Centrifuge Usage and Maintenance

Centrifuges are widely used for the separation and characterization of macromolecule, subcellular and cellular components in biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology and medicine. A malfunctioned centrifuge can ruin your precious specimen, skew your experiment results or even endanger your safety during the operation. Although most centrifuges made today are designed to require minimal maintenance, the centrifuge must be inspected and cleaned regularly to ensure their proper function.   A careful record must be kept for centrifuge speed, timer and temperature (if refrigerated) accuracy, validation and any repair and service calls. The followings are recommended routines that we would like to suggest you to do for your centrifuges:
 
During Daily Usage
  • Ensure that the centrifuge tubes are properly balanced
  • The rotation speed and tube length used in accordance with the tube and centrifuge manufacturer’s recommendations.
  • Ensure that the centrifuge has completely stopped before opening the lid. Purchase the centrifuge that have a inner safety lock that prevent the users from opening the centrifuge lid while the rotor is spinning
  • Watch for warning Signs: Discontinue use of any centrifuge that does not have a lid or the unit’s lid that does not have a latch. Observer unusual noise, vibration, temperature variation and power consumption. To ensure the cleanliness of rotor chamber, rotors and accessories.
  • All personnel should follow universal precautions when performing centrifugation and other functions that may expose workers to splashed blood or body fluids. These precautions include wearing gloves, facial protection (e.g., shields), gowns or laboratory coats, and plastic aprons
 
Maintenance
  • Use a sponge dampened with warm water and mild detergent to clean the sample/rotor chamber, cabinet and accessories. Inspect all surfaces under bright light for corrosion.
  • After cleaning, dry the metal accessories with a soft cloth or put them in a drying oven
  • Decontamination or disinfection is required if tube breakage occurs and infectious, pathogenic, or radioactive material is released into the centrifuge.
  • Remove stubborn stains with a plastic scrub pad. Scrub the rotor's tube cavities with a stiff test-tube brush that has end bristles and a non-metallic tip.
  • For major service such as lid lock adjustments, testing for imbalance cut-out, refrigeration unit or condenser cleaning. Contact a reputable lab equipment repair company.
  • Broken glass splinters must be removed immediately from the buckets, adapters and rotor chamber. The glass splinters can damage the surface protection or could get stuck on the swing-out rotors and impair smooth movement of the swinging buckets.
  • Condensed water can formed in refrigerated centrifuges inside the rotor chamber. The liquid must be removed from the rotor chamber regularly (e.g. with a dry cloth).
 
What you'll never do
  • Never attempt to stop a rotor with your hands or with a tool
  • Do not use the tubes that are not properly sized for the rotor.
  • Never pour water directly into the sample chamber when cleaning the centrifuge
  • Do not use acetone, caustic detergent or any detergent containing chlorine ions, such as sodium chloride (saline), and sodium hypochlorite (household bleach).

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