mom Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 [QUOTE]Michael Shaw - 2006-03-14 10:09 PM I could not calibrate the ppm but the scale 1* (slow &/or weak response) to 3* (rapid/strong response)will give a ROUGH indication of the detector's sensitivity: methane*** butane*** propane*** acetone*** propanol** aftershave(as predicted!)* toluene*** xylene*** benzene/petrol *** ethanol* ; [/QUOTE] I purchased an EtherAlert EA1200 last week and trialed it at a safe CL in my small VW campervan last weekend. It responded well to a small amount of unburned butane/propane from the cooker, but I have not yet tested it with an ether-based product. What concerned me a little was that my wife and I were awoken at around 1 am by approx 5 beeps of the alarm. It stopped beeping by itself, just before I got to the 12V plug, so I left it on for a time and there were no more false alarms; though I did then switch it off for the remainder of the night. I am looking for an explanation as to what set it off. I must say that we had celebrated that evening with a few glasses of champagne and red wine. Indeed, perhaps a little more than a few! Based on the findings of ethanol above, I am wondering if breath alcohol in a small van enclosure could set off the alarm? I will do some more experimenting this weekend!, but seriously I need this alarm to work for an upcoming trip to Eastern Europe. On a second note, and along the lines of earlier postings calling for more "information" on all of this, I have always wondered if there is a van-profile associated with thefts, whether or not ether was used. In other words, are small vans more or less likely to be robbed than larger ones? Does the newness of the vehicle factor in to it, or any other indicators of affluence? There may be things that could be done to "tone down" a van in certain high-risk regions; things like TV aerials and dishes not being on display, for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passionwagon Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 (!) Just a thought if there are gas attackers out there why attack a motorhome whith unknown and relative low value when they could go for truck cabs and take trailer loads of products. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Mom: I'm a mite wary of suggesting this, but if your gas-detector has a One Star sensitivity to ethanol but a Three Star sensitivity to methane, and you had been living it up that evening food- and drink-wise... well, need I say more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 [QUOTE]passionwagon - 2006-07-18 6:21 PM (!) Just a thought if there are gas attackers out there why attack a motorhome whith unknown and relative low value when they could go for truck cabs and take trailer loads of products. :-S[/QUOTE] If you believe what you read, this too, happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 [QUOTE]Derek Uzzell - 2006-07-18 6:45 PM Mom: I'm a mite wary of suggesting this, but if your gas-detector has a One Star sensitivity to ethanol but a Three Star sensitivity to methane, and you had been living it up that evening food- and drink-wise... well, need I say more?[/QUOTE] Derek, I hadn't considered methane as an option!!!! I approached my wife with your ideas and she quickly explained that she "didn't do that sort of thing" and that any contributions would surely have been my own! Of course I agree with her!, and will endeavour to show more constraint during our next trip!!! Thinking more broadly, an alcohol/methane cocktail is a kind of anti-theft device in it's own right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 I've followed this subject for a few years now and as yet haven't actually spoken to anyone with a believable story of actually being gassed (I do speak to lots of motorhome owners in the course of my business). However I've been very interested in the thread and the scietific minds applying themselves to this subject, not least of which was Derek's comment about accidental methane production and possible false alarms being caused. So in the interests of science and furthering public knowledge (cos I'm a generous soul) I purchased one of these gas alarms to test. To prepare I consumed 14 pints of Old Horny real ale and a Donner Kebab (which normally has the desired effect) and when I found my house ( it turned out to be right where I left it) I took the alarm out to the shed to conduct my test. I placed the alarm on the ground after checking it had a good battery and was functioning ok. I then lowered my lower body apparel and assumed the most suitable position to await the obvious outcome. Sadly I squeezed a little too hard! Anybody wanna buy a slightly soile gas alarm???? D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 oh god now i know why i keep reading this mmm forum stuff soh brilliant got me laughing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olley Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Hi excellent, sums up my views on gas attacks "crap" olley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Sorry about that, I just couldn't resist it! I'm not convinced about gas attack stories but I'm not ruling the possibility out altogether. it is doubtful if MMM will commission an article from an unknown source based on a presis of the article but they will often use articles submitted in their entirety so it's far better to do the research, write the article and submit it along with any contact details for verification of points raised. I know the Editors do receive an awful lot of articles and there simply isn't room to print all of them so it may be some months before a submitted article appears in print, if at all. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.