A methane gas detector is a safety device which can be installed in a home, office or business. The methane gas detector will sound an alarm if methane gas is detected within a building so the occupants can move out of danger by vacating the residence or facility. The detector is needed because many homes are subject to invasion by methane gas. The gas can kill and become deadly if occupants are subjected to a high enough level and it mixes with another gas.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is a by-product of methane gas exposure. A methane gas detector can allow advance warning of toxic levels of methane gas prior to a family ingesting or breathing the gas. While methane gas kills by inhalation and suffocation, it is not poisonous by itself. The methane gas detector will inform when methane is present and since the gas is odorless, tasteless and cannot be seen, this may be the only way to detect the gas.
There are also several uses for a methane gas detector outside the home. Farms produce animal waste, which can emit dangerous levels of methane gas. Some farmers have been killed by entering manure pits which contain high levels of methane. The workers are killed by asphyxiation before they can climb out of the pit. The use of a methane gas detector could prevent these deaths.
A methane gas detector is also a useful tool for fire departments. When entering a building, firemen and women may be taken by surprise by a headache or dizziness that indicates the presence of a toxic gas. The use of a methane gas detector could warn emergency responders entering a building of unseen dangers in the form a gas leak. Utility workers that frequently enter sewer and drain systems also could avoid any unforeseen effects of the presence of gas by scanning the area first with a detector.
New advancements in technology have made laser-powered detectors a reality. Now an operator can simply point a laser detector into an area and be warned of any presence of methane gas. This pin-point accuracy allows leaks to be found at pipe joints or anywhere along the length of a gas pipeline. Cracks in sewer lines can be detected by aiming the laser at the suspected area. The laser detectors allow problems to be addressed in a quicker manner.