What type of maintenance is required to maintain a personal or professional breathalyzer? Do they require calibration?
Over time, all alcohol testers need to be re-calibrated to maintain accuracy. Calibration is a process of checking and adjusting the accuracy of a unit by comparing its results with a known value. For example, a known 0.080 %BAC gas concentration is blown into a breathalyzer, and the unit is adjusted to make sure it correctly reads 0.080 %BAC. This process is sort of like winding a clock. When the clock is first set it displays accurate time. However, over time the clock gradually drifts a few minutes, and eventually can be off by quite a bit if you do not occasionally reset the clock. When selecting an alcohol tester, it is imperative to select a unit that is capable of being calibrated.