All flow meters require ongoing preventative maintenance and periodic __.

• A. Calibration
• B. Lubrication
• C. Replacement
• D. Cleaning

Answer: (A)

Maintaining accurate flow readings hinges on keeping the instrument properly synchronized with known standards over time. Flow meters can drift due to aging components, fouling, changes in temperature or fluid properties, or installation shifts. Periodic calibration corrects for that drift by comparing the meter’s output to a trusted reference and adjusting the readings so they match the true flow across the measurement range. This directly preserves measurement accuracy, which is the core purpose of ongoing maintenance.

Cleaning can help reduce fouling that might affect readings, but it doesn’t guarantee accuracy across all flow ranges the way calibration does. Lubrication isn’t typically required for many flow meters, and replacement isn’t a routine maintenance step—it’s a replacement when the device is no longer functioning correctly.