AlcoSense Zero Instruction Manual
Thank you for purchasing your new AlcoSense Zero Breathalyser.
As you know, you never can tell how long it takes for alcohol to clear from
your body after having a drink. It depends on many variables including body
mass, time of day, food intake and even if you have a cold.
Road safety is our primary concern, specifically making it easy for you to
know when you are clear of alcohol. With only one-eighth of the English limit
in
your system you are 37% more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than
when completely sober. AlcoSense gives you the tools to make an informed
decision about when the alcohol has cleared your system.
Like me, many responsible drivers use the AlcoSense breathalyser to help
make sure they’re OK to drive the morning after. Thank you again for
purchasing this product and I’m sure you will be delighted with it.
Yours sincerely,
Hunter Abbott, Managing Director
Important - Please read
It is safest to drive when you have no alcohol left in your blood stream. As a result we only
recommend driving when the AlcoSense breathalyser reads ‘LO’. Before using the AlcoSense
breathalyser you agree you have read the operating instructions & are aware of the legal alcohol
limit in your jurisdiction. The manufacturer distributors and sellers of this product exclude all liability
for improper use or loss or damage caused by actions taken by you after use of this product. Please
be aware of the drink drive limit in your jurisdiction.
AlcoSense Zero User Manual Version 1.1
How Breathalysers Work 3
How Alcohol is Processed by the Body 3
Do’s and don’ts: Things That Breathalyser 4
Can Affect the Reading of Your
Getting Started 5
Installing the Batteries 6
Manually Cleaning the Sensor 7
How to Perform a Breath Test 8–9
Possible Error Screens 9
Understanding the Results 10
Drink Drive Limits 11
Maintaining your AlcoSense Breathalyser 12
Recalibration 13
Troubleshooting 14–15
Technical specifications 16
Legal & Warranty 17
Contact us 18
Contents
How Breathalysers Work
Breathalysers work by measuring the concentration of alcohol vapour in
your breath. Contrary to popular belief the alcohol is not coming from
residue in your mouth but is actually evaporating from the blood that passes
through your lungs when you breathe. The amount of alcohol evaporating
from your lungs is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol in your
blood stream making it possible to accurately calculate the per mil Blood
Alcohol Concentration (‰BAC) or Milligrams of alcohol per Litre of Breath
(mg/l) and therefore your level of intoxication.
How Alcohol Is Processed by the Body
When you drink, alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream through your
mouth and throat but mostly through the stomach and small intestine.
The more you drink the more alcohol is absorbed by the body and the higher
your BAC or mg/l reading will become. Between 20 and 90 minutes after the
alcohol is consumed it is distributed equally around the body through the
blood stream. This is known as the Point of Equilibrium.
As blood flows round the body around 90% of the alcohol it contains is
broken down in to water and carbon dioxide by the liver in a process
called Oxidation. The remaining 10% of the alcohol is passed from the
body through the lungs and kidneys. A healthy liver typically breaks down
alcohol at a rate of one unit of alcohol per hour but the more alcohol
that is consumed the longer it can take for the liver to process each unit.
When you stop drinking your level of intoxication may stay constant or
if you have been drinking heavily it could even increase for around
90 minutes afterwards. This is because of the time it takes for alcohol to
reach the bloodstream from the time you actually had the drink. If you have
eaten food this can also increase the time, as the release of alcohol into the
bloodstream can be slowed by it being absorbed by food in the stomach.
This is the reason why we do not recommend using the breathalyser
just after finishing drinking because there are too many factors that can
influence the reading. The ideal time is the morning after.
Do’s and don’ts: Things That Can Affect the Reading of
Your Breathalyser
There are some factors that can affect the reading of breathalysers whether
it be the AlcoSense breathalyser or a police system. Please note that certain
medications and conditions including diabetes can give false positive readings.
If you find you have a positive reading when you have not drunk alcohol
please contact us for assistance.
Do:
• Use the breathalyser the morning after a few drinks.
• Read the instructions carefully.
• Phone us if you have any difficulties.
• Only drive when the AlcoSense says LO and you feel 100%. Any amount of
alcohol in your system will affect your ability to drive.
• Leave a minimum of 5 minutes between tests. Do not perform more than
5 tests in one hour and no more than 20 tests in 24 hours. More frequent
testing can cause a build-up of breath condensation or alcohol vapour in
the breathalyser which can temporarily affect accuracy.
Don’t:
• Blow into the breathalyser within 10 minutes of drinking, high levels of
alcohol in the mouth can permanently damage the sensor.
•
Perform a breath test within 90 minutes of drinking. Blood alcohol levels
can rise for up to 90 minutes after drinking (see page 3 for more info).
Results tak
en before this time can rise or fall quickly.
• Use the breathalyser for at least 30 minutes after using mouthwash, breath
spray, cough medicine or anything else that may contain alcohol - you may
get a false positive reading.
• Use the breathalyser for at least 30 minutes after having a cigarette or
eating ripe fruit - you may get a false positive reading.
• Perform a test in dirty air, i.e. a smokey room or pub.
• Use the breathalyser if you are breathing quickly (for example, after running
up the stairs) or have been holding your breath. This can falsely lower or
raise the reading respectively. Wait until you are breathing normally again.
• Perform two tests sequentially, you may get a variation between readings.
This is because it can take a few minutes for the alcohol concentration
inside the lungs to stabilise again after the first test, or residual alcohol
vapour in the breathalyser may affect the accuracy of the second reading.
Getting Started
This section will take you step by step through the basics of using your
new AlcoSense Breathalyser, namely:
1. Unpacking the box.
2. Preparing it for use for the first time:
a) Installing the batteries
b) Cleaning the sensor
3. How to perform a breath test and understanding the results.
4. Things that can affect the readings.
5. Troubleshooting any problems.
Unpacking the Box
In the box you will have the following components:
1. 1 x AlcoSense Breathalyser
2. This instruction manual
3. 6 x blow tubes
Installing the Batteries
1. Turn the AlcoSense breathalyser over so the back is facing you.
Following the diagram below remove the battery compartment cover.
2. Insert three new, good quality Alkaline 1.5v AAA batteries into the
slots in the battery compartment making sure that the batteries are
inserted the right way round as indicated in the battery compartment.
3. The unit will automatically start to clean the sensor which takes 120
seconds. This should be performed once every four weeks or after a
period of several weeks or more without use.
4. Put the battery compartment cover back on again following the
diagram below but in reverse.
IMPORTANT: When replacing the batteries only use new, good quality
branded batteries. Never use batteries previously used elsewhere or a
mixture of new and used batteries. Although the battery voltage
indicator may show OK, under load the battery power may collapse. This
could affect the accuracy of the readings.
Manually Cleaning the Sensor
We recommend performing a clean once every 4–6 weeks, or if the
breathalyser has not been used for a period of time.
To clean the sensor remove the batteries then re-insert them. “Clean”
will flash on the screen and it will count down from 120 to 0 seconds.
This process increases the accuracy of your breathalyser by removing any
oxidation or contaminants which could build up on the sensor.
Please note that the first test performed after a clean may give a slightly
higher result or show a small amount of alcohol present when there is none
due to vapour released during cleaning.
The cleaning process uses a significant amount of power from the
batteries. If you clean the sensor several times in a row you can exhaust
your batteries. If you have recently performed a clean and wish to skip the
process when replacing the batteries this can be done so by double clicking
the power button.
Automatic Sensor Clean
The unit will automatically clean the sensor every 25 tests. If you wish
to skip the cleaning process double click the power button while it is in
process.
Turning your AlcoSense On and Off
You can turn your AlcoSense on and off by pressing and holding the power
key, signified by the power logo below, on the front of the unit
How to Perform a Breath Test
Performing a breath test is easy and can be performed at any time,
anywhere quickly and easily. Responsible drivers find the AlcoSense
breathalyser particularly useful to help make sure they are clear of alcohol
the morning after.
AlcoSense is a sensitive measurement device. Performing a breath
test less than 10 minutes after drinking risks blowing high levels of
alcohol directly from your mouth into the system causing permanent
damage to the sensor and causing the system to read inaccurately.
Blood alcohol levels can rise for up to 90 minutes after drinking, for
best results only use after this period and ideally the morning after. Do
not blow directly into the blow hole without a blow tube – this can
damage the sensor and significantly reduce the lifetime of your unit.
1.
Insert a new blow tube in the hole on the left side of the breathalyser,
shown in the image below. Re-using blow tubes can decrease the
accuracy
of your readings and un-hygienic. Do not use drinking straws
or similar as the diameter may be different givign a bad fit, or split
causing air to escape and reducing the accuracy of your readings.
Replacement tubes are inexpensive can be purchased from
alcosense.co.uk or an AlcoSense retailer.
2.
Turn the unit on by pressing and holding the power key. The unit
will display the number of tests performed on the screen for three
seconds, then it will display “Wait” for 30 to 90 seconds. This time is
used to pre-heat the sensor to operating temperature and check the
sensor condition. It will then count down from 9 to 0.
3.
The AlcoSense will then beep and flash BLOW on the screen. At this
point you must blow into the
AlcoSense breathalyser. IMPORTANT:
when blowing use a pressure similar to a sigh. When you
have the correct pressure the breathalyser will make a constant beep.
You must keep blowing for around 5-7 seconds until the unit makes a
double beep.
4. Your result will be displayed.
Please note: Leave a minimum of 5 minutes between tests. Do not perform
more than 5 tests in one hour and no more than 20 tests in 24 hours. More
frequent testing can cause a build-up of breath condensation or alcohol
vapour in the breathalyser which can temporarily affect accuracy. If you
perform two tests sequentially, you may get a variation between readings
for the above reasons and that it can take a few minutes for the alcohol
concentration inside the lungs to stabilise again after the first test.
Possible Error Screens
Either the pressure you blew at was too variable or
you did not blow for long enough. Take a deep breath
before blowing and blow out at a consistent pressure
like you’re taking a sigh until you hear the double beep.
Either the breathalyser did not detect your breath as
the pressure was too low, or you did not blow into the
breathalyser within 10 seconds of it starting to say
blow on the screen.
WARNING: AlcoSense is a sensitive measurement device. Performing a
breath test less than 10 minutes after drinking risks blowing high levels of
alcohol directly from your mouth into the system which could permanently
damage the sensor and cause the system to read inaccurately. Blood alcohol
levels can continue to rise for up to 90 minutes after drinking, as a result
we only recommend using the Breathalyser after this time (and ideally
the morning after) to ensure your reading will not increase after you test
yourself. Do not blow directly into the blow hole without a blow tube – this
can damage the sensor and significantly reduce the lifetime of your unit.
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