Mike
Most clubs that are well into mines surely have at least one gas detector
(normally an oxygen deficiency detector as a minimum, although the carbon
dioxide level is probably a better measurand in a mine). I am a member of
the SCMC (Shropshire Caving & Mining Club) and our club has one. It does
need looking after, servicing and calibrating and I'm sure the Tackle
Officer would be happy to talk to you.
There are several companies in the UK who make gas detectors and you can buy
one that will detect oxygen deficiency, carbon dioxide, methane and various
others all in one unit if that's you want. They are generally quite reliable
these days and there must be fairly rugged versions available for use in
sewers etc.
I used to be a safety rep at work and we had an area where the carbon
dioxide levels regularly got too high and we relied on detectors to turn on
big extractor fans. However although this was proper professionally made
equipment it turned out not to be at all reliable; the manufacturer's excuse
was that the air was too dry and it allowed the detector heads to dry out.
We were advised to put a bowl of water under each detector!
If you are interested in a really long but very interesting talk to an
expert, Alex Hamm (an ex-coalminer) whose son runs a company called Gasex
(address - Gasex Engineering Works, Frome Road, Radstock, Somerset) is
fascinating. At their base they have a lot of historic mines rescue
equipment and they have a training facility that is used by all sorts of
organisations. He is an expert on current gas detectors as well as a
fascinating person to talk to. The NAMHO meeting last October was in
Radstock Museum and we visited Gasex afterwards - everyone there agreed it
was a really good visit. [Incidentally as Alex told us it's pronounced Gas
X, not gay sex!].
If you want more details on any of the above contact me off-line.
I tried a search on the internet using the search engine www.traffick.com
(which combines the results from several other web search engines) with
various combinations of the words
gas detector uk mining
and normally this gives 30 - 40 hits. About 10 of these look like useful
contacts.
Roger
http://www.wmtrust.free-online.co.uk/ << take a look at our old site
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/mansionoffice << before our new site (currently
under development) replaces it.
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 18 August 2000 13:04
Subject: Air testing equipment
> Can any one advise me about portable oxygen level meters and suppliers of
air
> testing equipment generally. Mike Clinch Kent Underground research Group.
>
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