The Dangers of Purchasing Faulty or Cheap Natural Gas Alarms and What to Look For

When you purchase protection for your home, you want to be confident in your decision. So, when items like natural gas detectors aren’t working properly, homeowners can be left with a false sense of security before understanding what the problem is.

This makes faulty and non-certified natural gas alarms all the more dangerous.

Without knowing the status of your detectors, you run the chance of being in a hazardous situation. Natural gas leaks can expose you, your loved ones, and your pets to unsafe conditions, as defective detectors may not sound an alarm or provide any warning when gas levels exceed safe limits. There are a few reasons your natural gas detector could be unreliable.

Why Your Natural Gas Home Detector Isn’t Working

Without the certification from a nationally recognized test laboratory, and an explicit guarantee from the manufacturer, some alarms aren’t made to last and may not meed industry standards for performance and durability. You must be very intentional in picking the right smart natural gas detector during your search. Aging natural gas alarms and those exposed to certain temperature and humidity conditions, may also fail to work correctly, or sound a false alarm when exposed to normal household cleaning solutions.

More factors that can cause your natural gas detector to fail can include:

• Moisture: Condensation can accumulate on the detector’s sensors, causing them to fail. Moisture and other liquids can block gas vapors from entering the sensor chamber, preventing detection and damaging the natural gas detector within days. Make sure you keep your alarm away from excessively humid areas. Make sure to follow the temperature and humidity instructions listed in the user’s manual.
• Gas Exposure: Extremely high concentrations can kill the sensor’s ability to measure gas, and void the warranty on the alarm. Do not test your alarm by trying to expose it to natural gas. This is extrememly dangerous. The alarm test button is actually the ony calibrated test method. 
• User Error: Don’t skimp on your research for the right natural gas home detector. It can lead to dangerous errors by choosing a cheap alarm without the basic product features. Improper installation can also affect the accuracy and effectiveness of your alarm. Ensure you’ve thoroughly read your user’s manual and contact the manufacturer to ask questions prior to usage. 
• Temperature Affect: Storing natural gas leak detectors in an environment that is either too cold or too hot can affect the ability of the sensors to measure accurately. Ideally, natural gas detectors should not be installed in an areas that are dusty or dirty, or where organic solvents and silicone vapors exist. They also shouldn’t be exposed to temperatures that will drop below 32°F (0°C) or exceed 122°F (50°C).
• Sensor Chemical Poisoning: Sensors can be poisoned by other gases absorbed into the sensor chamber and react with the sensor itself. Certain combustible gas sensors can be poisoned by silicone-based compounds and airborne cleaning products or common household chemicals, killing the sensor. Other things such as sulfur compounds and chlorinated compounds can inhibit the sensor’s response to natural gas reduce the sensitivity. The filtering system on certain natural gas alarms lessen the effect of interference gases.

After purchasing a natural gas leak alarm, the next step is to test it.

Test Your Natural Gas Alarms

Stay safe and ensure your alarms are functioning properly by testing your natural gas alarms regularly. Follow the instructions in the user’s guide for the routine testing and cleaning.

Cheap Gas Alarms May Not Be UL or ETL Listed

• UL 1484 Standard Compliance: To meet the UL 1484 standards, a natural gas detector must pass very specific and rigorous testing requirements. There are detection sensitivity tests for high and low ranges, false alarm resistance, battery performance, corrosion—just to mention a few. Super cheap natural gas alarms that are sold online often do not carry the UL or ETL certification mark. To gain agency approvals, reliable manufacturers go through months of testing and expenses to bring a high-quality alarm to market with the appropriate certifications.  For peace of mind, and to ensure your gas leak detector will sound its early warning alarm when a dangerous gas leak occurs, look for the UL or ETL listing mark to indicate that it has passed testing and meets the necessary safety standards.

Prompt natural gas leak detection is essential for ensuring the issue is addressed before getting out of hand. A gas detector must ensure your safety from natural gas leaks which makes your buying decision an important one.

DeNova Detect isn’t your average natural gas alarm. This line of 100% battery-powered gas detectors available in the US is ETL listed to the UL 1484 standard and guaranteed to last 7-10 years depending on the model). To ensure your home’s and family’s  safety, the advanced sensor technology of DeNova Detect can alert of a natural gas leak 11 minutes sooner than other detector. Never worry about the status of your natural gas appliances and dangerous natural gas leaks with 24-hour protection.