Sensor & Device FAQs

Maxtec offers the best warranties in the industry. Most of our sensors come with their own TWO year warranty, separate from that of the TWO year warranty on our analyzers. All of our sensors have equal or greater warranties than that of the OEM. Warranty periods are calculated from the date of product receipt by the customer.

• Store sensors upright with the membrane facing down at room temperature.
• Absolute shipping/storage temperature range is -15 to +50°C (+5 to +120 °F).
• Use FIFO inventory management to keep sensors fresh.
• Do not expose sensors to vacuum, high pressure, shock or vibration.
• Do not expose sensors to acidic or organic solvent vapors, chlorine (bleach), ozone or dust.
• Recognize that pressure, temperature, relative humidity and exposure to oxygen will all affect the useful life of galvanic oxygen sensors.

You simply need to call Maxtec with the serial number. If the sensor is under warranty, the Maxtec Customer Service representative will provide you with an RMA number. If a sensor is under warranty, Maxtec requests that the sensor be sent back to Maxtec so it can be tested. This process helps Maxtec to identify problems and notice problematic trends that a sensor may have. Please send all sensors to 2305 South 1070 West, Salt Lake City, Utah 84119.

Yes. Maxtec has been manufacturing oxygen sensors for over 20 years and offers oxygen sensor solutions for multiple large OEM companies, world-wide.

• Connectors: The customizability is fairly wide open. If you don’t have a connector we’re already using, it’s not very difficult to make something new for your unique application. The process of customizing connectors is typically a 2-3 month process
• Voltage output: This is more difficult to customize than connectors. Our ranges are around 8.5 to 17mv because we have the components available to cover this range. Anything outside of this range would include R&D time, which could be around a 6 month project.
• Response Time: We don’t have a lot of flexibility in regards to customizable response time, as Maxtec mainly specializes in 15-second response time. While we do buy/sell sensors with faster response times, we specialize in 15.
• End-of-Life Dates: We offer two different life sensors, the Max-125 series, which is 500,000 %o2 hours with a warranty of 1 year, and the max 250 and 550, which are 1.5 million %o2 hours, with a 2 year warranty. Our sensors function similar to that of a battery, where the more you use it, the shorter it lasts.
• Labeling: Labeling can get a little tricky. For customers in the industrial market, it probably wouldn’t be a problem to get custom labeling, but it’s not possible with medical services due to new regulations.
• Shape and threads: Getting customized shapes and threads is doable, but it’ll be a long process.
• For more information and to see how we can help you, contact us at [email protected].

Our innovative red oxygen-restricting protection tape enables the sensor to continue operating during transportation and storage, but at a significantly reduced oxygen level. This prolongs the sensor active life without making the sensor unstable or sluggish immediately after the tape is removed and the sensor is placed into service. When stored continuously with the red tape applied, the sensor operates with only a third of the normal room air level saving over 100,000% oxygen hours of sensor life, thus extending the practical sensor life and saving you money.

Like a car battery, most Maxtec sensors contain lead, but it’s sealed and self contained. For this reason, used sensors should not be disposed of in a normal trash bin. Sensors should be disposed of as lead waste or returned to Maxtec for free environmental disposal. Lead-free alternatives are currently in development.

Yes. Every analyzer quoted or sold includes both the analyzer and the sensor. This is not always true with all oxygen analyzer manufacturers.

MAX-250 series oxygen sensors are designed for industrial and medical environments. The best performance can be obtained by following these guidelines:

• Do not install sensors with the sensing surface facing upwards. For optimal performance and life characteristics, sensors should always be mounted with the sensing surface pointing down or horizontal.
• Do not expose the sensor to gas sample streams outside the range +15 to +40°C (+60 to +105 °F), or relative humidity greater than 95% (non-condensing).
• Do not expose sensors to pressures outside the range 1.0 ± 0.5 atmospheres.
• Do not expose sensors to excessive shock or vibration.
• Sensors should be located away from thermal gradients (fans, heat sinks, etc).
• Associated instrumentation should be designed so that the minimum operating load on the sensor is  1MΩ.
• Do not expose sensors to voltage bias or design circuitry which could attempt to electrically charge or discharge the sensor.

Maxtec oxygen sensors are galvanic fuel cells, consisting of a lead anode, gold cathode, and weak acid electrolyte. A gas porous membrane is bonded to the gold electrode. Oxygen permeating through the membrane is electrochemically reduced at the gold electrode and concurrently the lead anode is oxidized. The current generated due to this reaction is directly proportional to the partial pressure of oxygen at the sensing surface of the cell. A resistor network, including a thermistor for temperature compensation, applied in parallel across the anode and cathode produces a voltage output signal proportional to changes in oxygen concentration. This signal is used by instruments to convert a voltage to a corresponding oxygen concentration.

Sensors should ideally be stored between 5 – 25°C (41 – 77°F). Use first-in, first-out (FIFO) inventory management to keep sensors fresh. Red oxygen barrier tape can also be used to restrict the available oxygen level to about 7% to preserve the life of the sensor.

Elevated temperatures increase the rate of the chemical reaction inside the sensor and will decrease the life. The rate of reaction doubles around 45°C (113°F).

Generally no, unless the sensor is used or stored in extremely dry conditions, where it may begin to dry out the sensors electrolyte.

Temperature – Sensors are compensated for temperature effects using an NTC thermistor network and are generally affected less than 3% O2 across the operating temperature range. Humidity has a minimal effect on the sensor readings. However, humidity should not be allowed to condense on the sensor face.​

Generally yes, but you should consider the connector, sensor output, response time, and life in your evaluation. Maxtec produces thousands of sensors both for OEMs as well as replacement sensors for a variety of applications.

Maxtec sensor prices can vary based on the difference in how they’re made and their capabilities. However, most sensors are around $100. For sensor pricing, you can visit Shop Maxtec, or fill out this form to get in contact with a Maxtec representative.

Maxtec warrants the MAX-250 oxygen sensor to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of two-(2) years from Maxtec’s dated of shipment. Based on Maxtec’s product evaluation, Maxtec’s sole obligation under the foregoing warranty is limited to making replacements or issuing credit for sensors found to be defective. Should a sensor fail prematurely, the replacement sensor is warranted for the remainder of the original sensor warranty period.

This is generally not required, unless the sensor or device has been stored in an extremely cold or warm environment. In such a case, it is advised to allow time for your sensor and device to reach thermal equilibrium. For sensors with red tape, it’s recommended to wait about 15 minutes after removing the tape to allow the sensor to reach equilibrium with the room air concentration before calibrating and placing the sensor into use.

Maxtec oxygen sensors are self-powered, so no extra power is required. An easy way to visualize our sensors is that they’re essentially a battery. However, our ultrasonic sensor, like that inside of our UltraMax, requires power but it doesn’t run out.

The frequent buyer campaign was originally a limited-time promotion. Due to its popularity, Maxtec may consider doing something similar in the future.

Maxtec sensors generally last 1-2 years in normal-use conditions, but we’ve seen some go as long as 8 years in some applications.

Most likely, but you should consider the connector, sensor output, response time, and life in your evaluation. Maxtec produces thousands of sensors both for OEMs as well as replacement sensors for a variety of applications.

Generally yes, but you should consider the connector, sensor output, response time, and life in your evaluation. Maxtec produces thousands of sensors both for OEMs as well as replacement sensors for a variety of applications.

Yes, when refrigerated the internal reaction slows down and will prolong the life of the sensor. However, this usually isn’t worth the effort. We generally don’t recommend storing sensors below 5°C (41°F).

Sensors aren’t given a specific shelf life, but since the sensors are continuously being depleted even when not in use, we recommend installing the sensor into the application within 3 months after receipt. Most sensors are warrantied for 2 years, which begins from the date of shipment.

Oxygen sensors are not standardized and, though all sensors operate under the same working principles, a variety of sensor styles exist to accommodate the different connectors and outputs required for different applications. You can reach out to us at maxtec.com/sensor-advantage for help finding the right sensor for your unique application.

Sensors are similar to batteries. Different sensor types exist for various applications to cover different connections, response times, and output requirements, but in general they all function exactly the same.

The Max-250 and Max-550 series sensors have higher internal volumes than typical sensors, which lead to longer lifetimes. They also utilize a novel weak acid electrolyte which is able to last longer and provide an increased lifetime vs a typical KOH electrolyte sensor. For more information visit maxtec.com/sensor-advantage.

In regards to our weak acid line — the Max-250 and 550 — it’s a case-by-case basis for all our sensors. It’s helpful to check the specifications for each sensor to see the gas interference. If the gas you are interested in isn’t listed, you can request a sample to test it with your application.

Lead-free options are currently in development as we are working on a lead-free replacement for our Max-250 product line. Date TBD.

A common failure is that when the sensor life runs out, the voltage output level will drop. Our instruments and customers instruments that use our sensors look for a certain voltage output, and if it’s not within a certain range it’s at the end of its life. Maxtec O2 sensors are also pressure-sensitive, so if the ambient pressure changes, the device needs to be recalibrated. An elevation change of about 500 feet should constitute a recalibration. Extreme temperature changes can also cause failure, which sensors should then be recalibrated. Connection is another common failure, and in most cases it’s due to the sensor not having a secure connection. It’s important to make sure the connector is secure, which is made easy with our locking thread capped sensors.

We offer two different packaging configurations. The standard is the blister pack for individual sensors. The other option is bulk packaging.