Everything you need to know about gas analyser information

Looking for gas analyser information, here we have everything you should need to know to start you on your way but please bare in mind, you MUST be a gas safe engineer to use these machines. Gas analysers have been around since the 1970’s but later on in the years they have become more advanced, every year there seems to be an upgrade of some sort making it easier to use but more technical at the same time. You can either buy a cheap gas analyser or an expensive one.

The gas analyser to the right in the picture seems to be the best type of gas analyser on the market but it also comes at an expense but it’s like the saying goes, you only get what you pay for.

Just below are some common questions asked followed by answers.

Questions On Gas Analysers Informations

• Do I have to be gas safe registered to use a gas analyser?
• What is the best gas analyser I can use?
• Where is the best place to buy a gas analyser?
• CO to CO2 Ration Table.
• What does a typical reading on a gas analyser look like?
• What should a print out from a gas analyser look like?
• How often should I get my gas analyser serviced?
• Where is the best place to get my gas analyser serviced?
• Would I need a box for my gas analyser upon pickup for gas analyser service?
• How long does it take to get my gas analyser serviced and returned?
• Is it ok to go out doing boiler breakdowns if I haven’t got a gas analyser?

Do I have to be gas safe registered to use a gas analyser

To use one of these you either have to be under supervision of a gas safe registered engineer for example: training to be a gas safe engineer, you MUST NOT use one of these if your not gas safe. The reason that you will not be able to use one of these is because it’s not the machine that is dangerous to use but what you are using it on. The appliance you use it on are what you are requiring to test the safety but by testing the safety, unless you are proven competent, in the eyes of the law, you are most likely going to commit an offence.

What is the best gas analyser I can use

Some of the must known gas analysers would be in order of popularity is the:

1. Kane.
2. Testo.
3. Anton.

The order of technical used gas analysers would be as followed:

1. Testo.
2. Kane.
3. Anton.

In order of the easiest gas analyser to use would be:

1. Anton.
2. Kane.
3. Testo.

So the answer to which gas analyser is the best to use would be to individual’s satisfaction.

Where is the best place to buy a gas analyser

The best place to buy a gas analyser is more a matter of opinion but is always good to do your homework first. I personal if you have enough money would buy the Testo 327-1 which will do everything you need it to do plus more but when searching for the best price, it all depends if theres a deal on at the time. I (Martin Smith) did a search online before asking the local plumbers merchant for a price, sometimes the local plumbers merchant are more expensive but if you catch them at the right time you may find them cheaper so the best thing would be is to spend about an hour searching on line, maybe call Testo direct and get a quote off your local plumbers merchant.

CO to CO2 Ratio Table

What does a typical reading on a gas analyser look like

If your wondering what a typical reading on the gas analyser looks like, as the Testo is my favourite, I have chosen the test readings on the right but also included to the right on what they are for just to make it a bit easier for you to understand. As shown in the table above I had build, the stack temperature is the temperature of how hot the stack is, if you have a gas safer above the boiler, the idea is that the temperature would be lower as the heat is re-used when running in hot water mode. The second lot of figures shown is the Oxygen % which also corresponds with the green shown in the table above. The third lot of figures is the CO PPM (Parts Per Million) which is shown in the blue at the top of the table. By using the figures in the green part of the table followed by the blue part of the table you will come up with the CO/CO2 Ratio hopefully in the white part of the table which are the last figures shown on the gas analyser. Once testing is complete it is very important to record and print as this becomes part of your prove for the work that has been done so far.

What should a print out from a gas analyser look like

To the left you will see what a print out from a gas analyser printer looks like. You will notice that we have colour coded some of the figures that will correspond with the CO/CO2 table above. The green is 5.8% which is the percentage of oxygen. The yellow 8.6% is the percentage of Carbon Dioxide. The blue 38 is the CO PPM (Parts Per Million).

The green, yellow and blue is then calculated together which makes up the white which in this picture is 0.0004.

This gas analyser print out was done by the Kane which is very similar to the other gas analysers. Remember it is always important to keep a copy of this as this becomes a part of your proof to show that you have done part of the safety checks.

How often should I get my gas analyser serviced

The gas analyser should be serviced on a yearly basis but there is sometimes confusion when owning a gas analyser when it comes with a 3-year guarantee or if it’s either not been used or small amount of use. It doesn’t matter if the machine is not being used at all, it’s a bit like a sandwich that has a sell by date 3-days later in it’s package, you can’t say I’ve not opened it 4-days later so why can’t I eat it after then. The fact is, there are parts in the gas analyser that go off after a period of time and therefor are unable to give the correct/accurate readings. If you use the analyser a day after it was suppose to be serviced (12-months) and this ended up in the result of the work not being done correctly, you become responsible, where the test will act as void and also pointless.

Where is the best place to get my gas analyser serviced

The best place to get your gas analyser serviced in Martin Smith’s opinion is always the manufacture but can also be done by a company that is authorised to service them.

Would I need a box for my gas analyser upon pickup for gas analyser service

If your having your gas analyser picked up for the post, you will need to provide your own box, but always make sure that the gas analyser is protected, because if there is any damage upon transit, you are most likely going to be responsible for the safe delivery of your own gas analyser. Remember to package the box in the same way you would like it returned to you. Don’t forget to include inside the box who you are and who the gas analyser belongs to as a precaution to make sure your gas analyser doesn’t get mixed up. In Martin Smith’s experience, on the return of the item, it came in a different box which was better than the box that was sent so what Martin Smith had done was to store the box for sending again in the future.

How long does it take to get my gas analyser serviced and returned

As my personal experience goes, I called Testo on the 18th May, the gas analyser was then picked up on the 19th, delivery confirmation on the 21st, quoted on the 26th and paid upon calling them. Received the gas analyser back on the 28th. So the answer to this would be 11-days. When asking fellow engineer about there experience, some would say a week where others have driven to where the work of servicing the gas analyser and getting it back within the hour.

Is it ok to go out doing boiler breakdowns if I haven’t got a gas analyser

If going out to do a boiler breakdown and you don’t have your gas analyser, you have to remember that you are responsible for the work that has been done, if your in a situation that you have to use the gas analyser but don’t have it, then you may have to treat the boiler as unsafe and either class it as AR or ID, where if you had a gas analyser, you may find the boiler to be safe. The difference can be that you may have to leave the customer with no hot water and central heating. If your finding yourself lucky which in most case you will do, the boiler problem will not be related to the safe workings of requiring to use your gas analyser but always remember, as your the last one working on the boiler, you may be responsible for it if any dangers were to occur.

If your gas safe as I presume you are when reading this, feel free to join us on our Plumbing Register to gain more work in plumbing emergencies and boiler breakdowns.