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Outside laser spotting smoke or fog

K

kenshannon

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Forgive me if this is out there but I certainly couldn't find it.

What color and power laser would be needed to help identify white smoke (or fog) leaking from an enclosure in day light from less than 30 feet away? The thought is to get the laser strong enough to reflect off the smoke (thus illuminating the beam) but no so strong that it is visible when smoke is not present. Heavy smoke can easily be identified with the naked eye. It is only when the smoke is a bit diluted that it becomes more difficult to spot and thus the need for illumination.

So, again, your opinions on color and power of the laser is appreciated.

Thanks,
Ken
 





Asherz

Asherz

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Well for starters you would definitly want to get a 532nm green laser, as that is the wavelength that the human eye is most sensitive too. As for power I would think that anything above 5mW would illuminate smoke duringthe day, depends if it conflicting with the law is a problem, in the US anything above 5mW in power is illegal, but you can purhcase it above that power easily, if you wanted to be definitly sure you could see the beam in dilluted smoke go with a 30mW greenie.

I'm by no means an expert so wait until a few people to post so you get a general idea :)
 
E

ElektroFreak

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For maximum visibility, always go with green. The more power the better if you're spotting smoke in daylight.. Buy the highest power you can afford.

EDIT: sorry asherz.. posted at the same time.
 
K

kenshannon

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Wow, above 5 mW illegal? Odd that there are so many sites offering them. Even if used by a "Professional"?
 
Switch

Switch

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Are you sure lasers are being used this way? Cause the way I imagine it, smoke that isn't already visible won't show a beam from a laser in daylight unless the laser is pretty powerful, considerably more than 30mW of green I would think. :/
 
rog8811

rog8811

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If this is for a professional, say a fire officer or for a research institution, I cannot believe that you could not get a licence to buy/own/use one over 5mw.... but what do I know about US law......:undecided:... nada really but you could do some research on it.

Deffo green like everyone above has said, even a <5mw might be worth a try, you need to be looking down the beam as if you were sighting a rifle.


Regards rog8811
 
K

kenshannon

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Good thoughts. I don't know if it is being used this way but it seems like a logical application. For laser shows, a fine mist is used to enhance the visibility of the laser (look up "mist machines"). Here the mist is pretty diluted. The smoke alarm won't work because I am looking for leaks outside an enclosure up to 30 feet away. Guess I could tape a smoke alarm to a long pole but it seems the laser would be easier to wield.

Thanks,
Ken
 
WRM

WRM

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spotting smoke

It all seems like a lot of effort just to catch your teenage kids smoking a joint in the shed.....
 
Mr_Lazo

Mr_Lazo

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I know this may seem a bit of an overkill, but it seems to me like the best thing for scanning like that would be a mid-level green with a line projector (either a diffraction lense, liquid sky, or simply a green laser level). Otherwise, your search area is going to be infinitecimally small (the width of a laser beam).

There are ready-made green laser levels on the market that won't brake the bank. And that way you'll gat a multi-application tool. (Hippie buster AND laser level -- what more could you ask for?!)
 
K

kenshannon

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Good idea. I think I will try a couple of things and see what works best. NO DAD, We don't have any more potato chips!
 
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