Calibrators

An air sampling result is only as good as the pump's flow calibration. ERE carries calibrators for the full range of personal and area pumps: the Sensidyne Gilian Gilibrator-2, a primary-standard wet-bubble calibrator with interchangeable cells from 1 cc/min to 30 L/min; the A.P. Buck Mini-Buck, a NIST-traceable primary calibrator (±0.5%) for 0.1 to 300 cc/min; the Zefon DigiCal (DigiCal 5: 1 to 6,000 cc/min; DigiCal 30: 0.1 to 30 L/min; ±0.5%); and the Defender 500 series (5 to 500 mL/min). Zefon field rotameters give a quick, low-cost field check.

Tell us your pumps and flow rates, and we will match a calibrator. ERE also services and calibrates air sampling pumps and flow calibrators.

Air sampling pump calibrator FAQ

When should a sampling pump be calibrated?

Before and after every sampling event, with the full sampling train in line, such as the filter cassette, sorbent tube or cyclone. The post-sampling flow should stay within the limit your method sets of the pre-sampling flow, often 5 to 10%, and the calibrator must be traceable to a NIST primary standard. See our calibrator guide.

Primary calibrator or rotameter?

A primary calibrator is the reference you document flow against, accurate to about ±0.5 to 1% on the models ERE carries. A rotameter is a field check, not a primary standard: the Zefon field rotameter reads to ±3%, which is useful between calibrations but not to document a sample.

Which calibrator covers my flow range?

No single cell covers everything from 0.1 cc/min to 30 L/min, so match the calibrator to your pumps. For low flows, the Mini-Buck (0.1 to 300 cc/min) and the Defender 500 series (5 to 500 mL/min); for a wide range, the Gilibrator-2 with its interchangeable cells (1 cc/min to 30 L/min) or the DigiCal 30 (0.1 to 30 L/min).