Continuing with Auto Spanning and Calibration

In the last section, we have seen how to initiate the auto span process for the GasAlertMicro 5. If there is an insufficient level of gas at any time during the procedure, all values will be cleared from the LCD display and the span will stop. You will also be shown a countdown time that will help to inform you how much time is remaining. This will be displayed slightly differently between different units. You can take a look at page 51 of the owner's manual for a representation of this.

Once the span is complete, you will be notified by the words “successful span” displayed on the screen. If the span is unsuccessful, you will need to refer to the manual or troubleshoot the device. In the case of success, you will hear three beeps. Then, the LCD display will ask you whether you wish to calibrate a different gas or exit the process. If you need to calibrate further, press the up arrow. Then, disconnect the previous cylinder and connect the next one. Once again, press the up arrow to begin the process anew. If you wish to exit completely, press the down arrow. Upon the successful completion of all spans, the LCD screen will read “All valid sensors spanned”.

The Calibration Due Date

After the spanning process is completed, you will be taken to a screen that asks if you wish to set a new date or skip and proceed to the alarm setpoints section. You can set the date manually but if you do not, the detector will simply revert to the previous number of days before another span will be necessary. The dates will be set in an order that represents: toxic 1 gases, toxic 2 gases, LEL and finally O2. If you change the due date of a sensor that has not spanned successfully, the LCD screen will inform you that since the sensor failed, the date cannot be reset. To change a date, use your up and down arrow keys to enter in a numerical value between 1 and 365. Press the blank push button to confirm your choice. If you do not press this within five seconds, the previous values will once again be retained.

You can repeat this process for each gas. Once all dates have been saved, you will need to press the blank push button to proceed to alarm setpoints or otherwise, you may press the main power button to skip this step and move on to the “finish calibration” step. Recall that it is just as important to maintain proper setpoints to ensure safety and correct gaseous readings.

Again, the process of setting dates and correctly performing gas spans are essential to the safe operation of the device. So, you will need to become familiar with each process and the span levels for all associated gases. Refer to the manual for all such information as well as to view the associated diagrams. In the next section, we will look at alarm setpoints and how to set them. Then, we will finish our summary of the calibration procedures.