Frequently asked questions

Testing the stability of gravestones is about safety, health and the protection of life and limb of visitors and workers at cemeteries – they are to be protected from dangers posed by toppling or unstable gravestones, which often weigh several hundred kilograms and can cause painful injuries.

As a result of frost, ground subsidence or a monument being knocked unnoticed, its stability can be impaired to such an extent that it poses a real danger to people and animals in its vicinity.

With Kipp-Tester.de, this danger is detected early, and by means of a warning notice, cordoning off, securing or controlled laying down, cemetery operators prevent worse. In other words: Kipp-Tester.de protects visitors and workers at the cemetery from the risk of accidents. In this way, grave users and cemetery operators ward off liability for damages and recourse, as well as claims by injured parties for compensation or pension payments.

We are proud of this and, after the experiences with the blackout, attach great importance to Kipp-Tester.de being and remaining "made in Germany" as far as possible. This means: Kipp-Tester.de contains almost exclusively components manufactured in Germany. Only in this way was it possible in 2021 and 2022 to maintain the standard delivery time of max. 2 weeks for calibrations. Apart from a few bottlenecks at our German suppliers, new devices were also usually with the customer within two weeks of ordering. Moreover, "made in Germany" enables us to maintain the consistently high quality standard of DIN EN ISO 9001.

For the proper performance of the stability test, the monument must withstand a test force of 500 N(ewtons) in initial tests (i.e. after first erection or after re-erection) – this test is usually carried out by the stonemason.

In routine tests, the gravestone is subjected to a test force of 300 N(ewtons) at its upper edges – if it withstands this, it is considered stable and safe.

For the test to be "watertight" – i.e. legally sound and, in case of doubt, court-proof – it is carried out with a Kipp-Tester that is calibrated to the respective test force and has a valid test seal.

Because there are two relevant test forces for stability testing in Germany and different ones in other countries, the required test force can be set and calibrated by us as the manufacturer. Users cannot adjust the test force manually themselves; doing so would invalidate the calibration and the tests would be legally irrelevant.

The quality management standard DIN EN ISO 9001 requires test equipment management including regular inspection of the test equipment.

For Kipp-Tester.de, a so-called ISO calibration (also known as factory calibration) must be carried out, which includes:

• References traceable to national or international standards. These are calibrated annually.
• A detailed description of the measuring procedure and, if applicable, the standard/directive used.
• A warm-up time of at least 4 hours in the calibration laboratory.
• The ambient conditions are documented.
• Verification of the measurement results according to the dual-control principle.
• Evaluation of the measured values against the specified manufacturer tolerances.

The ISO calibrations in the Kipp-Tester.de calibration laboratory thus fulfil the requirements of DIN EN ISO 9001.

There is no legally unambiguous requirement for this. It is comparable to winter tyres: in Germany there is no general obligation to fit winter tyres; however, anyone driving on summer tyres in the cold season should reckon with restrictions (e.g. regarding insurance cover).

Cemetery administrations carry out stability tests on monuments after the frost period in order to fulfil their duty of care and to protect themselves against possible claims resulting from unstable gravestones.

However, the effort only makes sense if the tests were verifiably carried out correctly – and that includes using a correctly adjusted testing device with a valid test seal.

A calibration is most comparable to an official verification (Eichung). However, such verifications may only be carried out by authorities, the weights and measures offices.

During calibration, the testing device – in the case of the Kipp-Tester, the spring-based force gauge – is brought within the prescribed tolerance of a new device. In this context, we clean each device and carry out an extensive function test. Only then is the Kipp-Tester.de fitted with a test seal and a test certificate is issued, which is handed over to the owner together with the calibrated device.

Our calibrations therefore do not involve any permanent intervention in the measuring device; rather, the Kipp-Tester.de is calibrated back to its original new-device condition.

Indeed, we can sometimes (rarely) offer used Kipp-Tester devices after inspection, replacement of all wear parts and with a fresh calibration.

However, since Kipp-Tester devices are also serviced and, if necessary, repaired with every calibration, users usually have no reason to part with their Kipp-Tester.

If you would like a used Kipp-Tester, you should not be under time pressure and ideally register with us so that we can inform you early when a used Kipp-Tester is announced or in prospect.

The Kipp-Tester has proven itself in gravestone stability testing for a very long time, is the market leader and virtually the "reference device" (compare Tempo for paper tissues).

Every now and then, people want to send us devices from other manufacturers that are no longer on the market for calibration – which we politely decline if the device does not come from us.

Kipp-Tester.de has existed for over 30 years and we still maintain, calibrate and repair devices from the very beginning. So far, all components and modules are in stock – and quality has its price.

Absolutely YES – in over 30 years we have not repaired a single device only once, because it was run over by heavy construction machinery and the damage was so great that literally all parts would have had to be replaced, and the repair effort would have exceeded the cost of a new Kipp-Tester.

Since Kipp-Tester devices are thoroughly serviced and subjected to a comprehensive function test as part of every calibration, we detect wear parts in good time and replace them before anything worse happens – repairs in the actual sense are therefore rather rare.

So something extraordinary has to happen to make a repair necessary: after a fall, for example, the glass of the measuring display may have cracked and should be replaced, or the device has become very wet and caused a short circuit.

Stability tests of monuments usually take place in spring after the frost period, which in turn means that the Kipp-Tester spends the rest of the time in a kind of hibernation.

The ideal protection for this is our transport and storage case, in which the Kipp-Tester rests between foam pads in a sturdy plastic shell.

Ideally, the case should lie flat during longer periods of non-use, so that it cannot fall over and the central spring in the Kipp-Tester is not permanently "under tension".

It is strongly discouraged to let the testing device "hibernate" standing on its pressure plate (possibly without further protection), exposed to strong temperature fluctuations as well.

Ideally, the case with the Kipp-Tester inside has a fixed "berth" in a heated room. This minimises the likelihood of a repair beyond normal maintenance and calibration before the next testing round.

Grave users and insurance companies always ask this question when a monument has been diagnosed as unstable or when a mishap has occurred.

In contrast to purely manual testing methods (by pushing and pulling, the so-called "wobble test"), with stability tests using the Kipp-Tester it can be assumed that testing was carried out with the correct test force (currently 300 newtons at the upper edge of the monument in Germany).

However, the testing device should have a valid calibration at the time of the test, because otherwise testers are in a comparably awkward position as someone driving on summer tyres in winter weather who is involved in an accident through no fault of their own despite keeping sufficient distance . . .

So if grave users or insurance companies question the correctness of a test with the accurate justification that the testing device did not have a valid calibration at the time of the test, an out-of-court, amicable settlement should be sought, in which both sides will probably have to make concessions.

Even if a later calibration should reveal that the Kipp-Tester is within the tolerance range, this has no retroactive effect whatsoever on earlier tests without valid calibration.

All parties are on the safe side if, as a matter of principle, all Kipp-Tester devices are recalibrated before the testing round in early summer of each year – then all doubts are dispelled.

First of all: the following text is not legal advice and is not intended to replace it. Rather, it attempts to dispel ignorance, uncertainty and doubts on the subject of "stability testing of monuments" and thus ultimately to avoid injustice and prevent disputes.

So if your gravestone has been identified as loose or wobbly . . .

. . . a warning sticker is emblazoned on the gravestone, the grave is cordoned off or the monument has been laid down, grave users must take action.

First, please try to bear in mind that a monument identified as standing loose is annoying, but by far not as bad as if someone had been harmed by the falling gravestone . . .

Nevertheless, money is also at stake in this case, because re-erecting a monument is sometimes even more expensive than the new gravestone was back then.

If, as a grave user, you have doubts about the correctness of the stability test, contact the cemetery administration and ask for clarification; if in doubt, have the test protocol shown to you: if the test was carried out and recorded by two testers, that seems to be in order, and the question of the testing method remains.

• Was the test only carried out manually (i.e. without a testing device) using the push-pull method (so-called wobble test)? With what certainty can the prescribed (maximum) force of 300 N(ewtons) – and by no means more – then be proven?
• If the test was carried out manually with a force testing device at 300 N(ewtons), everything seems to be in order at first glance; if the testing device had a valid calibration at the time of the test, the cemetery administration did everything right and your gravestone was rightly identified as a "wobbly candidate". Be glad that the danger was recognised before worse happened.
• If the testing device did not have a valid calibration at the time of the test, it is likely to be difficult for the cemetery operator to prove the 100% correctness of the test . . .

As written above, this text is intended to familiarise you with the procedure of stability testing of gravestones. If you have doubts about the correctness of the test, carry out a first check here. If doubts remain, seek legal advice if necessary.

When the gravestone no longer stands securely.

This happens more often than you might think: the weather takes its toll on monuments, on most cemeteries there is repeated digging, levelling or compacting, metal anchors, brackets, dowels and the like rust, joints crumble, adhesives come loose, and one or the other gravestone may be knocked unnoticed by a machine and thereby loosened . . .

Once it has been clearly established that you, as the grave user, are responsible for eliminating the danger posed by the loose or wobbly gravestone, you should keep a cool head and strive for the right solution for you:

• Can someone else (a third party) be held responsible, or is the monument perhaps still under guarantee or warranty, or could you possibly persuade the erector to reach a goodwill agreement?
• Is it a monument that is to remain on the grave for a long time? For example, because it is a family grave that will be used for a long time to come — or will the grave site in question be dissolved in the foreseeable future, in which case the monument would have to be removed anyway?
• Is there a cheaper alternative for the "remaining term"?

Discuss the scenarios within the family and, as laypersons, seek advice from professionals (stonemasons, stone sculptors and the like) – and always from several. On the one hand, competition is known to stimulate business, and on the other hand, expert B may have better ideas than expert A with a traditionally handed-down proposal, and specialist company C may be able to offer a cost-effective alternative.

Compare the offers at your leisure and create as much planning certainty as possible (ideally a fixed price) to be protected from nasty surprises. In any case, it must be ensured in the end that your grave site is in impeccable condition again and that your monument no longer poses any danger. Perhaps you can even agree a warranty period with the erector, during which they are liable should the monument be identified as a wobbly candidate within that period . . .

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