Sensors are not install-and-forget: EC cells expire, RH films foul, pressure diaphragms suffer overpressure. Without lifecycle planning you get silent drift, surprise failures, or wasted swaps. Senseiot recommends asset-style sensor management—this article covers lifetime drivers, maintenance intervals, and storage practice.
Lifetime Models: Consumable vs Stable
Consumables: EC gas (1–3 years), galvanic O₂, dose-limited by exposure, humidity, silicone poison.
Stable: NDIR CO₂ (5–15 years optical drift), Pt100, piezo pressure (decade-scale with calibration).
MOS/MEMS sit between—policy by environment. Categories in the Product Catalog.
Factors That Shorten Life
Exposure dose accelerates EC catalyst loss; intermittent low levels extend life.
Thermal cycling and condensation stress packaging—spec industrial -40–85 °C when needed.
Shock, overpressure, lightning, ESD cause instant loss—log incidents separately from wear-out.
Maintenance and Calibration Intervals
Baseline: EC toxic 6-month check + 12-month cal; MOS combustible 12-month; NDIR 12–24 months; RH 6–12 months; pressure 12 months.
Halve intervals for safety loops; indicative IAQ needs trend review if extended.
CMMS fields: PN, serial, install, last/next cal, environment—see Industry Applications O&M guides.
Replacement Criteria
Replace when zero/span fails, T90 doubles, noise exceeds spec, or poison indicators change color.
RH zero >5% dry after cleaning; pressure stuck reading indicates diaphragm breach.
Condition-based beats calendar-only—but proactive EC swap near end-of-life avoids night failures.
Storage and Shipping
Uninstalled EC: sealed, 0–25 °C dry dark, no solvent vapor; rotate stock beyond six months.
MOS stores unpowered; full preheat on first use; MEMS in ESD bags.
Ship pressure with port caps; RH with desiccant—bad storage drives early field failure.
Predictive Maintenance with IoT
Track EC bias drift, NDIR ABC offset, RH hysteresis width, vibration RMS trends.
Cloud rules trigger work orders and spare parts when drift rates exceed limits.
Senseiot gateways log runtime hours and diagnostics—Product Catalog and Request a Quote.
Cost Optimization and Vendor Support
Scheduled bulk swaps cut truck rolls; consignment spares for multi-site fleets.
Modular probe heads save labor—verify firmware compatibility on replacements.
Senseiot lifespan summaries, SOPs, spare kits, and Industry Application O&M contracts.