I really should get my own gas detector for pump pits, I occasionally
have to go into the big ones. At GTE (Verizon) we just had MSA
Explosimeter 2 or 2A LEL detectors before you popped a manhole, and
Draeger tubes if you suspected other nasties were down there, but time
has marched on.

And I can't just check a form and have a box of nifty things magically
appear behind my truck the next morning for free anymore. (Darn!)

As of now, all I can do is sniff for flammables, pop the hole, drop in
the manhole blower hose, and ventilate thoroughly before going down,
but I really should get something - and without spending $5,000.

Is a good old (and still fairly cheap used - $800 - $1800 for NOS??)
MSA 2A Explosimeter still "enough" to pop the lid? Or do you have to
get one of the electronic detector and aspiration sample kits that
cost a bloody fortune.

One of the Pocket style Multi-Gas detectors sounds good for once
you're inside, but real world comments from the Plant Managers and
such among us would be appreciated. Especially things like "It failed
after 1 year and two days, and when I asked about the warranty they
told me to Pound Sand..." or "The sensor replacements every 4 years
costs more than the whole unit - and the battery pack is almost as
bad..."

-- Bruce --

Not sure if they are "certified", but some heatinig and AC supply houses
have gas leak detectors for hydrocarbons. I got a used TPI from Ebay, which
works fine. Runs on D cells.

ChristopherNOSPAM A. YoungINVALID
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"BruceNOSPAM L. BergmanINVALID (munged human readable)"
wrote in message
news I really should get my own gas detector for pump pits, I occasionally
have to go into the big ones. At GTE (Verizon) we just had MSA
Explosimeter 2 or 2A LEL detectors before you popped a manhole, and
Draeger tubes if you suspected other nasties were down there, but time
has marched on.

And I can't just check a form and have a box of nifty things magically
appear behind my truck the next morning for free anymore. (Darn!)

As of now, all I can do is sniff for flammables, pop the hole, drop in
the manhole blower hose, and ventilate thoroughly before going down,
but I really should get something - and without spending $5,000.

Is a good old (and still fairly cheap used - $800 - $1800 for NOS??)
MSA 2A Explosimeter still "enough" to pop the lid? Or do you have to
get one of the electronic detector and aspiration sample kits that
cost a bloody fortune.

One of the Pocket style Multi-Gas detectors sounds good for once
you're inside, but real world comments from the Plant Managers and
such among us would be appreciated. Especially things like "It failed
after 1 year and two days, and when I asked about the warranty they
told me to Pound Sand..." or "The sensor replacements every 4 years
costs more than the whole unit - and the battery pack is almost as
bad..."

-- Bruce --

Stormin Mormon wrote:

Not sure if they are "certified", but some heatinig and AC supply houses
have gas leak detectors for hydrocarbons. I got a used TPI from Ebay, which
works fine. Runs on D cells.

Hydrocarbons, or halogens?

Hydrocarbons. I tested it by using the natural gas range top, but not yet
lit. Didn't work. I called TPI customer service, and he walked me through a
couple things, and now it detects hydrocarbons just fine.

My halogen detector is by Tif, whole different sensetivity.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Pete C." wrote in message
. com...

Stormin Mormon wrote:

Not sure if they are "certified", but some heatinig and AC supply houses
have gas leak detectors for hydrocarbons. I got a used TPI from Ebay,
which
works fine. Runs on D cells.

Hydrocarbons, or halogens?

On Sat, 25 Feb 2012 07:37:41 -0500, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
"Pete C." wrote
Stormin Mormon wrote:

Not sure if they are "certified", but some heatinig and AC supply houses
have gas leak detectors for hydrocarbons. I got a used TPI from Ebay,
which
works fine. Runs on D cells.

Hydrocarbons, or halogens?


Hydrocarbons. I tested it by using the natural gas range top, but not yet
lit. Didn't work. I called TPI customer service, and he walked me through a
couple things, and now it detects hydrocarbons just fine.

My halogen detector is by Tif, whole different sensetivity.

I got the TIF 8800 Hydrocarbon detector when I needed to track down an
Idiots' multiple leaks on a dryer line - threaded multiple short
nipples and couplings through a wall and didn't know how to apply dope
or use a pipe wrench... (Before TracPipe came out.)

It would be enough to know if opening the manhole lid was going to set
off a "Kaboom!" Or even just a little "whoompf" which could be almost
as bad.

But of course if anything goes wrong or the Helpful OSHA Rep happens
to be wandering by it won't be the "right" tester for the job with an
aspirating tube and bulb/pump setup.

-- Bruce --

On Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:36:04 -0800, "Bruce L. Bergman (munged human
readable)" wrote:

On Sat, 25 Feb 2012 07:37:41 -0500, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
"Pete C." wrote
Stormin Mormon wrote:

Not sure if they are "certified", but some heatinig and AC supply houses
have gas leak detectors for hydrocarbons. I got a used TPI from Ebay,
which
works fine. Runs on D cells.

Hydrocarbons, or halogens?


Hydrocarbons. I tested it by using the natural gas range top, but not yet
lit. Didn't work. I called TPI customer service, and he walked me through a
couple things, and now it detects hydrocarbons just fine.

My halogen detector is by Tif, whole different sensetivity.

I got the TIF 8800 Hydrocarbon detector when I needed to track down an
Idiots' multiple leaks on a dryer line - threaded multiple short
nipples and couplings through a wall and didn't know how to apply dope
or use a pipe wrench... (Before TracPipe came out.)

It would be enough to know if opening the manhole lid was going to set
off a "Kaboom!" Or even just a little "whoompf" which could be almost
as bad.

But of course if anything goes wrong or the Helpful OSHA Rep happens
to be wandering by it won't be the "right" tester for the job with an
aspirating tube and bulb/pump setup.

-- Bruce --

Bruce, I've been retired a couple years, but the biggie for confined
space entry in an industrial setting was oxygen in addition to
flammables. I think our company probably lost way more folks to
passing out in an inert atmosphere than ever got blown up. Sometimes
followed by another going into rescue and passing out for the same
reason. Lots of things can deplete or displace oxygen in an enclosed
space, from rusting to rotting vegetation. There was also a
requirement for ventilation and a trained standby person with SCBA.
Confined space entry was such an exercise that most departments had a
policy of NO confined space entry except by emergency personnel and an
annual audit to locate and label all such spaces.

I don't remember the brands of our oxygen testers. I think the
flammables testers were MSA. Worked well, kept on ticking. Pretty
rigorous testing and documentation on both. I mostly dealt with area
O2 and flammable monitors due to nitrogen purging of equipment in
Class I Div. 2 process research labs.


Pete Keillor

Bruce L. Bergman (munged human readable) wrote:
I really should get my own gas detector for pump pits, I occasionally
have to go into the big ones. At GTE (Verizon) we just had MSA
Explosimeter 2 or 2A LEL detectors before you popped a manhole, and
Draeger tubes if you suspected other nasties were down there, but time
has marched on.

And I can't just check a form and have a box of nifty things magically
appear behind my truck the next morning for free anymore. (Darn!)

As of now, all I can do is sniff for flammables, pop the hole, drop in
the manhole blower hose, and ventilate thoroughly before going down,
but I really should get something - and without spending $5,000.

Is a good old (and still fairly cheap used - $800 - $1800 for NOS??)
MSA 2A Explosimeter still "enough" to pop the lid? Or do you have to
get one of the electronic detector and aspiration sample kits that
cost a bloody fortune.

One of the Pocket style Multi-Gas detectors sounds good for once
you're inside, but real world comments from the Plant Managers and
such among us would be appreciated. Especially things like "It failed
after 1 year and two days, and when I asked about the warranty they
told me to Pound Sand..." or "The sensor replacements every 4 years
costs more than the whole unit - and the battery pack is almost as
bad..."

-- Bruce--


You could always get a canary.

John

On Sat, 25 Feb 2012 23:05:35 -0500, John
wrote:

You could always get a canary.

John

That only works in Coal Mines.

And I doubt you'll get a Class 1 Group A B C D rating on a Canary - by
the time they complete the testing regimen and the certification
paperwork it would die of old age, and they'd have to get another
chick and start over.

-- Bruce --