Infrared vs Heated-Diode Refrigerant Leak Detectors
Heated diode: cheap, sensitive, short-lived, prone to false alarms. Infrared: selective, durable, A2L-ready, pricier.
Read Article→Learning Center
Plain-language explanations of the measurements, sensors and numbers behind environmental monitoring.
Infrared Gas Detectors: When NDIR Beats a Catalytic Sensor
An infrared gas detector measures how much infrared light hydrocarbons absorb. No oxygen needed, no poisoning, fail-safe, long-lived, but blind to hydrogen.
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What Is a Refrigerant Leak Detector?
A sniffer for HFC, HFO, CO₂ and hydrocarbon refrigerants. The sensor type decides which it can find and how small.
Read Article→Catalytic Bead Gas Sensors Explained
A catalytic bead sensor burns gas on a heated catalyst and reads the heat as a bridge imbalance in percent LEL. It needs oxygen and can be poisoned.
Read Article→PPM vs %LEL in Gas Detection
ppm counts molecules; %LEL says how close to burning. The same leak reads very differently on each.
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Semiconductor Gas Sensors: How MOS Sensors Find a Leak
A MOS gas sensor is a heated tin-oxide element whose resistance drops in methane or propane. Sensitive and small, but it drifts and reacts to solvents.
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Gas Detector Placement in a Garage
Mount high near a natural gas water heater or low near stored propane, on a garage side wall away from the overhead door, gas cans and vehicle exhaust.
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Open-Circuit Voltage vs Operating Voltage in Solar Panels
Voc is the voltage with nothing connected; Vmp is the voltage where the panel delivers its power. Both matter, for different reasons.
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Gas Detector Placement in a Basement
Mount a basement gas alarm near the appliances: high in the joist area for natural gas, low on a wall for propane, clear of the stairwell, dryer vent and sump.
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Why Solar Panel Output Changes During the Day
Sun angle, air mass, clouds and heat draw the familiar bell curve, and a few things bend it.
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Do You Need a Gas Detector in the Bedroom?
Not for combustible gas, unless the bedroom itself has a gas appliance. A CO alarm outside every sleeping area is the device the bedroom actually needs.
Read Article→Solar Irradiance vs Solar Panel Output
Output follows irradiance almost linearly, then temperature, soiling and wiring take their cut.
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