Have you ever had to calibrate your Thermometer readings? Whether you’re a scientist or just someone who likes to be precise, calibrating your thermometers is something that needs to be done on a regular basis. But what does calibration actually involve? And how do you know if your thermometer is properly calibrated? Here are four common questions about temperature calibration and the answers everyone should know.
What is thermometer Calibration? Is it necessary?
When an item is calibrated, it means that its readings have been confirmed to be accurate. In the case of thermometers, this means that the temperature displayed on the device is actually what you should expect it to be in real life.
Calibration is important because it ensures that you can trust your thermometer calibration. If you don’t calibrate it regularly, there’s a chance that some of your readings will be off or inaccurate and could lead you to make poor decisions based on incorrect data—like giving someone food poisoning or burning something when it’s way too. Hot or cold!
When done properly and frequently enough (the answer depends on how often your thermometer gets used), calibration ensures accuracy across all types of temperatures: from room temperature up to extreme hot water baths (220°F) and down into deep-freeze (−80°F).
How do you know if you should calibrate your instrument?
How do you know if you should calibrate your instrument? The answer may vary depending on the precision required for your measurements, the type of instrument, the manufacturer’s recommendations, or other factors. In general, however, you should calibrate your instrument if it will be used for critical measurements if it has been dropped or otherwise damaged, if it has been exposed to extreme temperatures, or if it has been stored for an extended period of time. Additionally, you should keep an accurate record of when the last calibration was performed and how often the instrument is used. By following these guidelines, you can help ensure that your instrument is always providing accurate measurements.]
How Often Does My Thermometer Need to be Calibrated?
There is no specific timeline that you need to follow for thermometer calibration. The best thing to do is check the manual of your thermometer and find out what the manufacturer recommends. If you have any doubt about the accuracy of your device, then we recommend calibrating it as often as possible.
Every 3 months – this is our minimum recommendation for most food thermometers, but depending on how often you use them and what type of food/temperature ranges they measure, this may be too long for some users.*
Every 6 months – if your kitchen is used frequently and has high humidity levels (or both), we’d recommend following this step every 6 months or so.*
Every year – if you’re a beginner with cooking and aren’t familiar with proper techniques yet, then this should be enough time between calibrations until you feel confident enough in yourself.*
What Are Some Things I Should Consider During a Calibration?
Should I calibrate the thermometer with a separate reference thermometer?
If the temperature range of your non-contact infrared thermometer is -40° to 400°F (-40° to 200°C), then you should use an alternate reference thermometer. When using a non-contact infrared thermometer, it is important that you know the accuracy of your instrument so that you can make accurate measurements. As long as you operate within the specified temperature range, no calibration is necessary. If you want to double-check and make sure everything is working properly, this will help ensure that it does!
What type of calibration should I perform on my probe?
There are two types: offset and slope. Offset recalibrates or adjusts values by adjusting them down by some percentage (say 10%). This helps remove any alcohol or other contaminants from inside of the tip since they generally have lower temperatures than water but still give readings higher than actual surface temperatures (which would be colder). Slope recalibration adjusts values upwards depending upon how cold things get (e.g. if liquid nitrogen melts plastic parts near where they touch metal).
