Your experience with Methane Gas Sensor?

Using Arduino Sensors
1

Hello,
I am looking at the MQ-4, I am wondering what the sensitivity is.
I read the datasheet, "Detecting concentration: 200-10000ppm".
But since I'm not familiar with it, it doesn't tell me much.
If I am in a cow barn, will I reach 200ppm ?
Or (sorry) on a badly ventilated toilet, do I reach 200ppm ?
Does anyone have experience

Thanks,
Frank

2

I've never used one, but a bit of googling found me a few references to NIOSH limits for exposure (1000ppm), a reading over an open manure slurry pit of 580ppm and risk of explosion: 50,000ppm.

So the sensor range looks useful for deciding whether the environment is safe to work in.

Given the slurry reading though , I'm not sure that even with a poorly ventilated toilet, that sensor will ever detect methane.

Note though that those MQ sensors detect other gasses too, but they can't tell them apart, so you may get a reading from something else even though there's no methane there at all.

3

Thank you for your answer.
The toilet thing is more for fun.
I was thinking of a traffic light in front of the WC door, when no more methane is measured, then lights green :wink:
But that will probably not work when I read about the slurry pit.

Yes right, the MQ-4 also reacts to other gases.

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