Gastec Smoke Tubes - How do they work?

Gastec smoke tubes are used in the field or workplace to visualise airflow behaviour within air ducts, and to detect leaks within fume hoods. The tubes can generate white smoke to provide a visual of the leaks/air flow. The slightest air movements can be seen by eye so that the origin, course and speed can be tracked.

A smoke tube is used to produce smoke to test air quality in buildings and other enclosed spaces. Usually the tube is long and hollow with a heating element at one end and a means of producing smoke at the other end.

The smoke is created by burning a substance such as a cigarette or paper, the smoke is then blown through the tube and into the space you are testing. This allows professionals to determine the flow of air and/or the effectiveness of ventilation systems

These smoke tubes contain a reagent that will react with moisture in the air to produce a white smoke cloud that floats freely as it has the same density as ambient air. These tubes can be used for:

• Testing performance of fume hoods
• Detecting leaks from air ducts
• Airflow in chimneys

The industries these are used in are:

• Mining
• Chemical plants for pipeline leak detection
• Installing air conditioning and ventilation systems

These tubes are easy to use, just follow the instructions below:

• Break off both ends of the smoke tube and attach a rubber squeeze bulb to one end
• Squeeze the bulb in the area you want to test, when squeezed a chemical reaction produces the white smoke

You will need a tube tip breaker to break the ends of the tube. These Gastec tubes are wrapped in a transparent film to hold glass pieces and the contents of the tube if dropped/smashed.

Gastec smoke tubes have several benefits for testing air quality and ventilation systems such as:

• The smoke is easily visible to show engineers the flow of air and/or identify areas of inadequate ventilation
• These tubes can be used in a variety of applications and environments
• The smoke can help identify potential health and safety hazards - poor air quality and inadequate ventilation

Full Gastec smoke kit SKU - 1193867

The Gastec smoke tube kit can be found here, with replacement tubes available here.

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