Hi every one,
Having had a bit of experience with gas leaks, I thought a portable gas detector was a good idea. Many types of detectors are prone to breakdown or just so sensitive that they drive you crazy with false alarms.
I did a search on "gas detectors" and came up with nothing,But at the same time I know others have made posts on the issue.The search function is very poor on this forum, But I digress.......

The unit pictured is available from Jaycar for around $80.00 so I went to get one,reasoning that an occasional scan would be a better choice than a fixed unit that may not do the job and can be used any where.

No worries, took it home and installed the batteries,noticing that the staple which holds the packaging was missing,But not too concerning. It immediately started beeping , so turned it off and went out to the front foot path. Beeping again, tried three times including changing the batteries.
Took it back and the salesman had two others which behaved identically and were obviously faulty, all three did not have any security stapling and it was plain to see that the staple had been removed. When I pointed this out to them they were completely unconcerned. Eventually after a half an hour of swapping batteries and playing with these detectors they very reluctantly refunded my money as I stated that I did not want this thing and had no confidence in it at all.
I departed the store with the managers final statement that "that's what happens because customers don't want to pay for properly tested articles". SO IT IS THE CUSTOMERS FAULT.

This is the unit and I suggest you stay clear of them.You would be buying it obviously, because you want something for nothing. Problem is I have seen units twice the price of these fail as well. It is probably not an exact science.

Hi dieseltojo,

Sorry to hear of your bad expereince with that model gas detector. I think they are a good idea, and they sould have them in all vans standard.

We bought one last year from a caravan supplier on Ebay called Renee54. It cost $38 plus $8 postage. My husband installed a switch so we can turn it off when the batteries are turned off, or it keeps drawing power. It has a test button, very loud alarm and led lights to indidcate it is working okay. Very happy with it. It's cheap insurance that may save your life one day!

Cheers,
Sally

Cabac have bought out a new range of gas detectors both 240V and 12V. I saw a brochure for it kicking around our office last week. I will have a look tomorrow and see if I can find it. Cabac are suppliers of parts, tools and test equipment to the electrical industry. Most of their gear is professional quality.

This is the Cabac gas Detector.

The gas detector will sound an alarm, after a period of 30 seconds, if a presence of LPG or natural gas reaches and stays at 10%. There are three versions of gas detectors available, one for LPG supplied by 12 V supply and two for 240V supply, each of which can detect LPG or natural gas.

The unit can be compared to a smoke detector, but detects flammable gas and is installed
in a similar way.

The LPG detector is installed 300 mm above the floor and natural gas detector is installed 300mm below the ceiling. See the manual for further reference.

Features:
- Safety device to detect flammable gas.
- Detects leaks from a gas appliance e.g. stove, water heater.
- Installed in a fixed in position near a point of risk as per gas type.
- 230 V mains supply for building and 12 V for caravans, leisure marine, etc.
- Supplied with a 230 V plug for DIY installation.
- Can be hard wired by a licensed electrician
- Extra NC/NO contacts available for external control.

Hi Cyclone.
Thanks for the info,I am familiar with this detector and is basically a fixed unit. What attracted me to the portable unit is that being a plumber , I would be able to use it any where.

I know this may be a bit bulky but what about using it with a small 12v lead acid battery.