I’ve talked about bump testing your instrument, so it seems natural that we now cover the importance of calibrating.
There are two main reasons for calibration. Firstly, gas detectors often operate in harsh environments: high and low temperatures and/or humidities; they may be exposed to contaminants, such as solvents, silicone etc; gas exposure; as well as the age of a sensor; any of which can result in the degree to which the detector responds to a given gas concentration changing, for example, the detector may read 46% LEL when the true level is 50% LEL.
Following on from last week’s article, ‘Why do I need to bump test my instrument?’, I thought I’d give you a little more detailed information about what is a bump test and how to carry one out.
Crowcon’s expert, Chris is here to answer your question
There are lots of reasons why a portable gas detector may not react to gas, some of which may not be obvious when you pick up a unit. The safest way to make sure your gas monitor is working is to ‘bump’ test it.
The emergence of digital and communications technologies means much more information can be communicated to a control system, with the added benefit of reduced cabling costs. So, I thought it might be useful to provide an overview of the various technologies available.
