Do I have to zero the gas detector every time I turn it on?
As a standard procedure, we train instrument users to perform four basic steps in clean air each time the instrument is turned on:
1, confirm the battery level
2. Zero adjustment
3. Bump test
4. Clear the peak
There are several points to note about whether zero adjustment is required:
1) The key to air zeroing is to know that you are in clean air. You should not zero the instrument unless you know you are in a clean air environment. Zeroing an instrument in a polluted atmosphere can result in garbled readings or even obscure readings of potentially dangerous gas concentrations.
2) If you are zeroing, but the surrounding environment is near a fire or in a smoky place and there is no clean air, you should use zero air (compressed air to remove impurities) to establish a standard for your detector. Zero air will not damage your detector or interfere with the function of the sensor.
In an unclean air environment, if the instrument is turned on and the combustible gas and other gas sensors read 000 and the oxygen sensor reads 20.9, what is the purpose of zeroing the gas detector? Assuming your gas detector isn't deliberately masking negative readings (which Industrial Scientific's instruments don't do), zeroing is bad at this point. So, if you turn on your instrument and the readings are normal or within your acceptable range, don't waste time going through the zeroing process.
