- by Cam Healy
- in Service Benefits
- on December 1, 2025
Winter Care for Survey Equipment
How Temperature Affects Accuracy
With winter upon us, the cold weather can have a significant influence over your survey equipment’s performance. Batteries drain much faster as the cold affects the chemical reactions needed to generate power. Additionally, the low temperature creates condensation which results in a decrease in visibility – so readings become distorted – as well as sensors being shifted, and general instrument malfunction. But it doesn’t have to be so frosty and bitter between you and your equipment: here’s how you can better prepare for the weather and keep everything ticking over…
Accommodate for Temperature Stabilisation:
When they are moved from warm rooms like offices onto harsh freezing sites, instruments inevitably need time to adjust in order to operate at their maximum capacity. (Don’t we all?). To help this, you should allow for around 10-15 minutes at the very least to give internal components the opportunity to stabilise before taking any critical readings.
Protect Against Moisture:
As previously mentioned, winter weather usually causes condensation, often inside electrical and optical parts of equipment, and this can result in calibration drift. In these instances, the importance of using waterproof cases and desiccant packs when transporting and storing your instruments cannot be overstated!
Monitor Battery Health:
Much like your phone, it’s always good to keep an eye on your equipment’s battery capacity. If you are working on-site (out in the cold!) for extended periods, it’s always handy to have spare batteries warm and on-hand to be regularly swapped out. Naturally, this prevents batteries from draining so quickly due to the cold and keeps everything ticking over should they fail.
Schedule Winter Calibrations:
When the freezing weather poses such a risk to the efficiency of your instruments (and, by extension, your project), it’s sensible to schedule a mid-winter calibration to guarantee optimal performance out of your kit. By doing so, you can feel more confident in your measurements and readings, and your client and feel just as confident in you. Why take the risk?