Ask yourself…
- Do you know what sort of injury high levels of microwave energy causes?
- Do you know that damage is cumulative?
- Do you know the “Safe level” and how that level was derived?
- If you find a leak, what are you going to do? Tell the customer not to use the oven?? Say “It should be OK”? Remember, you have to attach a “Sticker saying who made the test and when etc.
- Does the instrument being used meet the latest BS EN IEC Standard: IEC 60335-2-25-A2/Ed6and has it been calibrated regularly?
- Have you got a “Traceable Calibration Certificate relating to that instrument and is it “in Date”? (Annual checks are recommended)
- Have you considered the implication if you claim there is no leak when in fact there is a leak or vice-versa?
- Are you covered by Public Liability Insurance if you use an un-calibrated instrument?
- Are you aware that some oven manufacturers have charged customers for a “call-out” to an oven with no fault following a positive leakage test with an un-calibrated instrument?
- If you are going to make a test, at what speed should you move the instrument and where should you look for potential leakage?
- Why move the instrument at a specific speed when testing for a leak?
- What “load” should you use in the oven and why?
- Do you understand the significance of “Polarization” as it applies to the instrument response and why is it important?
If the answer to the above questions is in the negative, you should either avoid making tests or choose a suitable recognised course to gain the knowledge, either via oven manufacturer courses, or a specialist recognised training establishments covering at least all of the above.
PATTA recommends that testing microwaves should be made by competent technicians using recognised equipment made by companies such as, Narda, Holaday, Robin, Amprobe, ETS Lindgren, Celtek, Apollo etc. and all should have an in-date calibration certificate
With thanks to Celtek Electronics Ltd for the information in this publication.