Author Topic: Did your PM sensor pick up smoke from 4th of July fireworks?  (Read 1185 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline quailvalleywx

  • Senior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 67
I was looking at my PM2.5 sensor (PMS7003) history and noticed a big spike about an hour after a number of large local fireworks displays ended. What surprised me initially was the fireworks display very close to the West of me should have had the smoke blow West, away from my sensor, considering the wind was from the East at that time. I did have a large display East of me. Ah-ha moment - that was probably smoke from that display. It started to rain near the end of the peak reading so that would explain the sharp drop. The dewpoint was very high too so maybe explaining some of the overall elevated the reading. A couple Purple Air stations North of me also had higher readings so my sensor reading was not an anomaly.

Anybody else with PM sensors detecting fireworks smoke? How high of a reading?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
WS-1400-IP, Galaxy S3 for cloud cam and Web Server
QV Website | Source Code | WU | WC | PWS | MesoWest/CWOP

Offline Bunty

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2429
  • Stillwater, home of Oklahoma State University
    • Welcome to Stillwater Weather
Re: Did your PM sensor pick up smoke from 4th of July fireworks?
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2019, 02:58:06 AM »
My reading peaked out at 92 around midnight.  The only public display was over two miles nw of me, so with a south wind lightly blowing, doubt much was coming from there.  So probably the peak came from backyard displays.  It was sometimes noisy from them after I got back home from the 20 minute public display at the lake.



Also the 2nd home page using modified AltDashboard 6.95 at http://stillwaterweather.com/2ndhome.php

Offline galfert

  • Global Moderator
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6822
Re: Did your PM sensor pick up smoke from 4th of July fireworks?
« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2019, 08:37:50 AM »
 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

That was my charcoal grill followed by neighbor's fireworks and then the city's fireworks later 2 miles away. Look how long the smoke from the city fireworks lasted. All the way till the next morning. There was little or no wind through the night. It took the next mornings winds to clear the air.
« Last Edit: July 07, 2019, 11:30:24 AM by galfert »
Ecowitt GW1000 | Meteobridge on Raspberry Pi
WU: KFLWINTE111  |  PWSweather: KFLWINTE111
CWOP: FW3708  |  AWEKAS: 14814
Windy: pws-f075acbe
Weather Underground Issue Tracking
Tele-Pole

Offline DaleReid

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2002
    • Weather at Eau Claire, WI
Re: Did your PM sensor pick up smoke from 4th of July fireworks?
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2019, 10:31:12 AM »
I like the smell of black powder, at least in the distance, or a bit.  Does remind me of fireworks.

On the other hand if my sensor (nose) can smell brats, burgers, fireworks or pine tree smoke from Canada hundreds of miles away, I assume something is in the air that the sensor might pick up. 

How about some diesel truck idling in the next door neighbor's driveway?  Can that peak on a sensor's readout?
ECWx.info
&
ECWx.info/t/index.php

Offline galfert

  • Global Moderator
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6822
Re: Did your PM sensor pick up smoke from 4th of July fireworks?
« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2019, 11:26:06 AM »
I like the smell of black powder, at least in the distance, or a bit.  Does remind me of fireworks.

On the other hand if my sensor (nose) can smell brats, burgers, fireworks or pine tree smoke from Canada hundreds of miles away, I assume something is in the air that the sensor might pick up. 

How about some diesel truck idling in the next door neighbor's driveway?  Can that peak on a sensor's readout?

Most probably yes the PM2.5 will pick up your neighbor's diesel fumes if they leave the truck running in the driveway. I don't have a neighbor with a diesel truck but every time the landscapers come with their big mowers to do my lawn or the neighbor's lawn my PM2.5 sensor picks up the mower fumes and grass clippings and debris from mowing. My PM2.5 sensor even pickups up my lawn maintenance fertilizer service when the guy pushes that little cart with the spreader or when they spray insecticide. Which makes you wonder if you should perhaps stay clear of the area while these things are occurring. Especially if you have little kids, elderly, or other individuals with sensitive health problems. Maybe even be concerned if you are healthy, as who knows what being exposed to insecticides can do to us. Having a PM2.5 sensor has certainly made me more aware.

When I first got my PM2.5 sensor and I started to notice these spikes it drew my attention wondering why that was happening while I wasn't home. I reviewed my security cameras for the time of the spike and sure enough there was either the lawn being cut or fertilizer being spread or insecticide being sprayed.

PM2.5 sensors are neat. Pollen season is also captured.
Ecowitt GW1000 | Meteobridge on Raspberry Pi
WU: KFLWINTE111  |  PWSweather: KFLWINTE111
CWOP: FW3708  |  AWEKAS: 14814
Windy: pws-f075acbe
Weather Underground Issue Tracking
Tele-Pole

Offline Tln7559

  • Slangenbeek
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 33
    • Weather&PV Hengelo_Slangenbeek
Re: Did your PM sensor pick up smoke from 4th of July fireworks?
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2019, 03:11:15 AM »
2 AirQuality-Setups in operation: see http://www.vannwnhzn.nl/Meteo_Dust00E.html
SDS011 is the 'better' PM-sensor, GP2Y10 is 'just experiment'.
Related T&H-sensors:
BME280 is 'OK', DHT22 is 'so-so'

The PM-Sensors show events otherwise (quantatively) unnoticed:
NewYear Fireworks, EasterFires, Pollen, Sahara-dust and Fires/BBQs to mention a few.
Sometimes unexpected, accidental  events like me once paint-spraying a meteo-housing (=> peak in curves due to paint-particles) or
highpressure jetcleaning the path-surface below the sensor-setup (=> peak in curves due to excessive water-vapour/-particles).

Example of recent fire at garbage dump at 4 miles distance (wit low wind blowing in our direction).

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
« Last Edit: July 14, 2019, 11:37:39 AM by Tln7559 »
Sensors: TFA_Nexus + LaCrosse_WS7000 + Tempest + Ecowitt + DIY
Software: WsWin + WeeWX + Domoticz + GW1000 + Meteobridge

Offline DaleReid

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2002
    • Weather at Eau Claire, WI
Re: Did your PM sensor pick up smoke from 4th of July fireworks?
« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2019, 07:28:48 AM »
Thank you for this wonderful summary.

Looks like one more 'fun' thing to do with our passion for monitoring our weather and environment.

I'll look at the detailed graph and all that it contains with a more studied review when I can later today.

Once again, thank you.
Dale
ECWx.info
&
ECWx.info/t/index.php