Blog: Calibration Gas, Gas Detection, and More

  Gas detector calibration is a critical step in ensuring your device provides accurate and reliable readings. However, even the most experienced users can make mistakes during the calibration process, potentially compromising the device’s reading. To help avoid common mistakes in gas detection calibration, here is a list of errors to watch out for and how to address them effectively.    1.…

When it comes to gas detection, safety is non-negotiable. Whether you're working in industrial settings, labs, or confined spaces, knowing which gas detection tool best suits your needs is crucial. Two common options are colorimetric tubes and electronic gas detectors. Let’s break down the differences and help you decide which tool is right for you. Colorimetric Tubes: Simplicity and…

In the Tijuana River Valley, located on the US-Mexico border, dangerously high levels of hazardous gases, including hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide, were detected by two independent groups on Sunday, September 8th, 2024. Prolonged exposure to these gases can cause severe health issues, like headaches, nausea, nervous system damage, and even death. The San Diego County Air Pollution Control…

Gas detection is critical in various industries, from manufacturing to mining, where hazardous gases can pose serious safety risks. Bump gas and bump testing are essential practices to ensure the accuracy and reliability of gas detectors. Bump gas, a specific gas mixture used for testing, plays a pivotal role in this process. Understanding how to use bump gas correctly and conducting regular bump…

Calibration gases are essential to ensuring gas-detecting instruments are working as they should. Calibration gas, sometimes referred to as specialty gas or calibration gas mixture, is a mixture of gases that are used to test instruments, like a hazardous gas detector, for accurate readings. Accurate readings are vital to ensure everyone's safety. The calibration mixture of gases can include…

To keep your workers and facilities safe, it is critical that your gas detectors work properly and provide accurate readings. But how do you ensure that your instruments are working as they should?  Instrument Calibration for Accurate Readings Instrument calibration is the process of checking and adjusting a measuring device, like a gas-detecting instrument, to make sure that it provides an…

Gas monitors are crucial devices designed to safeguard lives by detecting and alerting individuals of hazardous gasses. However, like any technology, these monitors require regular calibration to ensure accurate and reliable readings. Calibration is the process of adjusting the monitor to a known standard to maintain its accuracy and sensitivity. This is not to be confused with bump testing which…

Specialty gases, also known as high-purity or calibration gases, are a group of gases with a high level of purity. These gases are produced and analyzed to ensure their impurity levels are kept to a minimum, often reaching purity levels of 99.999% (5.0 grade) or higher. Unlike industrial gases used in general applications, specialty gases are manufactured for specific applications that demand…

Bump testing and calibration are two different procedures completed to ensure the accuracy and reliability of gas detection instruments, particularly those used for monitoring hazardous gases in industrial or occupational settings. While both processes are important, they serve different purposes. The bump test will tell you if the instrument is still reading gas levels, but it won’t tell you if…

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a Georgia organization failed to protect its employees from workplace hazards, leading to the evacuation of about 50 workers. Pilgrim’s Pride Corp.’s Ammonia leak ended up hospitalizing two workers – an emergency that could’ve been avoided by following the required safety standards and ensuring respiratory protection. Uncontrolled temperature and…

When it comes to working in environments where undetected gas leaks could be present, safety is always a number one priority. These gas leaks can strike at any time, anywhere noxious gases are stored, and can affect anyone.  Though we're all at risk of contracting gas-related health conditions if leaks go undetected, there are a handful of industries that need to be extra cautious, including: …

It certainly helps to know what you’re doing but you don’t need a chemistry degree to use gas detector tubes or read the results. These gas detector tubes can help identify the presence of gases – toxic or nontoxic – and ensure safety in all sorts of environments. Draeger has been a champion of personal protection and gas detection for over a century. And their Draeger tubes are no…

Calibration gases help protect workplaces from exposure to toxic gases. These harmful vapors are often odorless and nearly impossible to detect without the use of quality gas detectors. Without calibration gas instruments, workers could enter and remain in a hazardous area for far too long and risk short- and long-term health effects. Portable Gas Detectors Portable gas monitors are great for…

Calibration gas is used to ensure gas meters and gas detectors are working properly. These pieces of equipment are essential for testing gas levels and maintaining optimal performance in hazardous job sites. These meters, detectors, and additional instruments require regular calibration to ensure accurate readings and avoid potentially catastrophic situations. Calibration means to correlate the…

Calibration Gas is a reference gas or gas mixture used as a standard when calibrating gas analysis instruments such as a gas detector. A gas detector is used to determine if there are certain gases in the air. The calibration gas, a known specific concentration of the test gas, can then be used to as a reference to determine if the gas amounts in the surrounding area are less or more than this…

 Facts about H2S aka “sour gas”  H2S is heavier than air, accumulates in low-lying areas, and may travel along the ground.   The danger with H2S lies in the fact that at higher concentrations, it does not obtain a noticeable odor. At low concentrations the smell is often is described as “rotten eggs”    When unprotected workers, rescue workers, etc. are exposed to high concentrations…

Gas Detector Tubes: Glass tubes that have graduating scales printed on them. You can directly read the concentrations of the gas or vapor to be measured based on the color change of the scale. The color change is achieved because the tube contains a detaching reagent that is sensitive to the target substance. No color chart is needed. There are different variations of the Gas Detector Tube: Most…

A gas detector tube is a glass tube that is filled with a reagent that creates a color change when exposed to the gas that is being tested. The detector tube will indicate the concentration of gas by the printed calibration scale on the tube. They are typically used with a hand pump that will pull any gas that is in the air into the tube. Gas detector tubes are typically used to determine if…

In order to make sure that a gas detector instrument will detect gases in the air accurately, a calibration gas of a known concentration must be used to ensure that the gas detector is responding accurately to the amount of gas it is measuring. Although a gas detector may have been calibrated in the past, many outside factors can affect the calibration over time and therefore the detector needs to…

Calibration Gas is a certified gas mixture, also referred to as span gas. The gas (known concentration) is used to ensure gas detectors or meters are working properly. Gas detectors or meters are used to check gas levels in areas that are considered hazardous. The detectors or meters require calibration on a routine basis. By introducing a known concentration of gas to the detector or meter's…