If you’ve had persistent problems with gas odors and have tried to locate a gas leak using soap bubbles or another style detector but were not successful, give the TIF8900 a try.

TIF-8900 Combustible Gas Leak DetectorThe TIF8900 sounds like a geiger counter as it sniffs out leaks of natural or LP gas (and other flamables.)  As you get closer to the leak and the concentration increases, the ticks get closer together and more red LED’s will light.

The meter has a sensitivity adjustment that makes it easy to “zero in” on leak sources quickly.  It only has a 30-second warm up and will run for up to 4 hours on its rechargeable batteries.

The sensing probe is on the end of a 18″ stainless steel flexible shaft that will easily bend and then retain the shape.  This makes it easy to check the “back side” of a pipe fitting or mechanical assembly.  The probe and body give the meter almost a 28″ extended reach, which is convenient for “walking” a gas line in a basement.

I’ve had a Tif8800a, the grandfather of these meters, for almost 20 years and have used it to find gas pipe leaks inside walls and ceilings (through holes cut into the drywall), furnaces, boilers, stoves and ovens.  It is still working! It is sensitive enough to detect small leaks at gas shut-off valves and through the aluminum bodies of automatic gas valves in equipment.  These are the kinds of leaks that you’ll only get a “whiff” of, but will become noticeable when the room has been closed and undisturbed for a period of time.

This detector is simple to operate and works every time.  The batteries take a couple of hours to fully charge.  The unit comes with a protective case, rechargeable batteries and battery charger.

Tif-8900 at Amazon.com

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