Frequently Asked Questions

PureAire oxygen deficiency monitors and analyzers can be used for nitrogen, argon, helium. Carbon dioxide can be detected with the dual O2/CO2 monitor.

Most gas detection companies use oxygen sensors with an electrochemical sensor or fuel cell. These sensors are built to operate for 1 to 2 years and are designed to be thrown away at the end of their lifespan. In fact, fuel cells have a shelf life. These products do not offer long-term solutions for companies.

In contrast, PureAire uses a proprietary zirconium sensor, which is a solid-electrolyte based technology that is designed to last for 10 years with no replacement. Zirconium sensors use direct electrical current rather than battery technology, which is how electrochemical sensors operate.

This unique construction makes PureAire’s sensors the most accurate, reliable and long-lasting products on the market.

PureAire’s sensors are designed to last for at least 10 years with no replacement required. Often sensors work much longer. In fact, some of our first customers who started using PureAire products in 1997 report that their sensors are still working.

If you use an oxygen monitor with an electrochemical type sensor, which is most oxygen sensors on the market, then you will need to replace your sensor every one to two years. Electrochemical or fuel-type sensor are like a battery and over time begin to lose their responsiveness. To operate accurately, and keep the facility safe, electrochemical sensors must be calibrated frequently.

No PureAire products use electrochemical or fuel cell sensors, so if you are using one of our products, you will not need to replace the sensor for at least 10 years.

When you switch to a zirconium sensor from PureAire, you’ll save time and money. Our sensors need no maintenance or calibration to work properly, which means better protection for your facility.

If you are using an electrochemical sensor, you will need to calibrate the unit every 2 to 3 months and replace the unit every year or every other year.

PureAire oxygen sensors do not require the typical calibration like the electrochemical sensors, and they last significantly longer than other O2 monitors to save you thousands over the lifetime of the unit.

PureAire’s sensors calibrate themselves through a unique process, where the sensor is exposed to 99.9 percent nitrogen, known concentration, or oxygen reducing gas which pushes the level below 20.9 percent before it quickly recovers. This happens with no trigger from you. However, you should check the sensors every 6 or 12 months to verify that the unit is working properly. Verification is easy and instructions are provided with every sensor. If your sensor needs an adjustment, you can use the menu under the settings to do so.

Since PureAire monitors do not need to be calibrated, we do not recommend you purchase calibration gas.

Oxygen sensors that use an electrochemical sensor are more susceptible to sensor drift or inaccurate readings due to the way the sensor is put together.

Electrochemical sensors are comparable to batteries in that they lose power over time and must be calibrated. Calibration recharges and resets the unit so it reads accurately. It’s important to note that electrochemical sensors can be charged a finite amount of times, so when the sensor’s power output is depleted it must be thrown away.

PureAire’s oxygen sensors use zirconium, which is naturally less susceptible to sensor drift or inaccurate readings. By switching to O2 sensors from PureAire, you can enjoy the most long lasting, reliable, and accurate oxygen deficiency monitor available.

This is a very common question. It may be easy to calculate the volume of a room, but cryogenic gases — including argon, helium, and nitrogen — are unpredictable.

We recommend that one sensor be installed for every 20 x 20 feet to ensure that your facility is covered. Additionally, we recommend that sensors be installed 3 to 5 feet away from a cryogenic gas cylinder and 3 to 5 feet off the ground for maximum accuracy and efficiency.

In most circumstances, PureAire recommends the oxygen monitor to be installed 3 to 5 feet away from a gas cylinder or a cryogenic gas line. So employees can see the monitor and verify its performance, we recommend mounting oxygen sensors 3 to 5 feet off the ground.

There are many other configurations for mounting. For instance, PureAire sensors can be sampled from up to 100 feet away using ¼ inch tubing or installed within a glovebox, freezer, gas line, sealed chamber, or even underground. O2 monitors from PureAire can work in environments that require KF-25 flanges and in a nitrogen/argon enriched environment as well.