Get Answers To Your Frequently Asked Questions About BACTRACK® Portable Alcohol Breathalyzers

The BACTRACK takes a deep lung air sample from a subject and converts the breath alcohol value into the blood alcohol value.

Any residual alcohol in the saliva will cause test results to be incorrect and read very high. For example, if you have a sip of beer and immediately blow into the BACTRACK, the sensor will display a very high alcohol concentration. This is measuring the amount of alcohol in your saliva, not your blood alcohol content.

By waiting 20 minutes after drinking, you are allowing the alcohol to be absorbed into your stomach, intestines, and other areas and then into the bloodstream.

After thousands of controlled tests, our engineering team determined the optimal breath sample for an accurate test result is performed with the mouth open. This method: 1) ensures air enters the unit for the full sampling period and; 2) hits the sensor at the optimal velocity.

ERR is displayed if a subject does not exhale a sufficient air sample through the Dual-Flow tube. This can occur if a user does not exhale for a long enough period of time, or if a user does not blow continuously for the test period. (Do not exhale for one second, stop, and exhale again.)

During first use, users may experience difficulty in exhaling for this extended period. However, this technique is critical for accurate test results, as the BACTRACK samples all of a subject's lung air. The longer and deeper the air sample, the more accurate the test results.

The BACTRACK is perhaps one of the most accurate breathalyzers in the world that does not require a mouthpiece. Although the BACTRACK is only intended to screen for the presence of alcohol and provide a rough approximation, our internal laboratory tests show that the accuracy compares favorably to $500 fuel cell-based alcohol testers.

BluFire is a propriety alcohol sensing algorithm applied to the BACTRACK's Dual-Flow air chamber. The sensor software takes multiple samples during a user's breath in order to compare beginning BAC values to the eventual deep lung air sample achieved through a 3-5 second open mouth breath. The software is able to produce an especially accurate result because the velocity of a user's breath is controlled inside the Dual-Flow tube.

Users can blow into either side. This makes it equally easy to test oneself or hold it out and test someone else. Not to mention equally easy for left-handed and right-handed users.