User's Guide

CO

2

Meter

Model CO250

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of this Model CO250 Meter. This meter measures

CO 2 (Carbon Dioxide) levels, air temp., dew point, wet bulb temperature and humidity and is an ideal instrument for indoor air quality (IAQ) diagnosis. This meter is shipped fully tested and calibrated and, with proper use, will provide years of reliable service.

Meter Description

METER

1.

Temperature and Humidity sensor

2.

CO 2 sensor (rear)

3.

LCD display

4.

AC Adaptor connector

5.

RS232 port

6.

Keypad

7.

Battery compartment (rear)

LCD DISPLAY

1.

CO2 concentration in ppm

2.

Relative Humidity in %

3.

Air Temperature, Dew Point or

Wet Bulb Temperature

SYMBOLS

TWA

STEL

HOLD

MIN/MAX

DP

AIR

WBT

%

C or F

Time weighted average( 8 hours)

Short-term exposure limit (15 minutes weighted average)

Freezes current reading on display

Minimum/Maximun readings

Low battery indicator

Dew point temperature

Air temperature

Wet bulb temperature

Unit of relative humidity

Celsius/Fahrenheit

KEYPAD

Turns the meter on and off.

Enters setup mode.

Sets as non-sleep mode with .

Exits setup page/mode.

Enters CO 2 calibration with

Enters RH calibration with

.

Freezes the current reading on display.

Cancels data hold function.

Activates or cancels the backlight.

Selects unit or increases value in setup.

Selects AIR, DP, WBT temps display.

Selects unit or decreases value in setup.

Activates MIN,MAX,STEL,TWA function.

Saves and finishes settings.

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Operation

BATTERY INSTALLATION

The meter is powered by 4 AA batteries or a DC adaptor. Install the batteries into the rear battery compartment observing correct polarity. When an adaptor is used, the batteries will be disconnected from the meter. The adaptor cannot be used as a battery charger. When the battery voltage drops below the required level, and “Lob” will appear on the display, a beeper sounds and readings are no longer displayed. (Press any key but the to stop the beeps). Replace the batteries to resume normal operation.

You, as the end user, are legally bound (Battery ordinance) to return all used batteries and accumulators; disposal in the household garbage is prohibited!

You can hand over your used batteries / accumulators at collection points in your community or wherever batteries / accumulators are sold!

Disposal: Follow the valid legal stipulations in respect of the disposal of the device at the end of its lifecycle

POWER ON/OFF

Press to turn the meter on and off. At power up, the meter emits a short beep and performs a 30 second countdown for meter warm up. It then enters the normal operation mode with current CO

2

, temperature and humidity readings displayed.

TAKING MEASUREMENT

The meter starts measurements when powered on and updates readings every second. If the operating environment changes (ex. from high to low temp.), it takes 30 seconds for

CO 2 sensor to respond and 30 minutes for RH.

NOTE: Do not hold the meter close to your mouth or any other source of CO 2 .

AIR, DP and WBT Measurements

Press the DP/WBT button to switch temperatures display. The lower left display will cycle from “AIR” air temperature, “DP” dew point temperature and “WBT” wet bulb temperature.

DATA HOLD

Press the HOLD button to freeze the readings, The "HOLD” icon is displayed on the left top of the display. All current readings are held unchanged, except STEL and TWA. Press

“HOLD” again to cancel the hold function.

BACKLIGHT

Press the MODE/ ▲ button for more than 1 second to activate or to cancel backlight function.

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MIN,MAX,STEL,TWA

In the normal mode, press the Max/AV button to see the minimum, maximum, and weighted average readings. With each press of the Max/AV button, the meter displays

MIN, MAX, STEL, TWA in sequence and then returns to the normal mode.

In MIN and MAX modes, the meter shows the minimum and maximum readings of CO

2

(main display), AIR, DP or WB temperatures (lower left display) and Humidity (lower right display).

In STEL and TWA modes, the main display shows the weighted average of CO

2 readings for the past 15 minutes (STEL) or 8 hours(TWA). The lower displays are the current measurements

NOTE:

1.

If the meter has been powered on for less than 15 minutes, the STEL value will be the weighted average of readings taken since power on. As well, the TWA mode will display a weighted average of readings prior to 8 hours of operation.

2.

The CO250 takes at least 5 minutes to calculate STEL and TWA. The display shows “----” during the first 5 minutes from power on.

3.

The STEL and TWA values will keep updating every 5 minutes.

ALARM

The meter features an audible alarm to give warnings when CO

2 concentration exceeds the set limit.. It emits beeps (Abt.80dB) when CO

2 level goes over the set value and stops when any key (except ) is pressed or the readings fall below the set value. It beeps again if the value exceeds the limit. Restart the meter if the beeper will not stop.

AUTO POWER OFF

The meter turns off automatically after 20 minutes of inactivity. To override the function, press and hold down the and HOLD buttons until “n” appears in the display (approx.

2 seconds) while turning on the meter on. NOTE: Auto sleep function will be disabled during calibration mode.

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SETUP (alarm limit and temperature scale)

In the normal mode press and hold the button for more than 1 sec to enter the setup mode.

To exit the setup mode, press the CAL/Esc button when either P1.

0 or P3.

0 is displayed.

P1.0 CO 2 ALARM Limit

When entering setup mode, P1.

0 and “AL” are displayed.

Press the M

N

/AV button to scroll to P1.

1 for setting CO

2 alarm threshold. The current

CO 2 set value will be blinking.

Press the MODE/ ▲ button to increase or the DP/WBT/▼ button to decrease the value.

Each press adjusts 100 ppm. The alarm range is from 100 to 9900ppm. When the preferred alarm value is set, press the M

N

/AV button to exit and save the setting or the

CAL/Esc button to exit without saving and return to P1.

0 .

P3.0 TEMPERATURE SCALE

Press the MODE/ ▲ button or the DP/WBT/▼ button in P1.

0 to access P3.

0 for setting the temperature scale.

Press the M

N

/AV button to go into P3.

1 for setting the temperature units. The currently selected units (°C or °F) will be blinking in the display. To switch units, press the

MODE/ ▲ button. Press the M

N

/AV button to save the setting or press the CAL/Esc button exit without saving and return to P3.

0.

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Calibration

CO 2 CALIBRATION

The meter is calibrated to a standard 400ppm CO 2 concentration at the factory

NOTE: When the accuracy becomes a concern or after a year of use, return to Extech for a standard calibration.

CAUTION: Do not calibrate the meter in an atmosphere of unknown CO

2 concentration.

1.

Place the meter in the 400ppm calibration chamber. Turn the meter on and hold down the CAL/Esc and MODE/ ▲ buttons simultaneously to enter CO

2 calibration mode. 400ppm and

“CAL” will blink on the LCD while performing calibration.

2.

Wait about 5 minutes until the blinking stops. The calibration is then completed and the meter automatically returns to the normal mode.

NOTE: Ensure the batteries are fresh prior to calibration to prevent an interruption or failed calibration.

RH CALIBRATION

The meter is calibrated to a standard 33% and 75% salt solution bottle.

CAUTION: Do not calibrate the humidity without the default calibration salt. Otherwise, permanent damage could occur. Contact the Extech for calibration salts or services.

33% calibration

1.

Plug the sensor probe into 33% salt bottle.

2.

In the normal mode, Press and Hold the CAL/Esc and

DP/WBT/▼ buttons to enter the 33% calibration. “CAL” and calibrating value (32.7% if at 25°C) will blink on the LCD with current temperature at the left.

3.

The meter is now calibrating, and will finish in about 60 minutes when “CAL” and humidity stop blinking.

75% calibration

1.

After the 33% calibration, plug the sensor probe into a 75% salt bottle.

2.

Press the M

N

/AV button to enter 75% calibration.

3.

“CAL” and calibrating value (75.2% if at 25°C) will blinking on the LCD with current temperature at the left.

4.

The meter is now calibrating. Wait about 60 minutes until the blinking stops, then calibration is completed and the meter will return to normal mode.

NOTE: Single point calibrations are allowed. To calibrate 33% only, press CAL/Esc and exit when 33% calibration is completed. To calibrate 75% only, press MODE/ ▲ within the 5 minutes while initializing 33% calibration.

PC CONNECTION

The meter is equipped with an RS-232 PC interface jack (3.5mm phono) for connection to a PC. The supplied cable and Windows

TM compatible software allows the user to store readings in a text file and display real-time measurements in a series of selectable formats.

For more information or specific operating instructions, refer to the User Guide included with the software.

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Specifications

Function

CO 2

Temperature

Humidity

Wet Bulb

Dew Point

Range

0 to 5000ppm

Resolution

1ppm

Accuracy

±50ppm±5%rdg

5000 to 9999ppm 1ppm Not specified

Pressure dependence: +1.6% reading per kPa deviation from normal pressure, 100kPa

-10 to 60°C

14 to 140°F

0.1° ±0.6°C/0.9°F

0.0 to 99.9% 0.1%

±3%(10 to 90%)

±5%(< or > 10 to 90%)

-5 to 60°C

23 to 140°F

-20 to 60°C

-4 to 140°F

0.1°

0.1°

Calculated from RH and

Temperature

Display Triple LCD with backlight

Sensor Type CO

2

: NDIR (non-dispersive infrared) technology

Humidity: Capacitance sensor;

Temperature (air): Thermistor

Operating Conditions 0 to 50 o

C (32 to 122 o

F); < 95% RH non-condensing

Storage Conditions -20 to 60 o

C ( -4 to 140 o

F); <99% RH non-condensing

Power Supply

Battery Life

Dimensions / Weight

4 x 1.5V ‘AA’ batteries or AC adaptor (9V/1A) approx. 24 hours (alkaline batteries)

200x70x57mm (7.9x2.7x2.3”)/190g (6.7 oz.)

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Maintenance

CLEANING AND STORAGE

1. The meter should be cleaned with a damp cloth and mild detergent when necessary.

Do not use solvents or abrasives.

2. Store the meter in an area with moderate temperature and humidity (refer to the operating and storage range in the specifications chart earlier in this manual).

TROUBLESHOOTING

Can’t power on

Press for more than 0.3 seconds and try again. Check that the batteries have good contact and the correct polarity or that the AC adaptor is properly connected.

Slow response

Check whether the air flow channels on the rear of the meter are blocked.

Error messages

E01: CO 2 sensor damaged.

E02: The value is under range.

E03: The value is over range.

E04: The original data error results in this error (DP, WB)

E07: Too low voltage to measure CO 2 , replace batteries or use an adaptor.

E11: Retry humidity calibration.

E17: Retry CO 2 calibration.

E31: Temperature sensor damaged.

E34: Humidity sensor damaged.

8 CO250-EU V1.2 6/09

CO

2

Levels and Guidelines

Non-Enforced Reference levels:



250 - 350 ppm – background (normal) outdoor air level



350- 1,000 ppm - typical level found in occupied spaces with good air exchange.



1,000 – 2,000 ppm - level associated with complaints of drowsiness and poor air.



2,000 – 5,000 ppm – level associated with headaches, sleepiness, and stagnant, stale, stuffy air. Poor concentration, loss of attention, increased heart rate and slight nausea may also be present.



>5,000 ppm – Exposure may lead to serious oxygen deprivation resulting in permanent brain damage, coma and even death.

Regulatory exposure limits:

ASHRAE Standard 62-1989: 1000ppm: CO 2 concentration in occupied building should not exceed 1000ppm.

OSHA: 5000ppm: Time weighted average over five 8-hour work days should not exceed 5000ppm

Building bulletin 101 (Bb101): 1500ppm. UK standards for schools say that CO

2 at averaged over the whole day(i.e. 9am to 3.30 pm) should not exceed 1500ppm.

Germany, Japan, Australia, UK...: 5000ppm, 8 hours weighted average in occupational exposure limit is 5000ppm.

Copyright © 2009 Extech Instruments Corporation (a FLIR company)

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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