Fixed Versus Portable Gas Detectors: Which is better

by George Henry Publisher

Whether a fixed or portable gas detector is the better product is a question many people who work in professions where a gas leak of some sort is a possibility often debate. Each has its benefits and drawbacks. If you are on the fence or considering options, here is a summary of the benefits of both and their optimum use.

Continuous Coverage

Portable gas detectors stick with your employees as they are out in the field. If they are exposed to gas on the job, no matter where it is, they are warned. With a fixed monitor, the area covered is static, which is awesome if you have a lot of them or you know where a gas leak is likely to occur. When your employees use both, it guarantees full coverage both around them and in zones throughout the work area.

Fixed Does Not Walk Off

Employees rarely intend on taking equipment home, but it is easy without a strict equipment check-in/check-out program to take something as unobtrusive as a portable gas monitor home with them. If you have a lot of employees, the occasional walk-off can become a major issue of missing equipment fairly quickly. Your employees could have the best of intentions, but everyone makes mistakes, especially after a hard day’s work.

With a fixed gas detector, you know two things: Where it is located and if it goes missing, there was no innocent “taking home by accident” incident happening. Because fixed is always there, you can have the peace of mind that you and your employees are protected in that area as long as it is not going off.

Maintenance Issues

Every machine on earth malfunctions, especially those that are continuously running or subjected to a lot of stress. A fixed gas detector or gas detector system is easy to maintain on a consistent basis, while portable gas detectors have to be returned to inventory and any that are not, have to be followed up on. At the same time, if multiple employees have portable gas detectors, the chances of them all malfunctioning at once is almost zero, while a fixed detector could be broken and no one would know there was a leaking gas crisis.

The Winner Is …

That depends on what you want to use a gas detector for. If you want to protect an entire workforce and facility, a fixed system probably works the best as you can target where you place it and you are not reliant on employees to travel through that area to get a reading. If, however, you have multiple job sites, a portable gas detector would work best. In almost all cases, both used in tandem is the best option.