Getting to Know the Types of Alarms That May Be Encountered

 

The GasAlertQuattro is designed to alarm the user of the presence of potentially dangerous gases. the alarms need to be looked over. Failure to appreciate the differences between different notifications can present a possibly dangerous situation. A more detailed look at these alarms can be found beginning on page 14 of the user’s manual. These are accompanied by visual displays that will aid in their quick identification. Let us take a quick look at environmental warning alarms as well as those that may signal a fault with the system.

 

Gaseous Alarms

 


The first type of system alerts are alarms that signify the presence of harmful gases in the immediate area. This category of alarm will cause audible alarms: either upward, downward, or alarms that will alternate between the two. This is the quickest way to determine that there is a dangerous gas close by. Along with the tones, the black box that is seen to be around the gas (on the display) will flash. The monitor will also vibrate. Users don't always see or hear or feel the monitor so all three alarm types give the best possible alert to gases.

 

The main categories for these alarms are:

 

  • Low gas alarms (as in oxygen)
  • High gas concentration alarms
  • TWA alarms (time-weighted average) alarms
  • STEL alarms (short-term exposure limit) alarms
  • Multi alarms
  • Over-the-limit (OL) alarms

 

System Alerts

 

There are alarms that indicate a problem with the unit itself. These will include sensor failure, a low battery, or a critical battery alarm. The main observed difference between these notification and gaseous alarms is that as opposed to upward or downward tones, a series of beeps or sirens will be activated. The main categories of these alarms are:

 

  • Low/critical battery
  • Confidence/compliance
  • Sensor failure (simply displayed with an “x” in the center of the screen)
  • System shutdown

 

Another useful feature on the unit is known as a latching alarm. This makes it so that you will have to manually acknowledge an alarm before it will turn off. The monitor will continue to alert even after the gas levels have returned to normal until you press the pushbutton. Depending on where you work, this feature may be mandatory.

 

This is a general overview of some of the basic alarm features and their significance. The owner’s manual will display a thorough summary of the sounds and indicators for each alarm as well as pictures of what the LCD screen will display.