General Maintenance 4
5977B Series MSD Troubleshooting and Maintenance Manual 93
Dangerous temperatures
Many parts in the MSD operate at, or reach, temperatures high enough to
cause serious burns. These parts include, but are not limited to the:
• GC inlets
• GC oven and its contents, including the column nuts attaching the column
to a GC inlet, GC/MS interface, or GC detector
• GC detector
• GC valve box
• Foreline pump
• Heated MSD ion source, interface, and quadrupole
The GC inlets and GC oven also operate at very high temperatures. Use the
same caution around these parts. See the documentation supplied with your
GC for more information.
Chemical residue
Only a small portion of your sample is ionized by the ion source. The majority
of any sample passes through the ion source without being ionized. It is
pumped away by the vacuum system. As a result, the exhaust from the foreline
pump will contain traces of the carrier gas and your samples. Exhaust from
the standard foreline pump also contains tiny droplets of foreline pump oil.
Never touch these parts while your MSD is on. After the MSD is turned off, give
these parts enough time to cool before handling them.
The GC/MSD interface heater is powered by a heated zone on the GC. The interface
heater can be on, and at a dangerously high temperature, even though the MSD is
off. The GC/MSD interface is well insulated. Even after it is turned off, it cools very
slowly.
The foreline pump can cause burns if touched when operating. It has a safety shield
to prevent the user from touching it.
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