A white man's hand is giving a scale on the wood floor the middle finger

Common Causes of Inconsistent Digital Scale Readings

Here at TruWeigh, we pride ourselves on having the most accurate digital scale technology available. However, that by itself doesn’t guarantee an accurate reading every time. A lot of the consistency and accuracy in your digital scale readings depends on the environment and incorrect calibration. If your scale doesn’t seem to be giving correct or consistent readings, it may because of one of the following reasons.

The Truweigh Mini Classic digital scale sits on a black mat on a white countertop with a 100g calibration weight on the platform. The green screen reads 100.00g

 1. You haven't calibrated it in a long time (or ever).

 

Each of the TruWeigh scales are professionally calibrated before they’re packaged, but there are still factors that could affect its calibration before it ends up in your hands. You may even need to recalibrate your scale multiple times throughout its life. To ensure you get the most precise readings, use a calibration weights that are the exact capacity of your scale to fine-tune your scale. Make sure the scale is on a flat and level surface free of debris—this could throw off calibration. Which brings me to my next point…

 

2. Your surface is shaky or uneven.  

 

Even if your scale is calibrated, it could show inconsistent readings if it’s resting on an uneven, tilted or rounded surface. Use a mouse pad or static-reducing pad on a flat, hard surface underneath your scale to steady the scale and ensure correct results every time.

 

3. You're in a windy location or there's a strong draft.

 

Even if your scale is calibrating correctly, it’s always going to give you extremely precise readings. This is why even the slightest draft affecting the material on the scale can give you an inaccurate reading. It’s just as important to maintain consistency in the material you’re measuring as the scale itself.

 

4. Your cell phone frequency is messing with it.

 

Cell phone frequencies can interfere with a lot of our digital devices. If you think your readings might be inaccurate, try leaving your phone in a different room or off the table the scale is resting on.

 The Truweigh Wave digital washdown scale sits on a granite counter and has coffee grounds and sugar spilled across it.

5. There is built up debris stuck under the platform or around the sides of your scale.

 

Dirt, dust and other residue can build up in the seams of your scale over time if you’re not cleaning it regularly. Even the slightest bit of dust underneath the actual scale can affect your measurements, and any buildup directly on the pan certainly affects it. To make cleaning easy, invest in a water-proof and dust-proof scale like our Wave washdown scale.

 

Venturing into digital scale territory for diet or medication reasons can be confusing. You invested in a scale for a reason—these are important matters of your health and its crucial that you’re getting the right amounts. Hopefully these tips on making sure you set your scale up for success will allow you the most accurate readings every time.

 

If you've gone through this checklist and your readings still don’t seem quite right, remember that TruWeigh offers a 10-year warranty on our scales. Plus, check out our other tips for accurate weight measurement. Happy calibrating!