How to Look After Your Veterinary Scales
To keep your veterinary scales working optimally and ensure accurate weighing at all times there are a number of things that users can do, including regular cleaning, calibration and proper storage. In this blog we’ll be covering some are the best methods of caring for your animals scales and balances to make sure you are getting the most out of your veterinary scales.
Cleaning your veterinary scales
Keeping your veterinary scales clean helps to ensure accurate results with every use and helps to provide a hygienic weighing experience for animals. It can also make your animal scales last longer, as the internal components will be less likely to clog up over time. Animals can bring unwanted mess with them such as dirt, dust, straw and sawdust with them during weighing, so it’s important to have an animal scale that can quickly and safely be wiped down after use.
Many of our animal scales come with durable, stainless steel weighing pans that can be wiped down after use, and some instruments such as the Kern SFB Stainless Steel Floor Scale are IP rated to help protect the scales internal mechanisms.
How to clean a veterinary scale
Before we go any further it’s important to note that all scales are different, and it’s always recommended that users read and understand the operating instructions on your instrument. Also, it is recommended you wear the correct safety equipment such as gloves when dealing with cleaning equipment.
Begin by making sure your animal weighing scale is switched off and remove any power cables that could jeopardise the waterproofing of the instrument. Some floor and platform scales have a detachable weighing pan that can be removed and cleaned thoroughly, such as the CPWplus L, although many larger platform scales, such as the PT Platform Scale, will require the scale to be in one piece when cleaning.
Using a mild detergent that will not cause damage and warm water users can begin to wash their animal scale using a cloth to wipe the necessary components. For cleaning dirt, dust or other solids, its recommended that users do not blow the subjects away as this could cause it to go inside the internals of the scale.
Always remember to calibrate your veterinary scale after cleaning to avoid weighing errors.
Calibrating your veterinary scales
Like all weighing scales and balances, calibration is integral to getting accurate weighing results with every use and ensure that your veterinary scale lasts longer. Most veterinary scales will be external calibration, meaning they will require the correct set of calibration weights to calibrate, such as OIML Class M1 for example. If you do not have the correct class of calibration weights for your veterinary scale, you should not attempt calibration.
If you need help in selecting the right calibration weights for your application, please speak to a member of our team and we’ll be happy to help.
Storing Your veterinary scales
After use, it's important to store your animal scales correctly to ensure that they don’t get damaged when not in use. We recommend storing your weighing scales on their side and away from anywhere where they might get knocked. If you have multiple veterinary scales, we recommended not stacking them unless instructed to do so, as this may cause excessive force to the load cell and ultimately cause damage.
Veterinary scales such as our CPWPlus L Animal Scale or AELP Pallet Weigh Beams both feature a unique handle and wheeled design to make transporting and storing easy.
Buying the right veterinary scale for your needs
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that one of the best ways to have a scale that last longer and gives accurate weighing data is to purchase the right one for your needs to start with. All veterinary scales are different, and all are meant to weigh different animals with different temperaments and capacities.
For higher capacity animals where a more durable weighing scale is needed, the PT Platform Scale from Adam Equipment or the AELP Weigh Beam is recommended. Both of these will give accurate weighing results for higher capacity subjects, and feature strong, long lasting steel bodies that will withstand rigorous use.
Veterinary scales such as the MTB Portable Animal Scale are more than suitable for weighing smaller animals such as house cats and rabbits, but some users may want a stainless steel instrument for extra protection.
Some veterinary scales can come with overload protection to protect against any shocks that may occur from animals jumping or falling onto the weighing pan. This is useful when dealing with particularly boisterous animals or when carrying out high precision weighing.
For any further information about how best to look after your veterinary scales, please contact us on 01908972660 or Get In Touch with us.
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