1027 operating range

[John Dirks Jr]

If you check the specs on the Sun Nuclear site for the 1027, you'll find they list the operating temperature range of 45F to 95F.

I had a monitor in a hot vehicle and deployed it. The monitor itself was surely above 95F when I cleared and deployed it. The air temp in the room was within normal range.

The test came out totally erratic and not usable in my opinion. I'm running a second test for the client at no charge.

Have any of you had a 1027 act wild after deploying it while heated up? Could this have caused the erratic numbers?

I put a different monitor in on the 2nd test for the client and am deploying this offending one in my own house for a test.

Here are the wild numbers from the ill fated test.

0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 8.0 24.0
32.0 40.0 48.0
208 264 288

264 512 304
40.0 88.0 104
144 168 240
192 408 744

999 592 272
0.0 256 216
248 432 32.0
8.0 0.0 0.0

24.0 592 8.0
0.0 8.0 8.0
8.0 8.0 8.0
8.0 T 8.0 0.0

Overall Avg.=181
EPA Protocol Avg.=196

[Vern Heiler]

If you check the specs on the Sun Nuclear site for the 1027, you'll find they list the operating temperature range of 45F to 95F.

I had a monitor in a hot vehicle and deployed it. The monitor itself was surely above 95F when I cleared and deployed it. The air temp in the room was within normal range.

The test came out totally erratic and not usable in my opinion. I'm running a second test for the client at no charge.

Have any of you had a 1027 act wild after deploying it while heated up? Could this have caused the erratic numbers?

I put a different monitor in on the 2nd test for the client and am deploying this offending one in my own house for a test.

Here are the wild numbers from the ill fated test.

0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 8.0 24.0
32.0 40.0 48.0
208 264 288

264 512 304
40.0 88.0 104
144 168 240
192 408 744

999 592 272
0.0 256 216
248 432 32.0
8.0 0.0 0.0

24.0 592 8.0
0.0 8.0 8.0
8.0 8.0 8.0
8.0 T 8.0 0.0

Overall Avg.=181
EPA Protocol Avg.=196


I've taken them out of a hot car many times and never had anything like that.

[Bruce Breedlove]

I have never had that happen. When was the last time your CRM was calibrated?

[Scott Patterson]

Nope, never had that happen. I keep one in my truck for those unexpected times when the client changes their mind.

[John Dirks Jr]

I have never had that happen. When was the last time your CRM was calibrated?

Less than a year. This is the cert for the monitor in question.
http://home.comcast.net/~arundelhomeinspection/cal-report-014.PDF

It's at home now and seems to be working fine.

[Bruce Breedlove]

If I were you I would give Laura at Sun Nuclear a call.

[H.G. Watson, Sr.]

Did the home have a public or private water supply?

Uncovered unvented sump in the basement or crawl? French Drain?
Furnace/split AC coil air handler in the basement or crawl? Did it rain?

In a low lying tidal waters area? Was thinking placement 1-2pm-ish spikes might have coincided with high Sinepuxent Bay tides, with the super spike early afternoon with home closed up all day perhaps running AC, as in the late night and wee hours (other times not closed conditions - perhaps many kids, attached garage lots of ins and outs school still in session during test days?)?

You haven't mentioned unless I missed it the location of other factors such as ceiling fans (and perhaps thermostatically activated, even if the home were vacant), water softeners (going through purge cycles for example), furnaces, laundry facitilies, etc. Or made mention other than the extreme heat of the day you placed the device, in the vehicle before you placed it) as to wind conditions, direction, if vents all on lee side, etc. or if the home has any sort of passive or active mitigation system present, and its proximity to the test location.

IIRC 999 is the max for the device, and IIRC the device averages two or three readings per hour for each reported test period, always drops the decimal when reporting a period at three digits, etc.

Thoughts, curiosities throwing out there. Also remembering C.C. stating a ceiling padle fan could inflate by a 10 factor and compare testing periods with N.O.A.A. statistics/patterns.

Curious. Is this the same one of four you acquired used that was misbehaving originally and had to be sent in for repair, not just calibration? Side by side challenge with another unit recently calibrated?

[John Dirks Jr]

H.G.,

There were no unusual factors to explain what this machine did. Even if there were multiples of them I cant figure out why it would cause the reading it did.

Although I agree that all the things you mentioned can affect radon measurements, I believe this was some kind of fluke malfunction of the equipment.

Furthermore, the one in question is not the one that previously needed repair. The one in question is and has been functioning normally here in my home ever since it was reset after the initial incident.

The second test was concluded an hour ago. It was done with a different monitor. The data was typical in pattern and the final average was 5.4pCi/L.

[Darren Miller]

John;

Like Scott, I 'used' to carry a monitor in my truck for that last minute call.

My story is opposite temperature of yours. When I did try to use the monitor after being in my truck for several weeks in COLD weather, the red HV light (older model) stayed on. This indicated it needed service. I ran the test, called Sun Nuclear, picked up the monitor and deployed another then sent it out for repairs. This was about 2 years ago and no problem since; however, I don;t carry a spare monitor around anymore.

[Jack Feldmann]

I carry my monitors around all the time. I carry them in an insulated bag (kind of like a small ice chest). I have never had a problem with a monitor doing anything like that.

I did have a monitor act up a short time after it had been calibrated. I sent it back and they fixed it right away.