Gas detectors play a vital role in safeguarding life and property in our homes and industries. They help prevent potential hazards. However, their accuracy and reliability largely depend on regular calibration.
Calibration ensures your gas detectors function optimally, providing precise readings and safeguarding your workspace from potential gas-related risks.
The question I get very frequently is how often should your gas detectors be calibrated? In this post, I will answer that question in detail so that you can figure out exactly when you should calibrate your gas detector.
Bump test
A bump test or bump check is a quick test of your gas detectors to ensure they function as intended. It checks that the sensors and alarms are working correctly by briefly exposing the detector to a known gas concentration.
I recommend doing a bump test every time before using the detector, you need to make sure the gas sensors are working as they should, this will give you and everyone who is going to work with the gas detectors a piece of mind.
If you are working with fixed gas detectors, I will recommend doing a bump test every 1 to 3 months just to make sure that the sensors are working.
What is a bump test in gas detection?
How Often Should Your Gas Detectors Be Calibrated?
I recommend calibrating your gas detector at least once per year, this is the accepted standard in most cases and industries but you can change it depending on some situations.
When the instrument fails the bump test
I recommend performing a bump test every time before you use the instrument, if the bump test fails, do not use the instrument before you perform full calibration.
When your detector starts to give you strange readings
Have you ever seen an O2 detector reading 20%vol in a clean environment? or a LEL detector reading a negative value and alarming?
Usually, is a sign that the sensor is drifting and needs calibration, most of the time you can fix the issue by performing a zero and span calibration.
Manufacturer recommendation
Most manufacturers will recommend calibrating their detectors after specific time, for example, Honeywell recommends calibrating their detectors every 180 days.
If that is the case please follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Local or industry-specific regulations
Some local states, for example, the state of California, have their own specific rules when it comes to the detection of certain gases in certain environments.
Also, I know that Marine requires their gas detectors to be calibrated every 30 days, my recommendation is if the local, or industry-specific regulations do not coincide with the manufacturer´s guide, always go with the local regulations.
How the calibration is performed?
The calibration process involves a series of steps to ensure your gas detector’s accuracy. Initially, the gas detector is exposed to a known concentration of gases, often called calibration gas. This step helps determine the accuracy of the detector’s monitoring capabilities.