Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about your Traceable® products and services
bubbles

FAQ

Your Most Common Questions, Answered

Discover Traceable®—a brand precision-engineered to meet the highest industry standards and trusted by professionals around the globe.
What is Traceable?

In measurement science, traceability is the property of a measurement result that allows it to be related to a national measurement standard through a documented, unbroken chain of calibrations. These standards are maintained by national measurement institutions (NMIs), such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States.

Every Traceable product includes an ISO/IEC 17025–accredited calibration certificate, which is recognized across all European countries. With each product, you also receive detailed operating instructions, an individual serial number, a calibration label, and the calibration certificate itself.

The certificate provides detailed information for your specific, serially numbered product and confirms its traceability to NIST standards. The calibration label shows the original calibration date and the due date for recalibration—serving as a constant reminder of when recertification is required.

Everyone who is or wants to be ISO-certified.

  • Military suppliers
  • Government labs, from FDA to USDA
  • Labs maintaining certification programs
  • Labs requiring the utmost in accuracy
  • Hospital and clinical labs fulfilling CLIA requirements
  • Labs desiring to use the best possible practices for all measurements

ISO/IEC 17025:2017 mandates traceability in clause 5.6.1, which states in part:

“All equipment used for tests and/or calibration, including equipment for subsidiary measurements (e.g. for environmental conditions) having a significant effect on the accuracy or validity of the result of the test, calibration or sampling shall be calibrated before being put into service. The laboratory shall have an established program and procedure for the calibration of its equipment.”

What is calibration service?
For those customers who need to show continued compliance with a quality system, Traceable® provides a recertification service to recalibrate all Traceable® products. Most users recertify their equipment on an annual basis. Some with special requirements do it more frequently. Simply send it to Traceable® Products, no return authorization number is required. Upon receipt, Traceable Products will contact you with recertification costs and await instructions.

When recalibrating your measurement device, you have the option to receive “As Found” data, “As Left” data, or both.

As Found calibration data is calibration data acquired before any repairs or adjustments being made to the device. In other words, it is the condition of the device “as found” when arriving at our facility for calibration. This provides the user an opportunity to ensure that the instrument was reading accurately, and within specification, while it was in use. It offers valuable information and documentation to support an end user’s test results. It also provides record-keeping on the instrument’s long-term linearity and stability.

As Left calibration data is calibration data acquired after any repairs or adjustments are made to the device, i.e., the condition the device was left before shipping back to you. The condition of the device used to acquire the as left data will be the same condition in which you will receive your device.

None of the Traceable® products will need recalibration or recertification due to a battery change.

Recalibration costs are estimated for each device per as-found and as-left data.

Return shipping: $20

Important: Please include a working battery and probe when shipping your device to Traceable® Products.

Final costs may vary depending on product condition, calibration points, and any additional customizations.

What is MIN/MAX and can I set it?

These measurement readings represent the minimum (lowest) and maximum (highest) values recorded by the instrument. If the memory is cleared, the display will show only the most recent reading. These temperature values are fixed and cannot be programmed.

If your instrument comes with this feature, you can set the alarm values. The instrument will alarm when readings are above or below the set values. Setting the values will be dependent on the product. See the manual on each product page or for additional information contact us at 281.482.1714 or via email at [email protected].

The IN is the ambient temperature around the thermometer’s environment, and the OUT is the measurement of the bottle probe. This does not reflect if the instrument is in or out of its environment.

Accuracy is the parameter which characterizes a measurement instrument’s ability to measure within the range of the true theoretical value of the measured quantity.

The instrument will display beyond a whole number. These are referenced as significant digits.

Bottle and vaccine probes are filled with non-toxic glycol solution, which are generally recognized as safe by the US FDA.

Why is my product screen blank, faint, or giving erratic readings?
Check the battery; it may need replacing. If you are still receiving errors after battery replacement, remove the batteries. Press all the buttons-one at a time. Put the batteries back in. If issues still occur, please contact customer service at 281.482.1714 or email us at [email protected].

If the temperature of your environment is within the thermometers’ or hygrometers’ measuring range, this error will occur if the probe is disconnected or damaged.

If the temperature of your environment is within the thermometers’ or hygrometers’ measuring range, this error will occur if the probe is disconnected or damaged.

When comparing two thermometers, you must add the tolerances of the two units together to identify the total amount of variance that may occur between the two units and still be considered within specification. For example, when comparing two devices of the same model that has a +/- 1 ˚C accuracy, the two units can display temperatures that are up to 2 ˚C different. When comparing temperatures of different model thermometers, it is important that the probe types of both devices are equivalent.

TraceableLIVE®
The simple, efficient, and reliable way to monitor temperature and stay connected to your critical environment wherever you go. If you need help finding the perfect Traceable Thermometer for your environment contact us at 281.482.1714 or email us at [email protected].

This device provides recorded data in a CSV format that can be transferred from the thermometer to any computer with the use of a USB flash drive. No specific software is needed for the device and data can be deleted from memory. The device has a memory capacity of up to one year when using one-minute intervals.

This datalogger device provides recorded data in a CSV format that can be transferred from the thermometer to any computer with use of a USB flash drive. The data on each unit cannot be overwritten or modified, thus reliably securing information that should not be deleted.

A Traceable® device that continuously logs and records environmental or application data over time. Monitor readings overnight, on weekends, or whenever needed with a rolling data log. Users can set the logging interval anywhere from one reading per minute to one reading every 24 hours. At a one-minute interval, the memory stores up to one year of data—and even longer at extended intervals.

Multi-point calibration on an individually-numbered Traceable® certificate which ensures accuracy from our ISO/IEC 17025:2017 (1750.01) calibration laboratory accredited by A2LA. It indicates traceability of measurements to the SI units through NIST or other recognized national measurement institutes (NMI) that are signatories to the CIPM Mutual Recognition Agreement.

When an out-of-range condition is sensed, the Smart-Alarm triggers. Smart-Alarm features visual and audible indicators which signal continuously until acknowledged, even if the parameter returns to the non-alarm range.

Alarm tracking feature stores each alarm event in memory detailing when the alarm state occurred, as well as when the unit returned back to within range.

Bottle probes are sealed in miniature bottles filled with non-toxic glycol—a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) solution approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). This design eliminates concerns about incidental contact with food or drinking water. The temperature-buffered bottle sensor eliminates rapid changes when a refrigerator door is opened, making it ideal for monitoring storage conditions for vaccines and other critical samples.

Does TraceableLIVE® create permanent records?

Yes! TraceableLIVE® creates a permanent record of every observation, alarm event, change in alarm parameter, low battery alert, and loss of Wi-Fi connectivity for every single TraceableLIVE® device. Every record will display the exact time and date any event occurred, as well as detail the person in your team that made the change, if applicable. Additionally, you and your team will have the ability to open any record at any time and insert a personalized message to explain a permanent record if necessary.

TraceableLIVE® ensures peace of mind with mobile push, email, and text notifications. If any of your TraceableLIVE® devices detect an out of range condition, lose connection to your Wi-Fi signal, or begin to run low on battery, TraceableLIVE® will immediately send you alerts in any combination of the options below

Mobile Push
Mobile push works through the TraceableLIVE® app. If the app is installed on your smartphone or tablet, an alert will automatically appear on your device if your environment or device needs your attention

Email
Email notifications are extremely versatile as they can be read from your smartphone, tablet, and computer. With email notifications, you won’t miss a single thing.

Text Message
Add an extra layer of protection with TraceableLIVE® text messages—enter your phone number to get instant notifications right to your phone.

TraceableLIVE® allows for an unlimited number of devices to be connected. So whether you’re monitoring 1 environment or 1,000 environments, you can see how they’re all doing at any time with the TraceableLIVE® app or at traceablelive.com. Additionally, to make monitoring easier, you can divide access to certain devices or groups of devices to certain individuals in your team or organization. This way, they can only see the environments they need to worry about.

Yes! When it comes to security, TraceableLIVE® uses an SSL-encrypted secure connection to transfer and store your critical data at all times. Additionally, because TraceableLIVE® is a secure cloud-based service, this ensures that no matter what happens to your place of work, your devices, your computer, your phone, or anything else that stores data, your research, work, and data will always be safe and accessible through TraceableLIVE®.

TraceableLIVE® offers a wide range of devices designed to deliver wireless monitoring for all your critical environments—including refrigerators, freezers, ultra-low temperature storage, and temperature/humidity applications. Explore our reliable, cost-effective TraceableLIVE® solutions to find the right fit for your monitoring needs.

Need assistance choosing the best device for your application? Our team is here to help. Contact us at 281.482.1714 or email [email protected] for free, personalized support.

Bring Precision to Your Environment with Traceable®

Our team is here to guide you toward the perfect measurement and monitoring solutions for your unique needs.

Get in touch