Sensorcon battery life - informal test over 6 months

[Bolter]

I bought a new Sensorcon CO detector earlier, February of this year, and tossed the old one in my pickup truck.  I am not sure which day I actually put it in the truck, but it was at least May of 2024, if not April.  Let's say at least 7 months or more than 4500 hours.  Turned it on and left it on.  It is still going, and working.  I have no idea what the accumulated time was on the old one, but it was bought in 2017 after Dan arranged the discount for us.  In that 7 years, I flew about 600-700 hours.  Does that mean it has been on for over 5000 hours?  Most probably.

I used to berate myself everytime I forgot to turn it off after a flight.  I now realize it does not really matter if I forget it many times.

I plan to keep it on until it dies, and will update this thread then.

[Fly Boomer]

5 hours ago, Bolter said:

I plan to keep it on until it dies, and will update this thread then.

Excellent PIREP.  Thanks!

[Pinecone]

FYI, just because the battery is still good, does not mean that the sensor is still working properly.

 

[EricJ]

They use very little current, so they're supposed to last a long time even when on continuously.   A buddy of mine left his on all the time and it started complaining about being out of cal, so I think that's one of the downsides of leaving it on.    I turn mine off when not in use, and I'm on my original unit and battery from when many of us bought them right after Dan's accident.   It's still going fine and hasn't complained about anything.

 

[Bolter]

1 hour ago, Pinecone said:

FYI, just because the battery is still good, does not mean that the sensor is still working properly.

 

Specifcally, mine was in the calibration warning stage, and it was jsut easier to buy a new one.  This is definitely out of calibration, but it will read something occasionally, so I believe it works, even if not accurate to within factory standards.  I did actually find that I got a notable non-zero reading one day when leaves (Seattle, 4 seasons) had clogged the cabin air inlet of the pickup, so it was sucking air from somewhere else.  Values dropped back to zero after clearing the leaves out.  That was unexpected.

[flyboy0681]

I've had several Sensorcon's and around the two year mark (of leaving it constantly on) it flashes "EOL" for End of Life.

[Bolter]

3 minutes ago, flyboy0681 said:

I've had several Sensorcon's and around the two year mark (of leaving it constantly on) it flashes "EOL" for End of Life.

Based on mine, the calibration interval is longer than 2 years, so it is still good advice to turn it off during prolonged non-use.  But never a problem to forget, even for days at a time.