Gilson 157 - Flow Cell Maintenance; Clean the Inside of the Flow Cell

Maintenance 4
4-2 Gilson 157/159 UV-VIS Detectors User’s Guide
Flow Cell Maintenance
Flow Cell Maintenance
Follow these instructions if you need to clean the flow cell, unclog the flow cell, replace the inlet or outlet tubing,
or replace the flow cell.
Clean the Inside of the Flow Cell
Increased noise of the baseline and reduced sensitivity can be a result of a dirty flow cell.
Often it is sufficient to clean the flow cell to restore optimal sensitivity.
The following solvents are recommended for cleaning:
• 1.0M HCl
• 1.0M NaOH
•Ethanol
•Acetone
To clean the inside of the flow cell:
1 Disconnect the inlet and outlet tubing from your system.
2 Fill a syringe with one of the recommended solvents.
3 Inject it into the inlet of the flow cell and allow it to act for 5 minutes.
4 Flush with water.
5 Dry the cell in a nitrogen stream.
6 Reconnect the inlet and outlet tubing to the system.
7 Check detector performance by running a sample through the system.
If the cleaning does not have the desired effect, clean the lens (refer to Clean the Lens in the Flow Cell
on page 4-3)
or fiber optics (refer to Clean the Fiber Optics in the Flow Cell (Adjustable Pathlength Flow Cell Only)
on
page 4-4).
Be extremely careful when working with the flow cell and its fittings. Flow cells are
considered expendable and are not covered by warranty if damaged or broken during any
maintenance procedure.
To prevent injury, observe good laboratory practices when handling solvents. Know the
physical and chemical properties. Refer to the Material Safety Data Sheets for the solvents
used.