A natural gas leak alarm rivals a smoke detector when it comes to safety and asset protection. Even though the imminent danger of a fire is hard to ignore, gas leaks are are both more insidious and potentially more damaging — if discreetly leaking gas is allowed to build up, it can result in an explosion. So, where should commercial or industrial property owners put their natural gas leak detectors for maximum effectiveness?
Things to Consider:
- Air has a density of 1.293 kg/m3 at standard temperature and pressure (0°C and 0.987 atm of pressure), while natural gas is only 0.717 kg/m3.
- Windows, vents, and other apertures can interfere with the readings obtained by a natural gas detector.
- The level of natural gas an alarm is able to detect varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, as does the square footage a single alarm can cover.
Where to Place a Natural Gas Alarm
With those considerations in mind, where should the alarm itself go? Even if there’s a single, optimal spot to place an alarm, most commercial or industrial properties will require more than one alarm in order to get adequate coverage. Regardless of how many alarms are needed, the same guidelines should be followed when choosing where to place them:
They should be placed in rooms with gas-powered machinery or appliances, where natural gas is produced, or in other areas where a leak is likely to occur. Ideally, they should be within ten feet of any machinery, appliances, or areas likely to leak.
Since natural gas is less dense than air, and thus will rise, they should be placed higher than any doors or windows in an area.
Avoid placing alarms near vents or other spots that can interfere with how well the detector is able to function.
Avoid placing alarms where reaching them for maintenance and testing will be difficult. A malfunctioning alarm, or one with dead batteries, won’t be any help at all.
It might be easy to ignore a natural gas leak until it reaches critical levels, but it’s imperative to protect valuable assets from explosion risks and employees from the health and safety issues posed by gas inhalation. With a properly installed and maintained natural gas alarm, both property and human resources can be kept safe and functioning at peak efficiency.
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How can GDS Help You?
Ensuring the safety of your employees is not something you want to skimp on. Not only do you want to make sure these gas detectors are being installed in the correct places, you also need to be 100% sure you are selecting the right gas detectors to install based on the environment and possible gasses being produced.
Let the experts at GDS help you design a gas detection system customized to your specific needs and environment. One of our application engineers will:
- Hold a consultation with you to get to know the environment, gasses, and conditions
- Develop custom gas detectors to fully protect your environment
- Provide a quote for any detectors
- Provide you with important product specific information (such as temperature requirements, etc)
Call us or contact us online to speak to one of our application engineers about how GDS Corp can help you get the right detection system in place.