You may already have both smoke detectors and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in your home to protect you and everyone in your household.
But are you aware of how an explosive gas detector can further ensure your household’s safety against noxious and deadly gases? You may not even be aware that the product even exists as they’re not as high profile as other in-home alarms.
An explosive gas detector can alert you to the leak of combustible gases such as propane and natural gas in your home. When combined with carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, it offers your household protection against several potential hazards including gas leaks and fire.
While not as high profile as smoke detectors and CO detectors, explosive gas detectors are beginning to get more attention especially for those who live in areas where there might be a legal requirement to have one (Landlords be aware of these laws!).
What does an explosive gas alarm detect?
Popular explosive gas detectors often detect common gases in the home such as natural gas and propane but it’s important to confirm which gases are detected before you make a purchase. Many gases are considered explosive including natural gas, propane, methane, and acetylene among others.
Gases can explode when they escape from a source such as a gas heater or stove, barbeque or other appliance and are put in contact with an ignition source such as a flame, heat or fire.
Some explosive gas detector models state a wide list of combustible gases that can be detected such as:
- Natural gas
- Propane
- Methane
- Sewer gas
- Industrial solvent
- Alcohol
- Toluene
- Fuel gas including gasoline or kerosene
- Flammable gas like butane, coal gas, ethane, LPG, LNG
- Other combustible gases.
You will find major smoke detector manufacturers such as Kidde also produce explosive gas detectors in addition to other companies such as PANGAEA, GasKnight, KOABBIT and Klein Tools.
They also produce different types of explosive gas detectors to be used in different situations as we’ll see below.
What types of explosive gas detectors exist?
You can find explosive gas detectors for several main types of use:
Home use – You can typically install these devices similar to a smoke detector or CO detector in a fixed position inside the home. These models are either plug in and/or battery operated.
Vehicle use – For use in recreational vehicles (RVs), mobile homes, trailers and other vehicles that have gas cooking or heating equipment usually powered by a gas cylinder or canister. These models are typically plug in or corded electric (i.e. 12vDC) so it’s not recommended for home use.
Portable use – You can find handheld and portable explosive gas detectors that you carry in your hand and then hold up against or near the gas source to check for a leak. These models often have a flexible gooseneck sensor that can be bent to accommodate tight places. These models are battery operated i.e. 4 AAA batteries.
What should I consider when shopping for an explosive gas detector?
When shopping for an explosive gas detector be sure to pick one that suits your needs: Some are good for home use but others are designed to be used in RVs, trailers or motorhomes and might only detect propane since mobile vehicles would be expected to at best use refillable propane cylinders and not have a gas line.
If you have a gas line providing natural gas to your home, you need to make sure you purchase one that detects this and other gases you have supplied to your home.
If you’re considering a plug-in natural gas detector or other type of explosive gas detector, consider looking for one with a battery back up in case of a power failure.
Does a explosive gas detector replace a smoke detector and CO detector?
An explosive gas detector that only detects the presence of combustible gases does not replace a smoke detector. Unless the explosive gas detector you purchase also has carbon monoxide detection abilities, it wouldn’t replace that either.
You can purchase combination explosive gas alarms that have the ability to detect carbon monoxide, propane, natural gas as well as combination smoke/CO detectors too.
But double check to ensure that your chosen model meets the needs that you require.
Most explosive gas detectors do just that: They detect the presence of certain gases but won’t detect smoke from a fire and may not specifically detect carbon monoxide either.
Where should I place my explosive gas detector?
Read your explosive gas detector’s instruction manual because placement of the device depends on what gases are being monitored as well as other conditions specific to your home.
Gas density: Natural gas and hydrogen are low density gases that are lighter than air and thus tend to collect near the ceiling. Thus you would place your detector closer to the ceiling than the floor.
Propane and gas (i.e. used in a car) on the other hand are high density and heavier than air and thus will tend to collect near the floor. In this instance you’d want to place the detector closer to the floor.
Whenever you have a plug-in detector, unless you have electrical outlets high on the wall, chances are you’ll be plugging them in close to the floor.
Gas source: With an explosive gas detector, the sooner you get alerted to a gas leak, the better. The closer you have a detector to the gas source(s) in your home, the sooner it will detect a leak.
With a carbon monoxide detector, product manuals usually give specific information that the detector not be placed too close to a CO source to prevent a false positive. But with a gas leak you want to know as soon as possible since there should be no gas leaking in a home.
Carefully read the instructions regarding setting up the alarm and placement. Instruction manuals for various detection devices tend to very long and detailed but at least focus on the important parts regarding set up and use.
Ventilation: Be careful not to place an explosive gas detector too close to an air source such as an air duct that blows fresh air into a room and therefore won’t be indicative of the air in the room in general. Again, follow the instructions in the manual to be sure.
Other considerations: Avoid placing a sensor on a surface that vibrates as it can damage the device or otherwise lead to faulty readings. Also take into consideration dead zones in your room that you’re monitoring (i.e. corners of walls) as gases can remain stationary and build up as this could potentially be a great place to place a gas detector.
How many explosive gas detectors do I need?
A good rule of thumb is to have an explosive gas detector near each gas source in the home (i.e. near a gas heater, gas water heater, fireplace, propane tank, etc) and one on each floor of your home to alert and protect people throughout the house.
It depends on the total size of your home, the layout (i.e. how many floors) and how many (and what) gas source(s) you are trying to monitor.
Check your chosen model to see what area the detector can reasonably monitor. Some products suggest placing detectors about 30′ – 40′ apart in a large open room.
Summary
Think about what gas(es) you have in and around your home that could possibly cause a health concern or could threaten your life and find the best explosive gas detector that you can afford to protect you.
Natural gas is the most likely gas that you will have in your life and propane is probably next on the list if you have a tank for a barbeque or own an RV, mobile home or other vacation vehicle. Carbon monoxide (CO) is another gas that leak in your home and due its deadly nature, you need to have protection against that gas in the form of a CO detector.
The best natural gas detector you can find will also ideally alert you to other gases and should be battery operated with a plug-in option so you’re covered by both power options.
A battery-powered alarm would be my first choice if a combo battery/plug-in option isn’t available since alarms will alert you to a low battery but a power failure could occur in the middle of the night without your knowledge, leaving you unprotected when you’re at your most vulnerable.
Want to learn more about an explosive gas detector that detects Carbon Monoxide as well as combustible gases such as propane & natural gas? Click here for more information.
