Care and Maintenance of your Stainless Steel Generator Probe
What could be worse than relying on a piece of laboratory equipment and when you need it most, it doesn’t work?-Knowing that this disaster could have been easily prevented.
Everybody knows the best way to get maximum efficiency and use out of your car is to keep it properly maintained. Yet when it comes to lab homogenizers, maintenance is often overlooked. I know there is a big difference between your Honda and your homogenizer, but both are complex machines that contain several moving parts. Moving parts will eventually wear out.
Omni International’s stainless steel generator probes are designed for easy care and maintenance. Replacement parts are readily available and inexpensive. Easy to follow instructions come with each new probe and are also available online. Generally the only parts that need to be replaced are the bearings (upper and lower).
A Teflon upper bearing comes standard with each probe up to 20mm in diameter. Stainless steel bearings are also available. The Teflon bearing is compatible with most chemicals, while the stainless steel version is not. Organic solvents such as Trizol and Acetonitrile will severely affect the bearing. The failure of a stainless steel bearing can result in damaging the probe beyond repair.
How will you know when it’s time to change your homogenizer’s bearings? The four most common signs are:
- Small dark colored particulate in the sample
- The probe gets hot to the touch
- Diminished performance (it takes longer than usual to homogenize the sample)
- Excessive noise
There are ways around this. Our plastic Omni Tip homogenizer probes are a good option, especially when processing samples under 25mL. Omni Tips are disposable, therefore completely eliminating the cleaning process. Not only will this save time, the risk of cross-contamination will be completely eliminated. If cross-contamination is not a concern, Omni Tips are easily cleaned and can be autoclaved. On average, Omni Tips can be used about 5 times.
Simply changing the bearings in your stainless steel probe will eliminate most problems. If it doesn’t, there may be a more serious problem with the probe. If you are experiencing a problem, please contact our Technical Support Department at 1-800-776-4431.