MSA Altair 5X Calibration and Bump Test Guide

Today's video is on how to calibrate and bump test the MSA Altair 5X unit. This uses a demand flow regulator and the standard MSA 4-gas mix. Remember to subscribe and like the video to help us out.
If you have a problem during your calibration, give us a call or send it in for repair here:
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Calibration steps:
1. Turn monitor on
2. Complete pump test
3. Wait for startup to finish, hit NO when it asks to FAS
4. Press and hold right button
5. On prompt to zero, hit the left button for YES
6. When zero completes, hit YES when it asks you to span cal
7. Hook the gas up to the monitor
8. Wait for the calibration to complete
9. Remove the gas, you're done!
Calibration Gas Used:
20ppm H2S
60ppm CO
58% LEL Pentane Simulant
15.0% VOL O2
Nitrogen Balance
Calgas PN:
58DAL-0219-24
Buy the calibration gas here:
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Demand Flow Regulator PN:
NB-DF-C10
Buy the Regulator here:
For Pumped (In video) - idealcalibrati...
Buy a replacement Oxygen Sensor here:
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If you have any gas monitor or calibration gas questions, please feel free to call us at 1-734-956-0539 or to email me [e-mail]. We'd be happy to answer any questions you have.
Thanks for watching!

[@IyanuloluwaTimothy]

Detailed video... Thank you very much. I noticed however that each time you popped the gas tube from the detector, you did not close the gas regulator. Wouldn't dangerous gases be released into the room??

[@Idealcalibrations]

The regulator style in the video is a demand flow regulator, which means it only delivers gas when there is a vacuum applied from the pump on an instrument. You should always use a demand flow regulator with a pumped instrument (instead of the fixed flow with an on/off knob you would use with a diffusion instrument)

[@IyanuloluwaTimothy]

@@Idealcalibrations Thank you so much! This is so enlightening

[@AlexTassos-vz8kj]

Do the math. A 34 liter bottle holding a H2S concentration of 25 ppm isnt going to hurt anything. An 8x8 room is almost 14,500 liters. It would take 425 bottles to make the room 25 ppm H2S. One bottle completely emptied in the room = 0.05 ppm H2S.

[@VikranthKumar4246]

can you do a video of how to check the registered data after calibrations via the IR port...?

[@redbuoy10]

How do you incorporate the Isobutylene gas test with the pentane gas test?

[@Idealcalibrations]

If you have a PID sensor you'll need an additional cylinder (idealcalibrations.com/Isobutylene-C4H8-calibration-gas/?sku=103DST-0038-48) to calibrate. Once you finish the 4-gas calibration it will enter the PID calibration and ask you for the Isobutylene gas. Just repeat the last step from the 4-gas calibration and you'll be good to go. You have enough time to quickly remove your tubing from the monitor, then the regulator from the cylinder, and finally to screw the regulator into the Iso cylinder and reattach your tubing. If you don't detach the tubing from the gas detector you can sometimes have errors on the pump so keep that in mind.

[@manumutango8863]

Fantastic video

[@Idealcalibrations]

Thank you! Let us know if you have any questions

[@jesday]

Does your gas automatically flow when you connect the tube from the gas to the meter? I didn't see where you turn the gas on and off. My calibration gas is different so I had to remember to turn it on and off.

[@Idealcalibrations]

Hey Jack, I'm using a "Demand Flow Regulator" which essentially flows gas to match the speed of your pump. With a knob, it's generally a fixed flow on/off regulator. I don't recommend these for pumped units unless you're venting the pressure somewhere, as a fixed flow regulator will never match a pump exactly and either flows too little gas or too much. Neither is good for the pump.

[@keithamberg6392]

Hi, I can’t get mine to turn on. I’ve had it in the charger all day and when I press the button the screen lights up but it never turns on.

[@Idealcalibrations]

Sounds like a bad battery or a bad charger. I'd swap the charger first if you can, but the batteries on these do go bad on occasion especially as they age.

[@Comeon-no6jo]

Hi question how often do these MSA units need to be calibrated?

[@Idealcalibrations]

It's best to calibrate them once a month, or if the units see a major exposure to gas. Bump test the unit daily before use and if anything seems off you want to recalibrate. It's essential to bump test each day before use in case one of the sensors goes out and stops responding as the unit won't tell you if, for instance, the LEL sensor gets poisoned and stops seeing gas.

[@Comeon-no6jo]

@@Idealcalibrations thank you for your message I understand that these unit should be bomb tested daily But having the sound of fire engine I don’t believe we can bump test every day. What do you recommend for first responders having this instrument

[@Idealcalibrations]

@@Comeon-no6jo Make it part of your morning routine or accept you're treating your life saving equipment without proper care. I've seen LEL sensors die because some guy Armor-All'd the truck the night before with a monitor inside it. Sensor was completely poisoned and no one knew it. They were going on Propane/CO calls for a week before they bump tested and realized the sensor wasn't picking up flammable gases. Bump daily if you're going to use it daily or on emergency calls. If you're only using it for non-emergency use then jump calibrate monthly and bump test the unit before you take it on the road.

[@masscomnet]

How does gas expire?

[@Idealcalibrations]

Hello! This answer is a long one, so I'm going to link a blog post I made on the topic if you want more info: idealcalibrations.com/blog/why-does-calibration-gas-expire-fade/ Essentially components like Hydrogen Sulfide are reactive and can interact with things like the cylinder wall, valve, or oxygen in the cylinder over time. A cylinder that you bought at 25ppm from the day it arrived may be down to 23ppm or lower by the time the cylinder expires. This will screw up your calibrations and you'll either start seeing false positives or if the H2S fades too low you'll start seeing failed calibrations. Generally when a sensor has an H2S issue the first thing we double check is the calgas that was used to calibrate it. Some gases, like Ammonia or Chlorine, are far more reactive than others, so you'll see their warranty and expected life as much lower than other cylinders that have H2S or SO2 in them. Hope that helps!

[@st78025]

Please ramble less and less commercials. Thanks

[@Idealcalibrations]

Hey Samuel, I'll work on it and see what I can do about the settings!