I am building a Hydrogen Sulphide gas detector for battery charging rooms using a MQ-136 sensor. I have searched everywhere for the answer to this question:-
Can the sensor be powered continuously? I saw a forum comment (in french) on stack exchange saying if the MQ sensors are left powered on they will burn out in less than a week. No-one seemed to challenge this statement.
I'm wanting to leave the sensor heater powered 24/7 so it can detect for gas as batteries are often left on charge over weekends and overnight. The system will disconnect the chargers if gas is detected from an overcharged or faulty battery. I could write code to take readings every hour with the sensor turned off in between but the sensor would not last long if it only has a lifespan of a week.
I'm thinking more that the forum post is wrong but I need confirmation from someone who has used the MQ series of sensors. There's nothing in the datasheet to suggest you can't power them continuously.
Can anyone offer any advice?