There are times that the radio needs to repair and somehow you need to open it to check. But they say that the intrinsically safe radios are different because it needs to be seal again for it to be intrinsically safe again. So my question is, if i open(/disassemble?) an i.s. radio does it lose its intrinsically safe property or do i just need to avoid some parts and its okay to open it.
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When does a radio lose its intrinsically safe property?
- Thread starter jen02
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As long as the O-Ring gaskets are replaced and the IS battery replaced per the radio repair manual it will meet the factory IS ratings.
If you ask any Rolex or Omega or other high-end watch repair shop, they'll gladly remind you that all the critical rubber seals age and fail, so that none of the makers will guarantee them to work after just ONE YEAR.
That would imply the same rubber O-rings and seals used in "intrinsically safe" radios should also be changed annually, unless the maker specifies a longer period. There's no universal answer, it will depend on construction techniques. If the guts of the radio are hermetically sealed, the switches all magnetic contacts or polymer separated, and the case has been welded shut (which is common in marine electronics, to avoid failing gaskets) then the radio could be safe for many years.
You'd have to know the specifics of any one radio to rely on the answer. Or, just ask a friend to take it into a methane atmosphere. If they come back out again, under their own power, then it probably is still safe.(G)
That would imply the same rubber O-rings and seals used in "intrinsically safe" radios should also be changed annually, unless the maker specifies a longer period. There's no universal answer, it will depend on construction techniques. If the guts of the radio are hermetically sealed, the switches all magnetic contacts or polymer separated, and the case has been welded shut (which is common in marine electronics, to avoid failing gaskets) then the radio could be safe for many years.
You'd have to know the specifics of any one radio to rely on the answer. Or, just ask a friend to take it into a methane atmosphere. If they come back out again, under their own power, then it probably is still safe.(G)
Unless your shop and technicians are Factory Mutual or Underwriters Laboratories qualified, you lose IS certification the moment you open the radio. That's not to say the radio will explode, but that you voided any claims you might have in the future.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
I'd also add that if your job requires an IS radio but they won't send it to an approved shop to get it serviced, there is something wrong.
If my life depended on that rating, and I was not trained on how to do it properly, I would not be opening the radio.
If the IS rating is a "nice to have" thing, but you don't really require it, then it would be a personal choice.
If my life depended on that rating, and I was not trained on how to do it properly, I would not be opening the radio.
If the IS rating is a "nice to have" thing, but you don't really require it, then it would be a personal choice.
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