My question is Combustible Gas Leak Detector what brand and model do you like?
My nose and soapy water.
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I have been using the TIFF 8800 for years with good success. My nose first and when gas odor is detected I bring out the TIFF and pinpoint the leak.
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I use the Bacharach Leakator 10. I use to pick out 5 to 10 gas leaks yearly.
As well VOC and other vapors. Acetone - Ethanol - Industrial Solvents - Acetylene Ethylene Oxide - Paint Thinners - Ammonia - Gasoline Propane - Benzene - Hexane - Naphtha - Butane Hydrogen.
Ditto.
My nose and then follow up using a gas detector. Any reputable gas detector will do.
My local gas company frowned upon using soap bubbles. The first question they ask is “You didn’t use soap bubbles to detect the leak did you?”
Have you ever seen the gas company use soap bubbles to detect a leak? We can all be as professional as we want to be.
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Finding a gas leak is well beyond the scope of a home inspection. If you smell gas your job is to turn OFF the gas and call the gas company.
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I use my nose, If I smell gas, I write it up as such, sometimes when opening a furnace cabinet I’ll get a whiff.
If I walk into a house and there’s a strong smell of gas I’m getting everyone out and dialing 911.
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I have a nice TPI gas detector but actually haven’t used it on an inspection. I have smelled gas a few times and just put in the report that there is likely a leak in the area I smelled it. I’ve never really felt the need to pinpoint the exact fitting or connection, etc. The sniffer looks fancy in my tool bag though, lol.
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I had a tpi 775 which turned out to be more trouble and time consuming than it was worth…bought it way back when I thought fancy gizmos with buzzers and blinking lights made You look more professional…I found my nose and soapy water to be much more effective and accurate. I finally took it out of my tool bag as it was basically unused dead weight…stick with Your nose and buy a bottle of test solution ( soapy water) for confirmation and save Your money for important things like lunch and ice cream…
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That’s what we call “show and tell” tools. That was my favorite subject! Then we’d have to go to class. Maybe that was just recess!
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I have a cheap Pangaea unit that works just fine. I think it is important to have a combustible gas detector in order to verify what you are smelling is indeed gas before you raise the alarm. How much do you trust your nose? The smell is quite distinctive, but could still be confused with a dead animal, sewer leak, or other foul odor.
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A match works great!..and if you find a leak that way there will be no doubt that you did indeed find the leak…
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I am using Combustible Gas Leak Detector and I love it.
Like everything else, “problems” seems to run in groups, no leaky toilets for months, then 5 in a week. etc. It’s bizarre and I could spend pages on that.
Anyway I’ve had 3 “smelled gas” inspections lately and while the utility responds quickly to gas leaks, I want to get one.
The tech was using a sensit g2. They are $1500-$3000 depending on where you look. A bit more than I’m willing to spend. It took him all off 10 seconds to find the leak with that thing.
I’d be happy with a quality tool under $500. There’s a ton of these Chinese garbage ones, I’ve got no idea if they even work.
I see the Tif tool mentioned upthread, but there are a lot of models. It’d be a pipe dream to get a sniffer that does combustibles and refrigerants.
Thoughts?
You want a good gas leak tester. Even though I have a Bacharach leak tester that I use for other work, I never bring it to a HI. Yes, when I smell gas, I wish I had it, but I simply refer it out. There is a procedure for testing for gas leaks that you have to follow. If you use a gas leak tester at a HI, you are obligated to follow procedures and test the whole system, not just part of it. You also have to maintain the tester.
Why are you telling home inspectors to have a good gas leak tester and then telling them not to use it on a home inspection? There is no good logic to that.
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sounds perfectly logical to me. if you get one, make it a good one. and don’t use it on an inspection without getting paid extra for it since you have to follow the procedure. of course i read all of that into it, but it’s there, right between the lines.
You can pretend to read anything between the lines that you want.
You are not thinking! They are two entirely different services. You need to be insured for both and you may need a separate license. Finding a gas leak is NOT an ancillary service to Home Inspection. This is where reading something in to what is not written will get you into trouble.
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