Breathalyser sensors

Breath tester frequently asked questions 

Q. How do I select an accurate alcohol breath tester?

Many factors should be considered when selecting an alcohol tester. Accuracy should be the most important factor unless you are looking to purchase a novelty item at a very low cost. If you care about accuracy, then it is important to compare the accuracy levels listed in the specifications for each unit. You should consider the following factors to determine the accuracy of an alcohol tester:

1) Whether the alcohol tester is cleared by the recognised organisation in Australia e.g. SAI GLOBAL (Australian Standard), in US eg. FDA (Food and Drug Administratio), DOT (Department of Transportation), NHSA(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) .

2) Whether the alcohol tester captures a deep lung air sample and monitors pressure.

3) Whether the alcohol tester requires mouthpieces to minimise the impact of external air.

4) Whether the alcohol tester has good sensor accuracy in a controlled environment.

5) Whether the alcohol tester can be recalibrated.

Q. There are many types of alcohol sensor. Are they are the same ?

Mainly, there are three types of alcohol sensor technologies to measure breath alcohol level.

1. Semiconductor Sensor Standard Models (also known as Hot Wire) The presence of standard semiconductor units has increased rapidly over the past few years. The main advantage with these types of units is that they very cheap ( from $10 to $99). Most of the unit requires no mouthpieces. In a normal use condition, the unit will need to be recalibrated every 6-12 months.
Application for use : Personal, Gift, Promotional Item, Corporate Gift. Recommendation : AL2500, BACTrack

2. Semiconductor Sensor Professional Models Professional grade unit that meet strict requirements for approval and testing. These units have a built-in air flow detection and are programmed to test deep-lung air samples. These units can last long time as long as properly calibtrated and maintained. Sensor replacement is a must after ever 400-500 uses.
Application for use : Personal, Driver, Non Evidential Workplace Testing, Medical professional, Schools, Parents. Recommendation : AL6000Pro

3. Fuel Cell Sensor models.Fuel Cell units are the best sensor for the alcohol tester. They fuel cell units are used by police officers, medical professional, mining and transport industry. They are designed to test a hundreds of uses in a day. Professional grade semi conductor units and ful cell units have similar accuracy, but the fuel cell unit can give a more detailed results/ readings (3 decimals points reading e.g. 0.052 %BAC) . The disadvantage with the fuel cell breathalyser is that they are very expensive (normally 4 times more expensive than normal professional breathalyser). Sensor replacement is not required for fuel cell breath tester.
Application for use : Law Enforcer, Driver, Non Evidential Workplace Testing, Medical professional, Schools, Parents. Recommendation : AlcoSense Precision