Fermentation gas monitoring
BetaH₂S, SO₂ and NH₃ sensors at each tank. The system detects fermentation problems before off-flavors develop — and tells you exactly what to do.
Why it matters
During fermentation, yeast produce diagnostic gases. Their concentration tells the winemaker about the state of the process - often faster than traditional density or temperature readings.
H₂S (hydrogen sulfide)
Yeast stress, nitrogen deficiency (YAN), risk of a rotten-egg off-aroma. Detection threshold: 0.5 ppb - before you can smell it.
SO₂ (sulfur dioxide)
Workplace safety during bottling and sulfiting. Legal limit: 2 ppm TWA. The system alerts when exceeded.
NH₃ (ammonia)
Excess nitrogen nutrients or the wrong nutrient. A signal to adjust dosing.
EtOH (ethanol vapor)
Fermentation intensity, tank leaks. Safety (LEL > 3.3%).
Per-tank mounting
A sensor placed at the fermentation airlock outlet collects a concentrated stream of gases from a specific batch. That is a far better signal than general detection in the room air.
Confirmed by academic research - SmartBarrel (2025): electrochemical sensors mounted directly on tanks effectively monitor CO₂, H₂S and SO₂ in real time.
How it works
Smart alerts
The system does not just raise alarms - it correlates data with batch metrics and suggests the cause:
- ! H₂S rising + no "nutrient" entry for 3 days → "Add YAN nutrient"
- ! H₂S rising + temperature > 28°C → "Thermal stress, lower the temperature"
- ✓ SO₂ spike + "bottling" entry → normal pattern, no alarm
- → H₂S trend over time = a fermentation signature - a unique dataset for every batch
Alert thresholds
| Gas | Info | Warning | Alarm |
|---|---|---|---|
| H₂S | > 5 ppb | > 20 ppb | > 50 ppb |
| SO₂ | > 0.5 ppm | > 2 ppm | > 5 ppm |
| NH₃ | > 5 ppm | > 20 ppm | > 50 ppm |
| EtOH | > 500 ppm | > 1000 ppm | > 3000 ppm |
Hardware & integrations
External devices
We are working on integration with off-the-shelf gas sensors - connecting via external APIs (WiFi, MQTT, HTTP).
Elf's own sensors (LoRa)
In parallel we are developing our own gas sensors connecting over LoRa - just like our Elf Scout and Leaf Wetness Sensor. One ecosystem, one network.
Interested?
Gas monitoring will be available for the 2026/27 fermentation season. Join the waitlist - we'll notify you at launch.
Join the waitlist