Portable or Fixed Leak Detectors: Which Is Best?

Posted by georgehenr on August 28th, 2019

If you work in a warehouse or manufacturing facility, you know the important role gas monitors can play. Certain environments are vulnerable to gas leaks which can cause health threats and can even lead to the possibility of explosions. Carefully monitoring facilities and workers can save lives as well as money, so it's crucial that you use the best type of monitor for the given situation. Here are some things to consider when choosing between a fixed or a portable gas leak detector.

Environmental Conditions

Not only is every facility different, but each part of each facility has its own variables. When deciding on an appropriate gas leak detector, you need to take all the different factors of the environment into consideration. For instance, are gas leaks likely to only come from certain areas? Are the hazards likely to occur at certain times of the day, or is the threat constant? This will help determine whether you need to constantly test for leaks or not.

Portable Gas Detectors

Usually light and hand-held (or clip-on), portable detectors are meant to be carried with a worker as they move about. If there's the potential for a sudden hazardous leak, portable detectors are perfect for protecting the employee. They have the further advantages of being relatively inexpensive and utilizing their own power source such as batteries. On the other hand, each employee will have to be trained to use one, and the portable detectors aren't connected to anything in the facility that would allow it to respond automatically to a threat.

Fixed Gas Detectors

Fixed detectors are put in place primarily to protect the facility. As such, they can be wired into the facility's process operations. This allows fixed detectors to sound an alarm, and automatically vent the area or shut down the systems to prevent further leaks. This is particularly important when monitoring outdoor and remote operations. Fixed gas detectors, however, can't isolate the spot where a leak is occurring since the gas has to reach the detector. This also means that it won't detect some leaks if the gas never reaches the fixed monitor. Furthermore, fixed detectors are more expensive than portable, and they require being attached to the main power supply.

In some situations, you may need both a fixed and portable gas leak detector. The important thing is to identify your organization's individual needs to ensure that both your company and your employees are well-protected.