Alcopatrol Inc. – Calibration & Technical Service Policy
IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE: This page outlines your service protocols. Regular calibration is legally critical for commercial or law enforcement applications to maintain the validity of test tracking. Please have your operations or engineering team double-check the timelines below to match your technical service capabilities.
Calibration & Sensor Maintenance Guidelines
To maintain the high precision, reliability, and field accuracy of Alcopatrol Inc. professional testing instruments, regular calibration is strictly required. Like all professional-grade fuel cell equipment, electrochemical alcohol sensors experience natural sensitivity drift over time regardless of how frequently or infrequently the device is used.
1. Mandatory Calibration Schedule
Standard Field Operations: All Alcopatrol hardware units (including the AP338, AP035, and AP4020) must undergo a comprehensive laboratory calibration at least once every twelve (12) months or after a specific number of tests (whichever comes first, as indicated in your specific model manual).
High-Frequency or Critical Deployment: For law enforcement, high-throughput commercial fleet monitoring, or court-mandated testing environments, Alcopatrol strongly recommends a six (6) month calibration interval to guarantee maximum compliance and data integrity.
2. Consequences of non-calibration
Inaccurate Testing Results: Failure to recalibrate the device at the mandated intervals will result in a natural drift in accuracy. Test results from an uncalibrated device may be skewed and unreliable.
Voiding Warranties and Claims: Operating an Alcopatrol device outside of its recommended calibration window immediately waives any accuracy guarantees provided by the company and releases Alcopatrol Inc. from any liabilities or product performance claims.
3. The Factory Recalibration Process
Calibration must be executed by an authorized Alcopatrol technician using official specialized equipment. The process involves:
Sensor Diagnostic Assessment: Testing the fuel cell sensor for natural degradation, responsiveness, or chemical poisoning.
Environmental Stabilization: Resetting the device base parameters in a temperature-controlled testing facility.
Reference Simulation: Utilizing certified Alcopatrol Alcohol Reference Solutions and Breath Alcohol Simulators to pass highly precise concentrations of vapor through the device intake to recalibrate the internal algorithmic calculations.
Certificate of Calibration: Upon successful completion, a formal Certificate of Calibration will be issued, detailing the device serial number, service date, and next mandatory service deadline.
4. How to Book Calibration and Technical Service
To send your devices to an official Alcopatrol Technical Service Center:
Submit a Service Request: Visit our portal at https://alcopatrolinc.com or contact service@alcopatrolinc.com to receive a Calibration Order Number.
Pack the Device Carefully: Secure the device in protective packaging. Do not ship used mouthpieces, external batteries, or wet fluids unless requested.
Include the Record: Place a copy of your service confirmation inside the package and clearly write the Service Number on the exterior of the box.
Shipping Responsibilities: The customer is responsible for shipping costs and insurance when sending equipment to our technical center.