Calibration Regulations

[Hopscott]

Hi all....for fixed wiring testing, does the test equipment (Fluke and Megger in this case) have to have a calibration certificate from an independant organization. i.e we cant calibrate it and certify it ourselves?

 

[Deleted account]

If you have the calibration equipment you can calibrate it yourselves, but remember the calibration equipment will also need calabrating on a regular basis.

 

[Hopscott]

If you have the calibration equipment you can calibrate it yourselves, but remember the calibration equipment will also need calabrating on a regular basis.

Thanks...and does the calibrtion of the calibration equipment need to be done independantly?

 

[Deleted account]

Thanks...and does the calibrtion of the calibration equipment need to be done independantly?

I’d say not as long as the calibration equipment your using to test the calibration equipment is also calibrated by whoever has equipment to calibrate that is also calibrated.

 

[DPG]

Do you have calibration equipment that can fully test every function and range of the MFT?

 

[Avo Mk8]

Thanks...and does the calibrtion of the calibration equipment need to be done independantly?

The calibration process/results need to traceable to national standards somehow, so if it was done by an 'independent' company (that's fine) you would expect them to be accredited by UKAS (assuming UK) for calibrating that particular type of equipment, e.g:

Laboratory accreditation - ISO/IEC 17025

Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 plays an important role in supporting the provision of accurate and reliable results from laboratory testing, calibration, sampling and measurement services across many sectors.

www.ukas.com

(I'm not saying your company needs this accreditation, but normally the people who calibrate calibrators need/have it!)

If you bought the necessary calibration equipment, you would need a procedure for the calibration, records of competence and training for the staff carrying out the calibration, periodic calibration of the calibration equipment you have bought (which is much more expensive than the fluke/megger etc calibrations), and to keep records of the results and any adjustments to the equipment to put it back into spec, all of which should be overseen by some sort of management/quality assurace process in the company.

It does depend on the complexity of the equipment, but my experience is that it is more costly for a small to medium size business to try to do calibration in-house, than it is to sub-contract calibration of test equipment to an accredited calibration house.

 

[Dustydazzler]

I’d say not as long as the calibration equipment your using to test the calibration equipment is also calibrated by whoever has equipment to calibrate that is also calibrated.

Can you actually buy fully calibrated calibration equipment ? Wouldn't it have to be calibrated by someone first before you calibrate it to test your equipment ?

 

[Avo Mk8]

Can you actually buy fully calibrated calibration equipment ? Wouldn't it have to be calibrated by someone first before you calibrate it to test your equipment ?

It should come from the manufacturers with a full calibration certificate (except sometimes you have to ask for it and/or there is an extra charge!), and then it needs to be re-calibrated periodically (period usually specified by the manufacturer of the calibrator/ may depend on useage), say annually.
And then over a period, if every time the calibrator is sent away for calibration you ask for pre-cal check results, if it's always within calibration before it's calibrated (hope you are following!), you can decide on the evidemce to extend the calibration to say two years etc etc.
But these processes do need to be technically valid, systematic, and with all the records kept, to hold up to any investigations heaven forbid.

 

[Avo Mk8]

Here's just the thing (if you can find the missing parts, fix it, and pay to have it calibrated!)

Fluke 760A Meter Calibrator for Voltage Current & Resistance Volts Amps & Ohms | eBay

Fluke 760A Meter Calibrator for Voltage Current & Resistance Volts Amps & Ohms Liquidation Stock In secondhand condition and not in working order. It powers on but the fault is probably due to a missing connector board as shown in one of the photographs Please click on the photos to see...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[DPG]

Here's just the thing (if you can find the missing parts, fix it, and pay to have it calibrated!)

Fluke 760A Meter Calibrator for Voltage Current & Resistance Volts Amps & Ohms | eBay

Fluke 760A Meter Calibrator for Voltage Current & Resistance Volts Amps & Ohms Liquidation Stock In secondhand condition and not in working order. It powers on but the fault is probably due to a missing connector board as shown in one of the photographs Please click on the photos to see...

www.ebay.co.uk

And then buy the test gear to calibrate the RCD testing part of the MFT.

 

[Avo Mk8]

And then buy the test gear to calibrate the RCD testing part of the MFT.

Agreed (was trying to keep it simple!) - MFT a whole new can of worms

 

[Moley]

Unless you have a few thousand items that need calibration surely it would work out cheaper just to take them in to be calibrated?