They say that it’s all about the little things in life that make a big difference. Although “they” were probably referring to things like compliments or ice cream cones. Instead, we’re referring to changing out the polymer for your 310, 3100, 3130 and 3730 machines. 

Changing out your polymer might not be glamorous, but it is an imperative part of making sure you’re gathering accurate data. If you’ve been wondering how often you should change out your polymer, don’t worry, we get that question a lot

When it comes to your capillary sequencers, we always assume “Green is for go” signaling that everything is up and running smoothly.  You may be looking for the “green light” on your sequencer to ensure you’ve passed the initialization sequence, but it’s just not happening, even after rebooting.  Let’s go through just exactly what you should see.

First and foremost, when checking sequencer functionality, be certain the computer and sequencer are plugged in. Sounds like it doesn’t need to be said, but we’ve seen this issue before.  Also, if the machine has been in “idle” mode for a long period of time, it may have tripped the safety breaker and turned the machine off.  These are two items to check for immediately.

We all need a tune-up every once in a while, and this goes for PDP water trap in your 3730 as well. These PDP water traps should be flushed about once a month using distilled or deionized water.

By performing this procedure at least once a month, you’ll clear out any diluted polymer and bubbles. It’s best to leave the trap filled with the water. Doing this as a part of your regular maintenance will greatly decrease the chances of having a problem with your pump.