Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • State Suggested Answer
  • Replies 7 replies
  • Answers 1 answer
  • Subscribers 159 subscribers
  • Views 457 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Looking for odor sensor

ocwo92

I'm looking for an odor sensor--specifically, one that senses those bathroom odors that make people reach for the air conditioner.

 

I realize it's possible to hook up a methane detector near the, ahem, exhaust, but this will only detect some odors. The contents of the John tend to produce an unpleasant smell that is often more persistent than the winds passed in the process.


Of course, a better-safe-than-sorry approach would be to decide that if someone is sitting on the can for some time, then they're probably doing big business and the fan should be turned on regardless of any smell. This would eliminate the indirect message telling you how you're affecting the climate, but for noise reduction purposes it might be better to leave the fan off until there's an actual use for it. (Which, I suppose, is a way of saying that only certain matter should hit the fan.)

 

But, does any such odor sensor actually exist?

Top Replies

Parents
  • 0

    I'm not sure what gasses cause the objectionable odor you have but here is a breakdown of the low-cost MQ series and what they are good at.

    It might be worth trying an MQ136....

    Arduino Playground - MQGasSensors

  • 0 in reply to dougw

    I may be mistaken here, but I think there are two main sources of the objectionable odor. One is when the occupant breaks a wind, in which case a CH4 or H2S sensor might pick up the scent, so to speak.

    But the major contributor to the smell, I think, is the stool. The stool smells because of a compound called skatole or 3-methylindole, which attaches itself to the atmospheric air already present in the room. So, its detection would seem to require a sensor that detects specific airborne compounds rather than gases.

    Of course, there's always room for experiments with various gas sensors, but in this case theory seems to indicate that using gas sensors is not the right idea.

Reply
  • 0 in reply to dougw

    I may be mistaken here, but I think there are two main sources of the objectionable odor. One is when the occupant breaks a wind, in which case a CH4 or H2S sensor might pick up the scent, so to speak.

    But the major contributor to the smell, I think, is the stool. The stool smells because of a compound called skatole or 3-methylindole, which attaches itself to the atmospheric air already present in the room. So, its detection would seem to require a sensor that detects specific airborne compounds rather than gases.

    Of course, there's always room for experiments with various gas sensors, but in this case theory seems to indicate that using gas sensors is not the right idea.

Children