A type of preventive maintenance on a liquid or capillary thermometer would to check for ____

• A. Calibration
• B. Leakage
• C. Corrosion
• D. Breakage

Answer: (B)

Preventive maintenance for a liquid or capillary thermometer centers on keeping the liquid column and seals intact so readings stay accurate. Leakage is a key concern because if liquid escapes or air enters the capillary, the height of the liquid column—and thus the temperature reading—becomes unreliable. Detecting leaks during maintenance prevents hidden drift in measurements and reduces safety or contamination risks from spilled fluid. While calibration checks verify that the instrument reads correctly under known conditions, they don’t address a compromised seal or lost liquid. Corrosion and breakage are important issues too, but they affect different aspects of the instrument; leakage directly undermines the integrity of the thermometer’s sensing mechanism, making it the most relevant thing to check in routine preventive maintenance.