Gas Detector and Monitor FAQs

1. Output Signal
Q: What’s the necessity for an output signal option for a multi-gas detector?
A: To be able to connect the gas detector to your computer via USB for data downloading and printing.

2. Wireless Function
Q: Can you add a wireless function to your handheld gas detector, so can get the data directly to my PC?
A: Yes, we can add the wireless module to the handheld gas detector, so you can monitor and record data on your PC.

3. Fully Charged
Q: How long does it take to get your gas detector to be fully charged?
A: Charging time is 5-6 hours to be fully charged.

4. Working Pressure
Q: Do your gas detectors work in a pressure 1-5 bar or 7-8 bar environment?
A: No, for the pressure 1-5 bar, you need to reduce the pressure to less than 1bar, because our gas detector can only withstand the pressure within 1bar. So, you need to add a pressure-reducing valve before the monitor.

5. Calibration Kit
Q: For the Gas Dog gas detector, Is there any calibration kit that I need to buy or else?
A: GasDog gas detectors have a 1 year (365 days) warranty. Usually, the gas detector needs to be calibrated once a year or half a year, it can be calibrated at any local calibration institution or you can send it to us for calibration. The calibration fee is $ 75 for one time. So it is recommended to purchase a calibration kit. We provide 2 kits; copper kit and stainless steel kit.

6. Logging Gas Data
Q: How can your portable gas detector log data?
A: It automatically saves gas ppm values, and this data can be downloaded to the computer via the provided software and USB connectivity.

7. Measuring Gas in the Pipe
Q: Which nozzles are included or can be purchased for the gas detector? (I would like to be able to measure the gas at a sample point inside a 200 mm wide pipe.)
A: Our gas detectors have a suction pump and do not require nozzles, but we can also provide a 6mm diameter straw with a length of about 1 meter to help in the detection process.

8. Pumping Speed and Measurement Sensitivity
Q: I am very interested in better understanding the different pumping speeds on your H2 gas detector. Your literature indicates that ten different speeds can be selected. Do you have any information on the different actual flow rates associated with these different settings and how using the different settings impacts the measurement sensitivity?
A: Our gas monitor pumping speed is 750ml/min, and both flow & pumping speeds will not affect measurement sensitivity.

9. Data Download Frequency
Q: With your portable gas detector, is it possible to download data via the USB port every 5 or 10 seconds? Or is the frequency lower? If there were a way to provide a download every 5-10 seconds, that would resolve our issue.
A: Yes, with the portable detector, you can download data via the USB port every 5 or 10 seconds, and the frequency lower time is every 5 seconds. Data will be downloaded and transferred as an Excel file, and then you can open the file on the PC to view detected values.

10. Handheld CO Gas Detector in Hydrogen-rich Environments
Q: I was wondering if the handheld Carbon Monoxide (CO) gas detector would work in a Hydrogen-rich environment.
A: Generally, H2 and CO gases interfere with each other, and all sensors in the market can not do measurements without some little interference. However, our gas detector sensor is of high quality, and the relative interference will be much smaller.

11. CO2 Monitor for Bioreactor Application
Q: We are looking for a 0-100% VOL CO2 monitor and I would like to know if the fixed Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas detector is suited for the following application:

We are developing a pilot-scale bioreactor producing VFA’s from Hydrogen and CO2. We feed a gas mixture of 20% CO2 in H2 to the bioreactor, which will accumulate in the headspace of the reactor. Due to the biological processes within the reactor, the headspace can contain a significant amount of methane. The gas in the headspace is continuously recirculated (taken from the headspace and sparged back into the reactor from the bottom) using a diaphragm pump. From this main recirculation line, a second gas line diverges which will contain the in-line gas sensors. The flow in this second line will be 0.2 L/min and the gas will be dried before it reaches the gas sensors.

We need the CO2 sensor to:

1. Be able to detect 0-100% VOL CO2.
2. Be ATEX (zone 2) rated (we are dealing with 80% Hydrogen).
3. Be able to measure in-(gas) line, not for atmospheric measurements.

Let me know if you have any questions concerning our application. If you think any of your instruments are suited for our application, could you provide me with a quote? This will be with a 4-20mA output, 1NO+1NC relay, European plug, and calibration kit.

A: We recommend GD300-CO2, please select 100%VOL for the range.

12. GD300-CO2 for Flow-Through CO2 Detection
Q: We are looking for a 0-100% VOL CO2 sensor that can be implemented in a flow-through gas design using a threaded connection. Reading the literature for the GD300-CO2, it has the capability of a flow-through configuration that has been designed for calibration. Can this work for detecting CO2 gas in a flow-through scenario as well? Is there a limitation on the flow rate if we were to use it in this capacity?
A:

1. 1. The GD300-CO2 detector has a threaded connection to the pipeline.
2. The fixed gas detector can detect CO2 gas in a flow-through scenario.
3. The pressure in the detected pipeline should be controlled at a stable 1 bar, and the flow rate should be stable at 1L/min.

13. Portable Chlorine(Cl2) Gas Detector Calibration
Q: How often are we supposed to perform the Target Point Calibration (TPC) for the portable Chlorine (Cl2) gas Detector?
A: It is supposed to perform the TPC annually but if use frequency is high, we recommend performing it every six months. We provide a one-year warranty.

14. Chlorine Gas Detector for Room Detection
Q: I have a question about the operation of the portable Chlorine detector: Can this device detect Chlorine gas in the environment of a room? For example, if I enter a room where there is a presence of 1ppm Chlorine gas, the device will give me an alarm without connecting to any auxiliary device.
A: Yes, of course. The detection range is 10-15 meters. And it sounds the alarm, No need for an auxiliary device.

15. Detecting Hydrogen Leakage in Natural Gas Systems
Q: I am involved with a project where we are researching blending a small percentage of Hydrogen into a natural gas distribution system. I found your portable Hydrogen sensor while looking for a Hydrogen detector that could help us confirm whether or not Hydrogen is leaking out of joints where natural gas is not. Could you help me confirm if this would be a suitable use for the detector? If it is, do you have a recommendation on a measuring range?
A: Yes, you can use our portable Hydrogen (H2) gas detector to measure H2 leakage, and the recommended range will be: 0-1000ppm.

16. Mounting for Gas Detectors in Pressurized Gas Systems
Q:I am considering the GD300-N2 and the GD300-H2. Can the sensor be placed in line tubing with pressurized gas? or is this for atmosphere detection only? or is there a way to mount the detection point in line with the gas flow?
A: In this case, you need to reduce the gas pressure in the pipeline to 1Bar±10% before it can be used normally, such as installing a pressure regulating device on the pipeline.

17. GD300-H2S Gas Detector Troubleshooting
Q: We have received and installed the fixed detector GD300-H2S, but are having some issues with it. We are using it to measure the H2S concentration in a pipeline, but have found that it will often read 0.0 even when we know that there is Hydrogen Sulfide in the line. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn't. Do you have any troubleshooting ideas for us?
A:

1. You mentioned that the gas monitor sometimes works, but sometimes it doesn't, could you please provide a test video for us to confirm further?
2. Please tell us what your testing environment is specifically. For example, the pressure of the pipeline, temperature and humidity, flow rate, and whether there is liquid in the pipeline.
3. Our monitor can only detect the gas concentration of air, not liquid; the working pressure can only be stable at 1Bar±10%; the temperature is -20°C~+50°C; the humidity must be below 60%RH, and the flow rate must be below 1.5L/min, and the flow rate should be stable.

18. High H2S Concentration Damage Assessment
Q: Sometimes very high concentrations of H2S will pass through the system (1-2%). While I understand that the system will not be sensitive in this range (well beyond 0-200ppm), is exposure to these high concentrations somehow saturating the cell or destroying the anode or something else?
A: The gas detector cannot be used beyond the range, otherwise it will directly damage the internal detection sensor. So if sometimes very high concentrations of Hydrogen Sulfide will pass through the system (1-2%), this can damage the sensor. Now to confirm whether the sensor is damaged, please check according to the following steps:

1. Put the gas detector in normal air, and then look at the value displayed by the ADC value (refer to the attached video)
2. If the ADC value shows -500-500, the sensor is not bad.
3. When there is H2S gas at the end, check again what is the ADC value and tell us the concentration of Hydrogen Sulfide. This way we can tell if the sensor is bad or not.

19. Ammonia Gas Detector for Soil Samples
Q: I don’t what Ammonia concentration to expect in soil gas samples. Maybe I should get the 0-100ppm instrument since it has the same resolution and sensitivity as the 0-50ppm instrument? I would like to see +/-0.1ppm at 1ppm levels of Ammonia.
A: For our Handheld Ammonia (NH3) gas detector, range 0-50ppm, resolution: 0.01ppm; range 0-100ppm, resolution: 0.1ppm. Please confirm whether you choose the range of 0-100ppm or 0-50ppm. The specific measurement range still needs to be confirmed according to the concentration of NH3 in the soil.
Please note that to measure the NH3 gas concentration in the soil, you cannot directly insert the gas detector into the soil for measurement, you need to put the soil into the bag first, and then measure the Ammonia concentration in the bag.

20. NH3 Gas Detector Installation
Q: We are currently trying to install the NH3 gas monitor that we purchased at GasDog a few weeks ago. I am contacting you because the detector does not seem to detect any Ammonia and I would therefore like to ask for some clarifications. We would like to connect the sensor to a line in which a mixture of Hydrogen and a few ppm of Ammonia are flowing. What is the suggested flow rate for the detector to be able to correctly take a sample of gas?
A: If there is water in the pipeline, it will affect the detection of the NH3 gas detector. If there is Ammonia in the pipeline, the NH3 gas detector will read. We recommend a flow rate of 750ml/min.

21. Gas Detector for Nitrogen Leakage in Steam Systems
Q: We suspect that some Nitrogen is entering our steam system through leaking valves. I want to test the presence of N2 by cracking a steam valve and putting a sniffer nearby for steam discharge but not in it, will a gas detector work for that?=
A: Yes, if the steam system pipeline is in a normal air environment, which means that the steam discharge port is in the normal air but no other mixed gas, then the unit N2 portable detector 0-100% VOL can work for that, with No problem at all.

22. Gas Detector for Laboratory Experiments with Nitrogen and Helium
Q: We are planning to do experiments with different gases (Nitrogen, and helium) in the lab. Currently, we do not have a working ground suction and are looking for an adequate gas alarm system. Would be your portable Nitrogen (N2) gas detector, 0 to 100% VOL (GD200-N2) the proper instrument for us? Does this system need maintenance regularly?
A:

1. GasDog portable Nitrogen (N2) gas detector, 0 to 100% VOL, can only be used in a single gas environment, so if the measurement of Nitrogen contains other gas mixtures (such as helium ), it will not be suitable.
2. Our gas detector is well calibrated before leaving the factory, and usually, it needs to be calibrated after one year.

23. GasDog O2 Monitor Calibration
Q: We received the GasDog O2 monitor. How often do you recommend calibrating this unit? And what calibration gas and zero gas (if required) do you recommend?
A: This unit has been calibrated before leaving the factory. We recommend calibration once a year, and the password is 2020. You need to use Nitrogen 99.99% VOL for Zero calibration and then pure Oxygen 99.99% VOL for span calibration.

24. Gas Monitors for Water Electrolysis Test Setup
Q: My name is Ryan Seabeck, and I am a researcher at De Nora Tech in Ohio. I have a water electrolysis test setup that generates high-purity H2 and high-purity O2, and I am interested in sensors that can measure the concentration of H2 and O2 in these streams.
I see that Gas Dog has both Hydrogen and Oxygen fixed gas detectors (SKU: GD300-H2 and GD300-O2 respectively), and the specs seem to be close to what we need for resolution and LDL. I have a few questions that I hope you can help me out with.
First, we need to set up our system with a flow-through sensor. I believe these are intended for use in measuring the ambient concentrations of gases, but is it possible to pass our product stream over the sensing unit with a tee fitting or something along those lines? If you’ve ever seen these sensors used in this way, do you know if there’s a specific flow rate we need to maintain? Additionally, what pressure ranges are these sensors able to operate at?
A:

1. Our gas detectors can only measure air gas, not water and liquid. What environment do you need to test?
2. Our gas detectors must have a constant flow of 1L/min;
3. Our gas detectors must have a constant pressure of 1Bar±10%;
4. Our gas monitors can measure both the gas concentration in the conventional environment and the gas concentration in the pipeline.

25. Portable Ozone Gas Monitor for Point Source
Q: I am looking for a portable Ozone measuring device that can be used at point sources (exhaust stack duct from a corona treater) to take a sample measurement of the air and display the Ozone ppm concentration.
Can you please advise which model would be best suitable for this application (ppm range between 0.04à 5.8ppm)? Do we need to connect an air hose to the measuring device? How frequently does the device need to be calibrated and do you provide that service? Does the device have any data-logging capability?
A:

1. We recommend portable Ozone (O3) Gas Detector, 0 to 10ppm, the lowest can detect 0.003ppm, see spec and price on: https://gasdog.com/portable-o3-gas-detector
2. It is usually calibrated once a year. If you need us to provide calibration services, you need to return it to our factory for calibration at your own expense, and a certain calibration fee will be charged.
3. This portable gas detector SKU: GD200-O3 can only store historical data on the instrument, and then export the historical detection data to the computer through our host computer software. So you cannot view live data on your computer.
4. Our gas detector can only have a stable flow rate of 450-600ml/min and a pressure of 1 bar. What is your specific measurement environment? Such as flow, temperature, pressure, humidity, etc.

26. O3 Detector Real-time Data Communication Protocol
Q: We need to use your O3 monitor in a closed-loop system and a PC will have to interface with our controller, not a person. What we need is to be able to read the data from your O3 detector in real-time, and to send these data to our system using a PC. Could you please kindly provide us with the communication protocol so that we may interrogate the O3 detector on the measurement it’s taking in real-time?
A: OK, just note that our portable Ozone (O3) gas detector only has the data logging function. But if you want to communicate your PC via RS485 and view data in real-time, it is recommended to use our fixed gas detector RS485 output (optional). We provide RS485 protocol for such purposes.