How does a high quality instrument with a 1 or 2% accuracy end up going out of calibration?
There are two major factors that may cause an instrument to lose accuracy. The first is simply time. Over time the electronic components inside the instrument experience slight drifting that eventually affects the accuracy of readings. Annual calibration will catch and correct that drift.
The second reason is trauma to the instrument. If an instrument is dropped or suffers a sudden impact the components inside may be damaged. Even if the instrument seems to be working properly such incidents can, and often do, affect the accuracy. Any time an incident is involved in such an incident it will need to be checked.
How often should I send my unit in for calibration?
If the instrument is kept in good condition and doesn't take any hits or impacts we recommend annual calibration to keep drift in check. if you are performing critical precision measurements on a frequent basis then we recommend monthly, quarterly or semi-annual calibrations.
If the instrument is dropped you should send it in for evaluation as soon as possible.
Also, if you have a critical job where accuracy is vital we recommend calibrating before and after the major job so you can fully validate your findings during the job.
Why should I send the instrument to the manufacturer instead of my local calibration lab?
Most instruments, including all Kanomax brand anemometers and particle counters, can only be adjusted using proprietary software that the manufacturer has. Other labs can check if your instrument is in tolerance, but they can't correct any drift that has occurred or bring it back into tolerance if it's out. Many times we see a customer send their unit to a third party lab and then in the end the instrument needs to come back here anyway because it's found out of tolerance and the third party lab can't correct it. This results in longer downtime and increased costs. we strongly recommend returning the instruments to us to start with to save time and money.
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