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If you need to know whether ammonia is present at a concentration, buy a dedicated ammonia detector. The BTMETER BT-5800G is the only product here that measures NH3 directly, with an electrochemical cell and a stated range of 0 to 100 ppm. A general combustible gas sniffer such as the Inficon -718-202-G1 or the Primyteion Gas Leak will respond to ammonia only incidentally, because ammonia is flammable, and neither listing states an ammonia calibration or a ppm figure for it. Use a sniffer to find where a flammable gas is escaping; use an ammonia detector to know how much ammonia is in the air. the BTMETER BT-5800G ammonia meter is the only instrument in this set built for the second job.
What a combustible gas sniffer actually responds to
A general combustible gas sniffer does not identify a gas. It measures a change in something electrical, usually the resistance of a heated metal-oxide bead or the current from a catalytic bead, and reports that change as an alarm or a rising signal. The sensor responds to any gas that oxidises on its surface. Methane, propane, butane, hydrogen, ethanol and gasoline vapour all qualify.
Ammonia also qualifies, because ammonia burns. That is why a listing like the Primyteion gas leak detector pen can honestly claim to detect ammonia alongside methane and propane. But the claim is a response, not a measurement. The listing states a detection threshold of 50 ppm and a top of 1,000 ppm for the pen, and it does not state a separate ammonia calibration or an ammonia-specific accuracy. What the pen tells you is that something combustible is present near the probe. It does not tell you that the something is ammonia.
The same limitation applies to the Inficon 718-202-G1 combustible gas detector. The listing gives country of manufacture and manufacturer and nothing else. No range, no sensitivity figure, no gas list. Not stated in the listing bullets. You cannot assume it is calibrated for ammonia, and you should not assume it is not; the listing simply does not say.
Why an ammonia detector is a different instrument, not a narrower one
An ammonia detector measures concentration. The sensing element is usually an electrochemical cell, a small package of electrodes and electrolyte that produces a current proportional to the ammonia that diffuses into it. Because the cell is tuned to the electrochemistry of ammonia, it can report a number in parts per million rather than a yes or no.
the BTMETER BT-5800G is the clear example in this set. The listing states a range of 0 to 100 ppm, a resolution of 0.1 ppm and an accuracy of plus or minus 2 percent, and it states that the sensor is an electrochemical cell. Those are the numbers that let you answer a regulatory or husbandry question: is the ammonia in this poultry house above the level I am managing to? A sniffer cannot answer that, because it has no ammonia scale.
The same listing also measures ambient temperature from -10 to 50 degrees Celsius and humidity, and the manufacturer’s reasoning is worth repeating: warm, humid conditions accelerate ammonia production. That is not a marketing extra. In livestock buildings, compost facilities and wastewater rooms, ammonia concentration and humidity move together, so an instrument that reports both lets you see whether a rise in NH3 is a ventilation problem or a source problem.
Note the resolution claim carefully. A resolution of 0.1 ppm with an accuracy of plus or minus 2 percent means the display can show a tenth of a part per million, but the true uncertainty at 10 ppm is around 0.2 ppm. Resolution is not accuracy. The listing is not overclaiming, but buyers routinely conflate the two.
Cross sensitivity: the number the sniffer cannot give you
Every sensor responds to more than its target gas to some degree. An electrochemical ammonia cell will show a small signal if hydrogen sulphide or an alcohol is present. A metal-oxide combustible sensor will show a large signal for almost any hydrocarbon, and its response to ammonia is only one entry on a long list. Manufacturers publish cross sensitivity tables for serious instruments, and those tables are what let a technician correct a reading or discount a false alarm.
For the products here, the listings do not publish cross sensitivity data. Not stated in the listing bullets. That is not a criticism of the products; it is a limit on what you can infer from a shopping page. If your application involves a known mixture, such as ammonia alongside refrigerant in a cold store, ask the manufacturer for the cross sensitivity table before you rely on either instrument.
| Question | Ammonia detector | General combustible sniffer |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Ammonia concentration in ppm | Presence of combustible gas, as an alarm or rising signal |
| Stated range | 0 to 100 ppm (the BTMETER BT-5800G listing) | 50 to 1,000 ppm for the Primyteion Gas Leak; not stated for the Inficon -718-202-G1 |
| Sensor type | Electrochemical cell (the BTMETER BT-5800G listing) | Metal-oxide semiconductor (the SENSYX HVAC Refrigerant, the Primyteion Gas Leak listings); not stated for the Inficon -718-202-G1 |
| Identifies the gas | Yes, tuned to NH3 | No, responds to any combustible gas |
| Temperature and humidity | Yes, both stated (the BTMETER BT-5800G listing) | Not stated in the listing bullets |
| Best use | Quantifying ammonia in livestock, compost or industrial air | Locating a leak of methane, propane or other fuel gas |
The table makes the trade visible. The broad instrument is better at finding an unknown leak. The narrow instrument is better at answering a question about ammonia.
When a refrigerant sniffer is the right third option
Some jobs are neither ammonia nor fuel gas. the SENSYX HVAC refrigerant and combustible gas leak detector is built around a metal-oxide sensor tuned for the halogenated refrigerant family, with selectable high and low sensitivity. The listing describes the sweep-then-close-in workflow and warns that the sensor needs several hours in clean air to reach full sensitivity when new or after storage. That warm-up behaviour is typical of metal-oxide sensors and is worth knowing before you judge a detector as faulty.
The listing also gives a probe speed: no faster than 1 inch (25 mm) per second, about a quarter inch from the joint, with fans and drafts off. That single instruction separates a found leak from a missed one more often than the sensor specification does. A sniffer swept quickly past a small leak sees a diluted puff and says nothing.
If your question is about ammonia in a chiller plant that uses ammonia as the refrigerant, none of these three sniffers is the right instrument. You want the ammonia detector, because the concentration is what matters for both safety and process control. The refrigerant sniffer is for the halogenated side of the trade.
The decision in practice
Start with the question you need answered. If the question is where is the gas coming from, a combustible sniffer is the right tool, and the choice between the Inficon -718-202-G1 and the Primyteion Gas Leak comes down to what the listings publish. The Primyteion Gas Leak states a detection threshold, a range and a gas list. The Inficon -718-202-G1 states neither, so if you need a documented threshold before you buy, the Primyteion Gas Leak is the one with the paperwork. If the question is how much ammonia is in this air, only the BTMETER BT-5800G answers it.
If you need both, buy both. They are not substitutes and no single instrument in this set covers both jobs with a stated ammonia concentration figure. A sniffer that happens to respond to ammonia is not an ammonia meter, and an ammonia meter is not a leak locator for a propane line.
One more caution. An ammonia detector is a meter, not a safety alarm. The BTMETER BT-5800G listing describes a handheld instrument with a tripod mount for continuous measurement; it does not describe an alarm relay, a strobe or a failsafe output. If you need a fixed installation that raises an alarm when ammonia rises, that is a different product class, and you should look for one that states its alarm behaviour explicitly. For the fuel gas side of the same question, the placement guidance in where to place a propane detector applies to fixed alarms rather than handheld sniffers.
The short version
A general combustible gas sniffer is a searchlight: it tells you something burnable is nearby. An ammonia detector is a thermometer for one gas: it tells you how much. Buy the searchlight to find a leak, the ammonia meter to measure a concentration, and neither one to replace a fixed alarm. If you are still deciding between gas types, the comparison in natural gas detector vs propane detector covers the fuel side, and the ammonia detector roundup covers the narrower class in more depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a combustible gas sniffer detect ammonia?
It will usually respond to it, because ammonia is flammable, but it will not tell you the concentration or confirm that ammonia is the gas. The Primyteion Gas Leak lists ammonia among the gases it detects, with a stated 50 ppm threshold, but the listing does not publish a separate ammonia calibration. The Inficon -718-202-G1 does not publish a gas list at all. If you need a number in ppm, you need a dedicated ammonia detector such as the BTMETER BT-5800G.
Can I use an ammonia detector to find a propane leak?
No. The electrochemical cell in the BTMETER BT-5800G is tuned to ammonia. It is not a general combustible gas instrument, and the listing makes no claim to detect propane, methane or any other fuel gas. Use a combustible sniffer for fuel gas and an ammonia detector for ammonia.
How accurate is the BTMETER BT-5800G ammonia reading?
The listing states accuracy of plus or minus 2 percent and a resolution of 0.1 ppm over a range of 0 to 100 ppm. Resolution is the smallest display step, not the uncertainty. At 20 ppm, 2 percent is 0.4 ppm, so the true value could reasonably sit within that band. The listing does not state how the accuracy was determined or over what temperature range.
Do I need a fixed ammonia alarm instead of a handheld meter?
If the requirement is to warn people automatically, yes. The BTMETER BT-5800G is a handheld meter with a tripod mount for continuous measurement; the listing does not describe an alarm output, relay or failsafe behaviour. A meter is not an alarm. For occupied spaces where ammonia could rise unattended, specify a fixed system that states its alarm thresholds and output type.
Why does my new gas sniffer seem insensitive at first?
Metal-oxide sensors need time in clean air to reach full sensitivity. The SENSYX HVAC Refrigerant listing states several hours for a new unit or one that has been in storage. If you switch on and sweep immediately, you may miss a small leak and conclude the instrument is faulty. The same listing gives a probe speed of no more than 1 inch (25 mm) per second, close to the joint, with drafts off.
Which is better for a poultry house, the Inficon -718-202-G1 or the BTMETER BT-5800G?
the BTMETER BT-5800G, without question. Ammonia in a poultry house is a concentration problem, and the BTMETER BT-5800G is the only instrument here that reports NH3 in ppm. It also reports temperature and humidity, which the listing notes are linked to ammonia production. The Inficon -718-202-G1 is a combustible gas detector with no stated ammonia range, so it cannot tell you whether the house is above or below a target level.