How often should you calibrate?
Every instrument has different calibration frequency requirements and must be done at an accredited laboratory.
- You should start by following the calibration interval that is recommended by the manufacturer. Keep up with their recommended frequency, but also remember that critical measurements may require different intervals.
- Calibrate instruments before a major measuring project, and remember, that it is equally important to send the same instruments for calibration after the project has finished.
- If your instruments took a hit (an unforeseen accident), you must send them out for calibration. At the same time, make sure you have the safety integrity checked as well.
- If you use certain equipment for critical measurements often, it would be a good idea to have a shorter time span between calibrations. Depending on their usage, you must calibrate equipment on a monthly, quarterly, or semiannually basis.
Do not consider calibration as an action that just fine-tunes your instruments. Calibration ensures that you can use equipment safety and reliably. Consider Calibration as a form of Quality Assurance. You will always get precise results when you use calibrated test equipment.
