Troubleshooting Your Bench Scale
Bench scales for both industrial and retail are ideal for small spaces as they take up a minimal amount of room while providing maximum accuracy and durability. Granted the bench scale is small with a lot of features, it is important to keep it maintained and cleaned so that the scale continues to weigh accurately and is reliable. Neglecting to regularly clean and maintain your scale will lead to intermittent operation and potential failure. This article will go over troubleshooting and DIY tips for maintaining and cleaning your scale to help keep it operating at an optimal level and will uphold its reliability.
Keeping a clean scale
As straightforward as this may sound, keeping a clean scale and work area will help prevent potential issues with weight accuracy and not zeroing out. The work environment that the bench scale is in plays a big part in the amount of debris and dust that can collect around and under the scale. Keeping a clean environment and scale will also lead to longevity regarding the various components on the scale. Washdown scales usually have a stainless steel deck as well as a water sealed scale indicator. Creating a cleaning and maintenance schedule or checklist for daily and weekly cleanings will help prevent eventual downtime for your scale.
Create a cleaning schedule or checklist outlining daily cleaning tasks for your scale
Visually inspect the scale and area to ensure it is clean and void of moisture
Between weight measurements, wipe down the base to ensure it is void of debris
Be sure to clean the scale accessories as well
Follow service guide from scale manufacturers for model specific instructions
Careful to not get water in junction box or on electronic load cells to damage them
Balancing act
Keeping your bench scale on a stable and balanced surface will affect how accurately your scale will collect measurements. The first thing to do is make sure your scale is on a level surface or, if the feet are adjustable, check that the feet have been correctly leveled. Many scales feature a bubble level built into the scale for convenience. For any reason you don’t have the bubble indicator, you can use a level or even place a marble on the surface to see if it rolls on its own. To make sure your scale is perfectly balanced, do a few level checks mentioned above and also look to possibly relocate the scale to a surface that is perfectly stable and level.
Check the scale base to make sure that the adjustable feet are perfectly level
Use a construction level to make sure that platform that scale is on is level
Check both the scale and platform it sits on for any play or wobble. Adjust as necessary
Weight fluctuations
Fluctuating weight can occur for a few reasons. Understanding the importance of a stable weight reading will be the difference between accurate and inaccurate. With unstable surfaces, it causes the weight to shift constantly, making it difficult for the scale to record an accurate reading. This particular issue can cause a lot of problems when collecting an accurate weight measurement. Depending on the scale, one reason that causes this issue is due to “Drifting” which is when weight is on the scale, but the reading never settles on a definite result. This is a common problem that may point to your scale possibly needing to be calibrated. Another factor that can cause weight fluctuations is wind currents in the work area. If you have a scale that has a low weight capacity, then any change in the environment (wind, vibrations, etc) will affect the weight. Our own breathing and touch can also contribute to the weight fluctuating. A stable and quiet environment will help keep the scale from fluctuating.
Make sure that there is no vibrating on the scale or platform
Check for any drafts or wind going through the work area near scale
Perform a calibration check using test weight to see if measurement is stable
Make sure remote display is properly connected and void of any issues
No Power To Scale
The lack of power to your scale system can be a pickle if the issue is bigger than just an unplugged power cable. Is there any power to your device? If not, make sure that the scale is plugged in or that the battery has been charged. Sure, it seems obvious but it’s worth checking! Your device may have been accidentally unplugged without your knowledge. Inspect all cables to ensure that they’re securely connected and that they’re not damaged in any way. Possible damage could include an exposed wire or a kink in the power cable or other wires that are connected to the scale.
Check your power supply to ensure that it is plugged into an outlet
Use a voltage meter to check to ensure that the your scale is getting proper voltage
Check all connecting cables to make sure there are no breaks or exposed wire.
Check scoreboard to ensure it is connected to a power supply.
Scale Calibration
The amount of measurements that your scale will record can and will affect the accuracy of your readings through time. Calibrating your scale is a good way to ensure that the scale is reading correctly and accurately every time. Depending on the volume of measurements that you perform throughout the day will wear out your scale, thus resulting in inaccurate weight measurements. A good practice to prevent your scale reading inaccurately is implementing a calibration schedule. Keep in mind that some weighing applications will have different calibration frequencies. Developing a good schedule would help you stay on top of your maintenance and also prevent more instances where your scale will need to be calibrated.
Conclusion
The amount of industries that legal for trade bench scales are used far exceeds what is listed in this article. The bench scale is a very versatile scale and due to its versatility they are able to service multiple industries and provide accurate weight measurements. Keep in mind that these tips should help increase the lifespan of your scale. At American Scale we strive to bring you informed and useful content on all things scale related. Be sure to check out our truck scale articles about truck scale foundation or how much do truck scales cost. We even have a guide to warranties. To learn more about bench scales, it would be good to check out our other articles such as “Bench Scale Basics'' and “How Much Does A Bench Scale Cost?”. These articles will help with the basics of bench scale ownership. Also, take a look at our “Common Problems With Bench Scales'', which can help give insight to what issues could arise while owning a bench scale.