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Sensor Drift and Predicted Calibration Intervals of Handheld Temperature and Relative Humidity Meters Under Residential Field-Use Conditions

Abstract

Handheld temperature and relative humidity (T/RH) meters are commonly used in residential indoor air surveys. Although popular, T/RH meters are prone to sensor drift and consequent loss of accuracy, and thus instrument manufacturers often recommend annual calibration and adjustment. Field-use conditions, however, have been shown to accelerate electronic sensor drift in outdoor applications, resulting in out-of-tolerance measurements in less than one year. In the study described in this article, sensor drift was evaluated under residential field use for 30 handheld T/RH meters to predict needed calibration intervals based on hierarchical linear modeling. Instruments were used in 43 home visits over a 93-day period and were calibrated (without adjustment) 49 times over the study period with a laboratory standard. Analysis of covariance showed significant drift among temperature sensors for all three instrument types (p < .0001) and among humidity sensors in two instruments. The authors' study suggests calibration frequency should be based on instrument performance under specific sampling conditions rather than on predetermined time intervals.

Authors

  • Scott A. Bernhardt
  • Scott C. Collingwood
  • Kyle Mumford
  • Dennis Eggett
  • Brianna M. Magnusson
  • James D. Johnston
Volume#: 77.3
Publication Month: October 2014

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