When Should You Calibrate Your Measuring Instruments?

Calibrating any measuring instrument is important to ensure the safety of the personnel around it and the medium being monitored. At Floyd Australia, we understand that calibrating an instrument like a pressure gauge or thermometer may sound like a trivial requirement, but its relevance can have a significant impact on both safety and production efficiency. 

While instruments like pressure gauges and thermometers are made to monitor correctly, they cannot be completely accurate forever and can lose effectiveness over time. A malfunctioning instrument may disrupt the measurement process or may even pose a safety hazard, therefore the need for regular calibration will improve the reliability of the measuring Instrument and improve product quality.

This blog explains why you need to calibrate your measuring Instrument, when is the right time to calibrate, and the different conditions and scenarios that can affect the operation of the business if someone failed to calibrate a pressure gauge, thermometer, or any instrument on time.

We have also tackled in our previous blogs the importance of regular calibration so feel free to read and check the advantages for periodic checking of measuring instruments that have been proven to show improved efficiency in the production process, are free of mechanical shutdowns, and ultimately help increase the company’s profitability. 

When To Calibrate?

Precision verification and calibration are normally done on the following occasions:

• Before installation (factory/supplier calibration)
• During preventive maintenance
• During scheduled shutdowns
• During the annual audit

Vibration, shock & pulsation: Typically, some vibration is anticipated when an instrument is used in commercial and industrial applications, and some instruments like pressure and temperature sensors can be affected when exposed to excessive vibration, mechanical shock, or pulsation. An example of this is in a power generation or chemical manufacturing plant that is dependent on machinery that produces considerable acoustic and structural vibration that consequently, can damage or cause the instrument to provide inaccurate readings. While high-quality instrumentation can withstand these kinds of applications, the operating conditions can still have an adverse effect on accuracy and periodic calibration is strongly recommended.

Temperature: It is very common for our instrumentation to be used in challenging environments where they may experience extreme temperatures, the source of which may be the surrounding environment (ambient temperature) or the temperature of the process media being measured (media temperature). Sensors are designed to be used in specific temperature ranges and using them outside their capability can lead to inaccurate measurements, or worse, being irreparably damaged and a replacement required.

The criticality of the instrument: Another factor to consider is when an instrument is being used in a critical process that may affect the safety of the surrounding personnel or the safety or quality of an end product. The expense and downtime incurred for calibration of critical instruments are incomparable to the potential cost of an explosion, leaks, and quality issues that may lead to product recalls or risk to the health and safety of your people.