When Required
When the peristaltic pump no longer pumps the sample with an even flow, wash or replace the pump tubing. Readjusting the pump clamps may also eliminate this problem. Change the peristaltic pump tube if the following occur:
- When the tube becomes too loose to uptake a solution
- When the inside of the tube is damaged and dregs come off
- When it is impossible to remove sample memory
- When you keep using an old tube, the inside tends to come off (dregs) and it can cause the nebulizer to clog. It is recommended to replace the peristaltic pump tubing before this occurs.
There are three kinds of peristaltic pump tubes (the colors of the tube stoppers are indicated in parentheses):
- Sample Tube: Tygon (white-black, 1.02mm i.d.)
- Internal Standard Tube: Tygon (orange-red, 0.19mm i.d.)
* Set the maximum number of pump revolutions for the internal standard tube at 0.3 rps.
Drain Tube: PharMed (yellow-blue, 1.52mm i.d.)
Certain reagents may eat away at the peristaltic pump tubing, and may eat away at the sample line. Do not use reagents that will eat away at the tubing. Check beforehand for reagents whose effects on peristaltic pump tubing are unknown.
Tool and Supplies Required
The following are needed when cleaning the tubes:
- 5% Nitric Acid bath
- Pure water (Pure water is defined here as having been generated using ion exchange and a membrane filter, and having an electrical resistance of over 18MΩ.)
- Tube cutter (Agilent P/N 8710-1930 or equivalent)
- Scissors