It is believed that only two categories of people need a breathalyzer – drivers and traffic police officers. In fact, the range of application of this device is much wider. For example, with its help, parents can control a teenager for drinking alcohol, there are other situations. I will tell you how to choose a breathalyzer for your home or business. We will also consider the types and principle of operation of such devices.
Breathalyzer – This is a device for quickly determining the concentration of alcohol in a person’s blood by analyzing the air exhaled by him. Usually the result is displayed in ppm – a unit denoting one thousandth.
Professional breathalyzers are called breathalyzers. The principle of their operation is the same, but the accuracy class is much higher than that of home models. In addition, breathalyzers, unlike breathalyzers, can make up to 70000 measurements per year. They are equipped with special printers and drives for printing the results or saving them in the device’s memory.
It is the breathalyzers that are used by the traffic police. These devices pass all the necessary tests, proving serviceability and correct operation. Only the testimony of certified breathalyzers is evidence in court, this should be remembered by all drivers.
The first breathalyzers appeared in the United States in the 30s. They only established the fact of the presence of alcohol in the blood, quantitative measurements in the first models were not available. A sample capable of making a quantitative assessment was invented in 1953. Since then, devices of this type have been widely used in many industries where sobriety testing is required.
The principle of operation of the breathalyzer
A person for some time (usually 5-6 seconds) inhales air into the breathalyzer through a special tube. When the device has collected enough material for analysis, a click or sound is heard, indicating that the breath can be stopped. Next, the received air is analyzed and after a while the measurement results appear on the screen.
The principle of operation of breathalyzers and their device are shown in the following video.
Breathalyzers are of the following types:
- semiconductor – burn alcohol vapor;
- electrochemical – the concentration of alcohol is determined using a special reagent that reacts with alcohol;
- photometric – alcohol vapor is absorbed by infrared radiation.
There are no fundamental differences between different types of sensors in the accuracy of the calculation, so you can choose any type of breathalyzer based on other parameters.
Tips for choosing a breathalyzer
When choosing, I advise you to focus on four parameters: functionality, frequency of use, price and ease of maintenance.
1. Functional purpose. First determine how the breathalyzer will be used. Enterprises should purchase certified devices. Then their testimony is official evidence of sobriety or intoxication of a person. Let me remind you that professional breathalyzers are called breathalyzers.
Personal breathalyzers are usually not certified. Their accuracy class is much lower than that of professional devices. If the error of a good breathalyzer is 0.1%, then a home breathalyzer can distort the result by 10% or even 20%.
Naturally, these measurement results can only be used for your own control or control of your loved ones. In any case, it is impossible to quickly remove alcohol from the body, so even a simple home breathalyzer allows you to accurately determine whether a person drank alcohol a few hours ago or not.
2. Frequency of use. Cheap models are recommended to be used no more than once or twice a week. For everyday measurements, you should choose more expensive breathalyzers worth 2-3 thousand rubles. Hundreds of samples per day can only be taken by special and professional breathalyzers used in enterprises and government agencies.
3. Price. Naturally, the more expensive the breathalyzer, the longer it lasts and shows the results more accurately. It is better to buy models from well-known manufacturers. Such brands of breathalyzers as “DRIVESAFE”, “Dingo” and “Drager Alcotest” have received worldwide recognition.
4. Service. Sooner or later, the sensor of any breathalyzer fails and needs to be replaced. Therefore, I advise you to buy those devices that are serviced in your city or allow you to replace the sensor yourself. In the second case, the sensors must be sold locally or you will order them via the Internet.
It is impossible to say unequivocally which breathalyzer is better than others, it all depends on its purpose. Therefore, the optimal model is selected based on their own needs. I recommend focusing on the average price range, where there are many noteworthy models.