Now you can put your fears regarding leaked LPG cylinders to rest. A city-based entrepreneur has developed a gadget which sets off an alarm in the event of a gas leak or pressure fluctuation in the LPG cylinder.
All you need to do is plug in the gadget, which is about twice the size of a soap box, and it can ‘smell’ a leak which is up to four rooms away, said K T Ajayakumar, who runs the Thankam Gas Agencies at Vazahayila.
‘’I decided to make one after reading about LPG explosions in the newspapers. It is perhaps the first of its kind here,’’ he said. ‘’With every home using LPG cylinders, gas leaks too have become common and there is no way to be forewarned about it, except by the smell. By it’s too late sometimes. This device, which I’ve named ‘Gas Detector’, can detect even the faintest trace of a leak,’’ Ajayakumar, who has a number of other inventions to his name, said. The handy gadget was tested successfully at a Technopark food court the other day. The food court was interested in the experiment as part of plans to upgrade safety measures. It took Ajayakumar two-and-a-half months and Rs 22,000 to develop it. ‘’But mass production will bring its cost down to Rs 2,500 per unit. If any company or the government is prepared I’m interested in developing it on a commercial basis,’’ he said. Ajayakumar is married to Sreekala. The couple has two children, Aromal and Archa.