if they do that) or if you order through Amazon, but the order gets filled by the manufacturer probably yes. If it comes out of an Amazon warehouse I guess it would depend on how long ago the manufacturer shipped it.
BTW.
It also gives a contact email on their website, to which I sent an inquiry about how to interpret their base accuracy of +/- 2 ppm at the low end.. (e.g. might it mean a reading of 0ppm could be 2ppm worst case and a reading of 4ppm could be anywhere between 2 and 6) ... and how long the unit can go between calibrations before that gets worse .... ... because they seem to indicate that as a home owner who is fine with 10% accuracy and some creep 2 year calibration intervals are fine, but the higher the need for accuracy the shorter the intervals... I am fine if it tells me twice the ppm there are, but if there are none olit should read 0 to 2 and if there are 6, but it reads 2, that's a problem...
Sensorcon-The maker of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen Sulfide detectors
Thing is, the email address they give does, according to google not accept emails... (my email bounced). That's a bit sadly odd for a company that states they manufacture the units in the US and have good customer service. Maybe a phone call is needed... That email address should accept emails so... I already know how to not reach another manufacturer...
Edit /Addendum: The unit also has a max read function. Not sure so if this would work then w/o a bag... I guess one would have to compare...
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A see-thru dry bag that doesn't leak? If I find CO, I want to leave the unit inside the bad with the evidence easily seen as I report it.
I do try to minimize my use of plastic and recycle what I do use, but it is everywhere in life!
It should be new, calibrated, and ready to go. You'll notice in the specs that it's accurate to " +/- 10% of reading or +/- 2ppm (whichever is higher)," but that's close enough for personal protection. It claims "Initial response time: < 5 seconds," but it seems faster than that. It also advises "Full response time: < 20 seconds," which is part of why I like to leave it in the bag - but that's so much better than the 3 minutes I used to wait on the first model I tried. It's small enough at 4 oz.
Traveling, I wear it clipped to my backpack as I know that neither the courtesy van or plane has a CO alarm, and TSA didn't seem interested. If the alarm goes off on either of those, I'd be the obnoxious hero and make sure they know.
It gets boring testing each & every tank while getting zero readings you should get, until you get your first hit.
@DandyDon ,
Will this unit work just as well by opening the tank valve and pointing the unit's inlet towards the valve outlet for 20 or so second without bag or anything else??
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There are other brands more accurate if you're that picky and don't mind spending much more. I have two others myself as I kind of got obsessed with this failure by the industry.
Most divers don't want to spend $100 or more on a tank tester that wasn't included when they asked "how much to get certified and equipped?" nor was covered in their training ("Sniff & taste" - almost worthless!), but this one will indeed read close enough for personal protection. Every test should be zero, or not more than 2ppm at least, so if you get a 3ppm or more - refuse to dive it.
That's new as it was working in December. I confirmed that emails to Sales are failing and forwarded that bounced mail to calen.dembitsky@sensorcon.com so it should be fixed soon.
Calling is always an option with free US calling most enjoy these days. I remember growing up trying to be brief when I called a girl in the same county but different zipcode as 10c/minute was significant in those days, but then I was shy anyway so didn't have much to say.
It should if you watch the seconds on your watch, but who wants to waste that much air, or listen to any tank on the boat hiss for 20 seconds, much less every tank.
@DandyDon
Thanks. Many times over BTW.
Email is not only great for cost, which is really not relevant, but it is also convenient for "availability" reasons, to bridge time zones, work schedules and to be passed on correctly to a person who e.g. actually can answer a technical question.
So, thanks for looking into it.
I think (do not know, do not have the unit ... yet...) that the max function might allow one to measure the stream w/o having to catch the max... (only a comparison of methods on several tanks would tell... of couse they might need to read something other than 0 to tell)
From their FAQs:
Simply press the MAX button, an arrow over the MAX sign indicates MAX mode is active. Suppose you are curious about the maximum carbon monoxide level that you are being exposed to by exhaust from vehicles when you walk down a city block.
If you wear the Inspector with MAX mode active, you'll find out. Perhaps you wish to sample the exhaust from your chimney, furnace or hot water heater. The MAX mode is perfect for this because the concentration will change due to the air mixing.
Operating in MAX mode is almost always preferable when you use the hand aspirator pump. In professional applications the norm has been an electronic sampling pump to draw a sample from a remote location. These pump with their high power, cost and long lengths of tubing are very cumbersome. In many cases, you can use the MAX mode to eliminate the need for that annoying motorized pump. By operating in MAX mode, you can simply tie a lanyard or rope to the Inspector clip and lower the unit into the area of interest. Simply wait about 1 minute and then pull it back and view the reading. All this talk about pumps brings us to the next FAQ.
Thanks. Many times over BTW.
Yep... it just has to wait until a workday and me getting a breather and a calm location during their hours to make a call coincide.
Email is not only great for cost, which is really not relevant, but it is also convenient for "availability" reasons, to bridge time zones, work schedules and to be passed on correctly to a person who e.g. actually can answer a technical question.
So, thanks for looking into it.
No, I am not that picky and I was not trying to come across that way. I am trying to be practical about this. Maybe I chose my example "too close". They do point out that the unit can drifts off beyond the rated accuracy quite sooner than in 2 years, so I would like to know what to expect ... worst case ... if I were to calibrate every 2 years... That's essentially what I am trying to find out. So I know what to expect. So I can be practical about it w/o being ignorant about it (and I am not saying anyone is, just speaking for myself).
I think (do not know, do not have the unit ... yet...) that the max function might allow one to measure the stream w/o having to catch the max... (only a comparison of methods on several tanks would tell... of couse they might need to read something other than 0 to tell)
From their FAQs:
Simply press the MAX button, an arrow over the MAX sign indicates MAX mode is active. Suppose you are curious about the maximum carbon monoxide level that you are being exposed to by exhaust from vehicles when you walk down a city block.
If you wear the Inspector with MAX mode active, you'll find out. Perhaps you wish to sample the exhaust from your chimney, furnace or hot water heater. The MAX mode is perfect for this because the concentration will change due to the air mixing.
Operating in MAX mode is almost always preferable when you use the hand aspirator pump. In professional applications the norm has been an electronic sampling pump to draw a sample from a remote location. These pump with their high power, cost and long lengths of tubing are very cumbersome. In many cases, you can use the MAX mode to eliminate the need for that annoying motorized pump. By operating in MAX mode, you can simply tie a lanyard or rope to the Inspector clip and lower the unit into the area of interest. Simply wait about 1 minute and then pull it back and view the reading. All this talk about pumps brings us to the next FAQ.
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