Calibrating Gas Detectors – An Important Maintenance Schedule

By Author: Belinda Rahme Barakat
Total Articles: 52
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Gases are present in the air, but some are detectable while others aren’t, risking lives. There are many gases leaking around in the places that could be potentially life-threatening. Fortunately, technology has come a long way, and there are infrared gas detectors, personal gas monitors, and indoor air quality monitors to detect the hazardous gases present in the atmosphere and alert the occupants when levels become potentially lethal.

That being said, how good are these detectors? What if the readings are unreliable and alarms don’t go off when needed the most? That’s why maintaining these systems is important, and calibrating the detectors through calibration gas plays a crucial role in making these systems reliable.

Importance of Calibrating Gas Detectors

It’s nothing new that gas detectors that are installed aren’t serviced and maintained well despite Occupational Health and Safety guidelines. In addition, a company’s operation and safety manual states the importance of servicing gas monitors regularly.

It is important to understand that a gas detector is a life-saving device, ...
... when it’s well-maintained and functioning properly, it can make the difference between life and death. The purpose of gas detectors is to detect and measure potential gases in the atmosphere and send alarms and signals to prevent the event of a fire or inhaling dangerous gases.

The detectors should reach a predominant level and respond quickly to trigger safety precautions, including turning on alarms visual and audio components, starting ventilation fans, calling the fire department, shutting down the place, and evacuating the people, workers, or building occupants.

Failing to detect the gases and fire hazards can result in death and physical damage to the facility. So, it’s important to calibrate the detectors using calibration gas regularly to ensure the detectors work correctly and prevent fatal accidents in the workplace.

Monthly Maintenance

Making sure the gas detectors are working properly should be part of your monthly maintenance.

To make sure of it, you have to inspect each device conduct a bump test, calibrate the devices, and record the results. Conduct a physical inspection and check for tampering, wear and tear, accidental damages, water damage, cracks, loose wires and screws, and ensure no dust build-up in the device.

A bump test is a must for monthly maintenance, especially for applications involving more dangerous gases. If the six months have passed since the last calibration and the bump test fails, a full calibration is crucial.

Calibration exposes the sensor of the gas monitors to a concentrated gas for a certain amount of time. This process verifies whether the gas detector is providing accurate readings, reliable, and working in good condition or not. While a bump test will tell whether the gas detector is capable of reading gas levels in the atmosphere, it won’t tell if the readings are accurate or not. That’s why experts recommend calibrating gas detectors for accurate information on the reliability of the devices.

Without regular calibration, the gas level reading won’t be accurate, endangering human lives and valuable equipment. Hence, calibrate your gas detectors regularly to ensure safety.