Your trap is for the most part constructed of stainless steel so you will have
to work hard to damage it using most common handy cleaning agents.
Loosen clamp nut or head bolts and remove
clamp and trap top assembly. There may be residual condensables from the
previous trapping so care for disposal should follow your company’s safety
procedures.
Remove
internal trapping cold trap Dewar and inspect for residual condensables.
The internal
Dewar and internal of trap body may be cleaned with an appropriate alkaline
detergent, followed by a thorough de-ionized water rinse, then wiped down with
methanol or acetone. Allow to air dry.
The o-rings
should be cleaned with water and or a water based detergent. Solvents like
methanol or acetone are relatively strong and may attack the surface of the
o-ring depending on composition. When dry, inspect for any nicks, flat spots
or cracking and replace o-ring if any defects are found.
Prior to
re-assembling the trap, lubricate o-ring with either silicone grease or
perfluorinated vacuum grease. Wipe off any excess grease and look again at
the o-ring, it should have a nice shiny uniform appearance.
Carefully
re-assemble the individual components. Install the o-ring and top assembly.
Tighten the
band clamp or head bolts. Tighter is not necessarily better here. We want
good uniform tension against the o-ring this is the vacuum seal.
If the trap
leaks after assembly, disassemble and try again or replace o-ring and try
again. The o-ring is your vacuum seal and it is important it be in good
condition to accomplish an equal seal to achieve vacuum pressure.
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