Our Exhaust sensor is the universal name of what we sometimes call our Resin or Gelcoat sensor. As the name implies, this sensor is activated by the exhaust of the pump in use. Calibration is the same no matter the material being used.

As you probably already know, the sensor is activated by the exhaust of the pump. The gust of air pushes up the internal pellet with a magnet which in turn trips the sensor, sends a signal to the monitor which displays the material used according to the calibration setting.

Sometimes it is possible that the sensor isn’t counting the way it should. This can be caused by a few different things.

The most common, is that over time, buildup of moisture or other particles can be present inside the aluminum housing of the sensor. This can cause the hindrance of the pellet not being able to move like it is supposed to. In this case, you would want to clean out the inside with some rubbing alcohol and just cotton swabs. It is not difficult to disassemble and re assemble the sensor

 

Another possibility is that the white adjustable side screw is not set correctly. This screw has a magnet that helps gravity pull down the sensor after it has been pushed up by the exhaust. However, if it too far in, the the magnet can possibly overcome the power of the exhaust and the pellet wiont move. If it is too far out, then if some moisture and/or grit and other material particles are in the housing, then the pellet will become stuck in the up position. Adjusting the screw is easy and there is a generous “sweet spot.” So try adjusting the screw and see if that fixes the issue.

If the above doesn’t solve the problem, then the next thing to check is the cable itself. When we install sensors and the cables that go with them, we try to accommodate for the various possible intrusions the path of the cable may encounter, but sometimes accidents happen. Check along the cable to see if there is any breaks or other obvious issues.

If everything seems ok with the cable itself, then the next thing to check would be the black connectors at each end of the cable. Sometimes these can become damaged, or even the cable itself could have been pulled from the connector for whatever reason.

In cases where moisture or particles issues are going to be an on going issue, we also have what we call our Mechanical Sensor. We installed this sensor on a moving part of the pump, such as the slave arm.

The moving part that the mechanical sensor is attached too brings the sensor down or next to a magnet, which then sends the signal to the monitor. The monitor counts the usage according to the calibration setting.

The calibration procedure is the same as our regular exhaust sensor used for resin and gelcoat.

It is rare for the actual sensors we use in our various components to go bad, but it can happen every now and then. At this point, if the above doesn’t solve the issue, then give us a call at 888-222-9828 and we will go from there.