Digital scales not giving you the readout that you were expecting when you use them on carpet? This is surprisingly common.
Digital scales tend not to be accurate on the carpet. This is due to the way that the mechanism works. If you use digital scales on the carpet, then they may make you see as if you are lighter than you are. In some cases, they may not give you a reading at all.
Let’s explain this in a bit more depth, shall we?
Are Digital Scales Accurate on Carpet?
As we stated above, most of the time they are not. The lower the digital scales are to the floor, the less accurate they will be.
This means that you can forget about using low-profile digital scales on a carpet. The reading will be completely wrong. This is all down to the way that digital scales work.
When you stand on digital scales, the inside of the scales ‘bends’. The digital scale’s system will be looking at how much the scales are bending. The more of a bend, the heavier a person can be.
When the digital scales are placed onto a carpet, the digital scales will ‘sink’ into the carpet when you stand on them. Because of this, the carpet is going to be pushed up onto the digital scales. Essentially, the carpet is going to be working against that bend.
This means that, in most cases, the inside of the digital scales won’t be bending anywhere near as much as it should be bending. The result? The carpet is going to make you seem lighter than you actually are.
Is It Possible To Get An Accurate Digital Scales Reading on Carpet?
Yes. Although, ideally, you would avoid weighing yourself on a carpeted surface anyway.
However, we do understand that this is not going to be possible for everybody.
If you want your digital scales to be more accurate on a carpeted surface, then you need to avoid low-profile digital scales. They look great, but they just don’t give an accurate measurement if you are using them on the carpet.
You want digital scales that have long feet. When they have long feet, the bottom of the digital scales will not come into contact with the carpet. Honestly. If the bottom of the scales even has the lightest contact with the carpet, then you won’t be able to trust the read-out. You are able to purchase scales that have been designed for the carpet. However, assuming that you have purchased decent quality scales, they likely will come with a variety of different feet sizes, or even extendable feet, so you can use them on carpeted surfaces.
As we said, it isn’t really recommended that you use the digital scales on the carpet at all. If you only have a carpet to measure yourself on, then we suggest that you get yourself a bit of plywood, or something equally flat. Stick the scales on top of that each time you want to weigh yourself. You are going to end up with a much more accurate reading.
Where Is The Best Place To Use Digital Scales To Get An Accurate Measurement?
You should always choose the hardest, flattest surface that you can find. You should never use a surface where there is a chance that something will be pushing up against the underside of the scales.
If you have bathroom tiles, then these will give allow you to get an accurate reading. However, make sure that the feet are resting flat on the bathroom tiles. They should not be touching the grout in between. If the scales can rock about a little bit, then they are going to give you an inaccurate readout.
If you want the most accuracy from your scales, then we recommend that you get yourself a gripping mat to place underneath them. This will stop the scales from moving around, and this is going to give you the most accuracy. However, this is probably something that you only really need to be doing if you care about your weight to the gram. If you want just a general overview of your weight, then using the scales on any hard, flat surface should be more than sufficient.
Final Thoughts
Digital scales tend not to be accurate on the carpet. This is due to the way that scales work. If you used digital scales on the carpet, then you may end up getting a reading that makes you seem lighter than you are. We recommend that you always place your digital scales on a hard, flat surface.
FAQs
Are Analog Scales Accurate?
Analog scales can be accurate, although it does depend on the brand and the quality of the scales. Because analog scales have a lot of moving parts, they can become more inaccurate over time.
What Is More Precise Analog or Digital?
Digital scales are much more precise than analog scales. Assuming that you purchase quality digital scales and you calibrate them properly, they won’t lose their accuracy over time. If you have analog scales, then they may start to lose a little bit of their accuracy after a year or so. If you keep them around for several years, then they may not give you an accurate measurement at all.
Will Digital Scales Make You Seem Heavier on Carpet?
It is much more likely that digital scales will make you seem lighter if you use them on the carpet. However, some people have reported that their digital scales have made them seem heavier than they actually are. Always use the digital scales on a hard, flat surface for the most accurate read-out.
What Floor Is Best To Weigh Yourself On?
Any flat, hard surface should be fine. We recommend bathroom tiles or wooden flooring. However, make sure that the digital scales do not rock back and forth when they are placed on the surface. If there is any rocking motion in the scales, then you can’t trust the weight that they give you.