How to Keep Your Lab Scale Working Optimally
Your Laboratory Balance: Treat it Right!
A laboratory balance is often one of the most valuable and expensive pieces of equipment used in laboratories, therefore it is essential that your balance is handled with care and regularly maintained. Keeping your lab balance operating smoothly and efficiently increases the lifespan of the device, reducing the need for unnecessary replacement. Follow these easy and important steps to help you get the most of your investment.
Our top 5 tips for keeping your lab balance working optimally
1) Read and heed the instruction manual
The manufacturer's instruction manual is your first and best source of information about your balance, especially for general questions about balance maintenance and troubleshooting errors. All new balances come with instructions, and the manual is a great place to find tutorials on how to use your laboratory balance including all the features and weighing modes they offer. If you're having a specific issue, check for a troubleshooting section in the manual and follow the applicable steps carefully. Referring to the user manual ensures you are getting the best from your balance through correct procedure and preparation.
2) Keep your lab balance clean
Obviously, any precision laboratory balance should be kept clean, but serious problems can occur if you don't take the time to make sure the lab balance is entirely free of debris. It's critical to wipe down your lab balance after each use, as any dirt or material left under the weighing pan can affect the balance's accuracy. When weighing chemicals it is particularly important to clean down your balance after use to ensure that chemicals are not in direct contact with skin whilst handling or do not contaminate other samples.
When you clean the balance, or even when you move it or store it, never apply more pressure or weight to the pan than the balance can handle. If you use too much force during cleaning, you can cause damage the the balance internal components. It's also a good idea to remove the pan when cleaning or storing your lab balance. If you don't, you might accidentally set something on top of it, and then wonder why it's not working.
3) Calibrate regularly
Frequent calibration ensures consistent results and maximises accuracy and overall precision in your measurements. Forgetting to calibrate the balance is a small mistake that can quickly become a big problem. You'll notice that your readings have gradually become inconsistent or less precise than your balance is capable of providing. If your laboratory doesn't keep a log to record maintenance tasks, it's easy to forget when the balance was last calibrated. We offer expertise and advice on how to calibrate your balance on our website.
4) Keep a maintenance log
If you keep a record of any maintenance tasks performed on your lab balance, you can quickly see what has been done, when it was done, and what needs to be done. We always recommend keeping a maintenance log, especially if there are multiple users operating the balance. Also, if you need to turn to a professional for repairs, it's helpful for the technicians to know exactly what you've done to your lab balance and when you did it.
5) Seek professional assistance
If you've tried everything and all else fails, call the manufacturer. Most manufacturers provide expert technicians to answer your questions and offer direction on any errors that may occur with your laboratory scales and balances.
Inscale's laboratory balances for sale
We offer a wide variety of lab scales and balances from Adam Equipment, Kern and A&D. The balances we sell can be used in almost any laboratory environment and are often used in food testing labs, research and development facilities, pharmaceutical production labs and chemists. We also stock several trade certified laboratory balances with Class approvals for the production of goods that are to be sold by weight.
For more information on our range of laboratory scales, please contact us by phone (01908972660) or Get In Touch.
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