Biosystems MultiPro Reference Manual - page 14
13
2.4 Alarms
The MultiPro is configured with a series of
alarms that are designed to warn the user of
dangerous conditions.
The MultiPro is
designed to detect potentially life
threatening atmospheric conditions.
Any alarm condition should be taken
seriously. The safest course of action
is to immediately leave the affected
area, and return only after further
testing determines that the area is once
again safe for entry.
2.4.1 Warning
Alarms
Warning alarms indicate a
dangerous atmospheric
condition that has not yet
risen to the level
necessary to initiate the
danger alarms. Warning
alarm levels are shown
during the start up sequence.
Warning alarms can be temporarily silenced
by pressing the MODE button if this option is
enabled with BioTrak.
2.4.2 Danger
Alarms
Danger alarms indicate a
significantly hazardous
condition. As is the case
with the warning alarms,
the danger alarms are
shown in the start up sequence.
2.4.3 STEL
Alarms
STEL (Short Term
Exposure Limit) alarm
values represent the
average concentration of
instrument readings for the
target gas for the most recently completed 15
minutes of operation. The default STEL
alarm level for the MultiPro CO sensor is
100PPM. The default STEL value for the
MultiPro H
2
S sensor is 15PPM.
2.4.4 TWA
Alarms
TWA (Time Weighted
Average) values are
calculated by taking the
sum of exposure to a
particular toxic gas in the
current operating session
in terms of parts-per-million-hours and
dividing by an eight-hour period. The default
TWA alarm level for the MultiPro CO sensor
is 35PPM. The default TWA value for the
MultiPro H
2
S sensor is 10PPM.
2.4.5 Low battery alarms
When battery voltage is
reduced to approximately
3.55 volts, the battery icon
on the LCD will appear empty, which means
that a low battery condition exists.
If the battery icon is empty, leave the area
immediately. If the MultiPro is equipped with
an alkaline battery pack, proceed to an area
that is known to be safe area (containing
20.9% oxygen, 0% LEL and 0 PPM toxic
gases) and change the batteries. If the
MultiPro is equipped with a Li-Ion battery
pack, proceed to an area that is known to be
safe and recharge the battery pack.
Once the battery voltage reaches 3.45 volts
the MultiPro will go into a 30-minute battery
alarm. The warning alarm will sound and the
screen will display “Lo-Bat”, along with the
warning and alarm icons. The user will need
to acknowledge the low battery condition by
pressing the MODE button before the
instrument will resume monitoring. Once this
MODE button is pressed, the empty battery
cell and the caution icon will flash. After 15
minutes the warning will sound again to
indicate that there are now only 15 minutes
of battery life left. Once the second 15-
minute period has elapsed or once the
battery voltage reaches 3.2 volts, the
instrument will go into alarm for the last time,
notify the user that it is shutting itself and
proceed to turn itself off.
Alkaline battery replacement and Li-Ion
battery charging instructions are
contained in section 5.2 and 5.3.
The MultiPro must be
located in a non-hazardous location
during the charging cycle. Charging the
MultiPro in a hazardous location may
impair intrinsic safety.
The MultiPro
must be
located in a non-hazardous location
whenever alkaline batteries are
removed from the alkaline battery pack.
Removal of the alkaline batteries from
the battery pack in a hazardous area
may impair intrinsic safety.
CAUTION Always turn the MultiPro off
prior to removing the battery pack.
Removal of the battery pack with the
instrument turned on may cause
corruption of stored data in the MultiPro.