When your max lamp counts drop below 30,000 during the self test and cannot recover with cleaning, you can send the lamp in for inspection. If your lamp time remaining is less than 25% then it is best to send the SUNA in for a lamp replacement. We will automatically...
Service
When should the SUNA (V1 or V2) be sent in for service to get the lamp replaced?
When your max lamp counts drop below 30,000 during the self test and cannot recover with cleaning, you can send the lamp in for inspection. If your lamp time remaining is less than 25% then it is best to send the SUNA in for a lamp replacement. We will automatically...
What is an Anti-Foulant Device? Does it affect the conductivity cell calibration? How often should I replace it? Does it require special handling?
The Anti-Foulant Device is an expendable device that is installed on each end of the conductivity cell, so that any water that enters the cell is treated. Anti-Foulant Devices are typically used with moored instruments (SBE 16, 16plus, 16plus-IM, 16plus V2, 16plus-IM...
Does Sea-Bird have any calibration/service centers outside of the United States?
Sea-Bird opened a calibration/service center in Kempten, Germany in 2011, providing duty-free servicing for EU customers. The dedicated technical support staff and calibration technicians were extensively trained by Sea-Bird experts. Calibration cross-referencing...
What do I need to send to Sea-Bird for calibration of my SBE 9plus, 25, or 25plus?
For calibration of the temperature and conductivity sensors, only the sensor modules need to be sent to Sea-Bird. It is not necessary to send the CTD main housing. See Shipping SBE 9plus, 25, and 25plus Temperature and Conductivity Sensors for details.It is...
What is Sea-Bird’s policy on upgrading instruments?
It is our policy to update firmware in instruments while they are here for calibration at no cost to the customer, but it is not our policy to routinely upgrade circuit cards. On some very old units that are being upgraded to support more external...
What are Configuration Sheets, and where can I find them for my instrument?
Configuration Sheets detail instrument communication settings, system configuration (auxiliary sensors, which channels are set up for which sensors), and sensor calibration coefficients. Configuration sheets are provided with the instrument, in both paper form (may be...
I sent my conductivity sensor to Sea-Bird for calibration, and you also performed a Cleaning and Replatinizing (C &P). You sent the instrument back with 2 sets of calibration data. What does this mean?
The post-cruise calibration contains important information for drift calculations. The post-cruise calibration is performed on the cell as we received it from you, and is an indicator of how much the sensor has drifted in the field. Information from the...
Can I brush-clean and replatinize the conductivity cell myself? How often should this be done?
Brush-cleaning and replatinizing should be performed at Sea-Bird. We cannot extend warranty coverage if you perform this work yourself. The brush-cleaning and replatinizing process requires specialized equipment and chemicals, and the disassembly of the sensor. If...
Do you recommend a particular brand of alkaline D-cell batteries?
For Sea-Bird instruments that use alkaline D-cells, Sea-Bird uses Duracell MN 1300, LR20. While rare, we have seen a few problems with cheaper batteries over the years: they are more likely to leak, may vary in size (leading to loose batteries causing a bad power...
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