As required maintenance

Preventive cleaning of the wash station lines

If you experience a problem with clogs in the wash station aspiration nozzles and lines, use this procedure to clean the WUD and DWUD wash station aspiration nozzles and lines.

1. Prepare either of the following wash solutions:

 WARNING

Probe Wash 3 contains 4.5% potassium hydroxide and 2% sodium hypochlorite. Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Probe Wash 3 is a corrosive material that can cause burns. Wear suitable protective clothing, gloves and eye/face protection. In case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical advice.

Household bleach is 5% sodium hypochlorite. When handling bleach, which can be used as a cleaning and antiviral agent, wear protective clothing, gloves, and safety glasses. It is harmful if swallowed and may cause eye or skin irritation.

Use household bleach that is free of heavy metals, such as Clorox.

·   Preferred Solution – Prepare a 10% solution of Probe Wash 3 by diluting 1 part of Probe Wash 3 with 9 parts of distilled or deionized water. The minimum recommended volume is 100 mL Probe Wash 3 plus 900 mL of distilled or deionized water.

·   Alternate Solution – Prepare a 20% solution of household bleach by diluting 1 part of bleach with 4 parts of distilled or deionized water. The prepared solution is stable for one week when stored at room temperature. Minimum recommended volume is 200 mL bleach plus 800 mL of deionized distilled water.

note

The remainder of this procedure describes the steps to clean the WUD and DWUD wash stations. Perform the entire procedure for the WUD lines and nozzles, then repeat the entire procedure for the DWUD lines and nozzles. The various parts are described as the "DWUD/WUD", meaning one or the other, depending on which is being cleaned at the time, and does not mean both simultaneously.

2. Prepare the WUD/DWUD for cleaning:

1. With the system in READY mode, log on as supervisor.

2. Place paper towels on top of the RRV and DTT cuvettes directly under the WUD/DWUD nozzles as a precaution.

3. Using a 4-mm hex wrench, loosen the captive screw that secures the WUD/DWUD wash head to the WUD/DWUD mechanism.

4. Lift up the WUD/DWUD wash head and place it in a shallow plastic tray on top of the paper towels.

NOTE

Use a shallow tray for washing the nozzles. A tray with a depth of 35 – 40 mm is most suitable. Trays with higher sides may require additional wash solution.

5. Place the dryer nozzle outside the tray and all the other nozzles inside the tray.

6. Fill the tray with deionized water, being careful not to overflow the tray.

7. Pour enough deionized water into the tray so that the center nozzles (yellow-labeled overflow nozzle) are in liquid.

3. At  the Menu Panel, select Maint., then select JEOL Maintenance.

NOTE

If the JEOL Maintenance option is not listed on the Maint. menu, call your local support provider for access to this menu option.

4. At the JEOL Maintenance window, in the Univers. sequence start area, type 1 in the Sequence field and 1 in the Number of times field, then select Start.

5. Select Yes at the confirmation window to start the procedure.

·   UNIVERSAL displays as the operation mode.

·   One sequence takes about 65-70 seconds.

·   This sequence activates the appropriate devices so all the WUD/DWUD aspiration nozzles and overflow nozzles are pulling vacuum.

·   The overflow lines (short nozzles) aspirate air after a short while as the liquid in the container lowers. Add more liquid as necessary to flush out the overflow lines.

6. When the operation mode returns to READY, lift the WUD/DWUD wash head out of the tray and temporally place it on top of the WUD/DWUD assembly.

7. Remove and empty the tray, then place it back on paper toweling under the WUD/DWUD nozzles.

8. Place the WUD/DWUD wash head into the tray and fill the tray with 10% Probe Wash 3 solution (preferred) or 20% bleach solution (alternate).

9. Pour enough wash solution into the tray, so the center nozzle (yellow-labeled overflow nozzle) is in liquid, without overflowing the tray.

10. Repeat steps 4 and 5, to clean the WUD/DWUD lines with the 10% Probe Wash 3 or 20% bleach solution.

11. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the lines are cleaned thoroughly.

NOTE

As an aid to cleaning the aspiration lines, manually lift the WUD/DWUD wash head in and out of the cleaning solution to introduce air into the lines.

12. When the operation mode returns to READY, lift the WUD/DWUD wash head out of the tray and temporally place it on top of the WUD/DWUD assembly.

13. Using a lint-free cloth, carefully clean the stainless steel nozzles of the WUD/DWUD wash head.

14. Remove, empty, and rinse the tray to remove any residual cleaning solution, then place it back on paper toweling under the WUD/DWUD nozzles.

15. Place the WUD/DWUD wash head into the tray, then fill the tray with deionized water.

16. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to flush out the cleaning solution with deionized water.

17. Repeat this sequence twice as many times as the sequence was run with the cleaning solution, to ensure that there is no residual cleaning solution is left in the lines.

NOTE

A colored food dye may be added to the rinse water as a visual aid, to verify the blue and yellow aspiration lines are not clogged and are working properly.

18. When the operation mode returns to READY, move the WUD/DWUD wash head on top of the WUD/DWUD assembly and secure it by tightening the 4-mm captive hex screw.

19. Remove the tray and paper towels from the system.

20. Repeat this procedure from step 2 for the other wash head, if needed, and then proceed to step 21.

21. Exit the JEOL Maintenance window.

22. Run a Startup Wash (WASH3) procedure on the system, then verify proper hydraulic operation and mechanical alignment of the WUD/DWUD assemblies during the Startup Wash.

23. Run your laboratory’s quality control material and verify the results are within acceptable ranges.