Calibration Costs?

ChrisExMob · May 5, 2011

Hello Everyone,

Looking to buy a second hand Fluke (needs to be second hand, ex wife now got portion of my pension Doh!!!!

).

If I get one that needs calibrating, whats an average cost for calibrating around Lincolnshire? Also, Does it get done while you wait?

Thanks for help

3 weeks and 5 days No Smoking

telectrix · May 5, 2011

on site calibration services. MFT cal. for £57.50. and he comes to you. no carriage charges. call mike on 07776200146

Penance · May 5, 2011

Tel, are they nation wide?

morph · May 5, 2011

wow that is cheap ! £150 ish round here

telectrix · May 5, 2011

yep. based in lincolnshire, but he allocates days for different areas. he came to me at a week's notice, did the business, emailed traceable cert. next day.

1shortcircuit · May 5, 2011

telectrix said:
yep. based in lincolnshire, but he allocates days for different areas. he came to me at a week's notice, did the business, emailed traceable cert. next day.

I have also used Mike and I must add that his service is exceptional. I took advantage of his postal service as he was not in my area at the time that I required assistance.

Here is the thread where I posted my difficulty with my second hand tester

trypod · May 5, 2011

Test Equipment and PAT Tester Calibration

Home › Test Equipment Calibration

We realise how important it is for you to have your equipment with you and therefore we aim to minimise your down time as much as we can.
Simply send your tester(s) to us with the Calibration Request Form below.
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rocker · May 5, 2011

I use a local guy - 45 quid including vat, he comes up to house or site, sods off with the thing for an hour or two then brings it back. I'd recommend looking up a local service (seems to be what has already been posted) rather than using alpha or wholesalers (wholesalers just send it to alpha and charge more anyway!)

Been thinking about getting into calibration myself, wonder how to (can't be much to it!)

sparkdog · May 5, 2011

I always use Mike at On Site Calibration Services.Better than all the rest.

telectrix · May 6, 2011

rocker said:
I use a local guy - 45 quid including vat, he comes up to house or site, sods off with the thing for an hour or two then brings it back. I'd recommend looking up a local service (seems to be what has already been posted) rather than using alpha or wholesalers (wholesalers just send it to alpha and charge more anyway!)

Been thinking about getting into calibration myself, wonder how to (can't be much to it!)

ask mike how much his calibration machine cost. think it's quite a few pints. LOL. then you have to have that m/c calibrated .

ChrisExMob · May 6, 2011

Telectrix et all.

Thanks for the help. I will keep the gen for when I get my MFT.

Cheers

telectrix · May 6, 2011

try ebay for megger 1552's. that's where i got mine . £185 with a LT7 thrown in.

Penance · May 6, 2011

Bloody he'll that's a bargain!

Goody · May 6, 2011

ChrisExMob said:
Hello Everyone,

Looking to buy a second hand Fluke (needs to be second hand, ex wife now got portion of my pension Doh!!!!).

If I get one that needs calibrating, whats an average cost for calibrating around Lincolnshire? Also, Does it get done while you wait?

Thanks for help

3 weeks and 5 days No Smoking

I had mine done for £45+VAT; check this out -> Acute Sales Limited

They collect it and deliver back to you.

miner69er · May 6, 2011

yup mike at on site calibration is great, popped in to me in west leicestershire at 19:00 he was on the way home from wales to lincolnshire. the man is a star. multifunction while you wait was £57-50. money well spent

Mike Johnson · Jan 20, 2021

Thread has not been updated for ten years, what cost are people paying now?

M4rtyj · Jan 20, 2021

I have mine done by calibration centre in stafford they collect, test, drop off for £75
3 day turnaround

telectrix · Jan 20, 2021

M4rtyj said:
I have mine done by calibration centre in stafford they collect, test, drop off for £75
3 day turnaround

they have a good reputation. they also do repairs much cheaper than megger.

littlespark · Jan 20, 2021

I don’t know about this year, but wholesalers may have a calibration day with discounted costs. I take mine to cities when they do.

richy3333 · Jan 20, 2021

Just been quoted:
Rexel £65
YESSS £57

for an MFT

Julie. · Jan 20, 2021

richy3333 said:
Just been quoted:
Rexel £65
YESSS £57

for an MFT

Last year I used testermans via an eBay offer at £29 Inc the return postage, this year its £34 I think, not had it calibrated this year as yet, it's overdue but as I am not using it, I am holding off!!

Mft is away for a few days, but I can time that for when I don't need it!

Calibration Service For Multi-function Testers Fluke,Metrel,Megger,Martindale | eBay

Electrics · Jan 20, 2021

Daft question - what's the qualification needed to calibrate and would it be cost effective to get it yourself?

Julie. · Jan 20, 2021

CamoElectric said:
Daft question - what's the qualification needed to calibrate and would it be cost effective to get it yourself?

its not really a qualification as such, it's more about being able to compare the results from the meter under test to a standard usually 10x more accurate, so to calibrate a mft to say +/-5% you need a calibrated instrument circ 0.5% ..... and so on right up to national standards.

keeping this in line with national standards etc is the real cost.

Mike Johnson · Jan 20, 2021

CamoElectric said:
Daft question - what's the qualification needed to calibrate and would it be cost effective to get it yourself?

It's not a question of qualifications its having the instruments to do it with, very expensive instruments, you can use a CalcCard to do it for a couple of years after getting it done officially at a testing station/ company.

pc1966 · Jan 21, 2021

CamoElectric said:
Daft question - what's the qualification needed to calibrate and would it be cost effective to get it yourself?

As above, doing calibration to traceable standards is expensive in terms of investment. It only makes sense for high end labs and folk who do it as a service.

However, in most cases you just need to know "is it broken?" and for that regularly comparing your MFT (or whatever) against something fixed is adequate. The CalCard is such an example, it is not lab-standard, but it is convenient and if you use it regularly and write down what you get each time then you can be confident (and justify if asked) that your equipment is working to specification. Basically it has not changed.

True it is not properly testing your MFT for RCD trip times, etc, but if you have a circuit at home or work that you can trip without narking your kids wifi use then using that as a "known trip behaviour" would do.

Still, form time to time (say year or two) you ought to get it done professionally if for no other reason that gluteus maximus cover for litigation.

1Justin · Jan 30, 2021

richy3333 said:
Just been quoted:
Rexel £65
YESSS £57

for an MFT

Did Rexel give you a turn - round time on that?
My local Rexel has more or less shut their doors.
I "stretch" a cal out to a couple of years with regular test-card checks etc, but with everyone closing their doors and insisting on mail-in of instruments that's got difficult. This is the busiest year I've had ever, and to spend what might be a week without it is not possible. (They mostly offer a rapid one for +££££).

I've been waiting since last summer to find a local place doing a cal-day but as soon as it looks like it might happen, everything closes again.

richy3333 · Feb 1, 2021

1Justin said:
Did Rexel give you a turn - round time on that?
My local Rexel has more or less shut their doors.
I "stretch" a cal out to a couple of years with regular test-card checks etc, but with everyone closing their doors and insisting on mail-in of instruments that's got difficult. This is the busiest year I've had ever, and to spend what might be a week without it is not possible. (They mostly offer a rapid one for +££££).

I've been waiting since last summer to find a local place doing a cal-day but as soon as it looks like it might happen, everything closes again.

Quoted 1 week.
Yesss did it 1 week.

times not such an issue for us as we have spare test equipment

Moley · Feb 1, 2021

We use Alpha Electronics in Newport (branches in Maidstone, Manchester and Newport) They are still open to drop off/collect. Turn around depends on how busy they are. I've had next day in the past but it's normally 3-4 days.

pc1966 · Feb 2, 2021

richy3333 said:
Quoted 1 week.
Yesss did it 1 week.

times not such an issue for us as we have spare test equipment

Was that a special event "day", or do Yesss offer themselves as a drop-off point for some calibration service all the time?

richy3333 · Feb 3, 2021

@pc1966 No it wasn't any type of event. Just rang them and arranged it. I think most wholesalers do the same. Certainly around here, Yesss, CEF and Rexel do