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WIRE MYOGRAPH SYSTEM - 620M
- USER GUIDE
CHAPTER 4 - CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
4.1 Cleaning the Wire Myograph
DMT STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THAT THE WIRE MYOGRAPH AND SURROUNDING AREAS ARE CLEANED AFTER EACH
EXPERIMENT.
At the end of each experiment, use the following procedure to clean the Wire Myograph.
1. Fill the chamber to the edge with an 8% acetic acid solution and allow it to work for a few minutes to dissolve calcium de-
posits and other salt build-up. Use a cotton-tipped applicator to mechanically clean all chamber surfaces.
2. Remove the acetic acid and wash the chamber and supports several times with double distilled water.
3. If any kind of hydrophobic reagents have been used which might be difficult to remove using steps 1) and 2), then try incu-
bating the chamber and supports with 96% ethanol or a weak detergent solution (i.e. 0.1% triton-100).
4. To remove more resistant or toxic chemicals, incubate the chamber and supports with 1M HCl for up to 1 hour. In excep-
tional cases, incubate the chamber and supports with no stronger than a 3M HNO3 solution for about 15 minutes.
5. Wash the chamber and supports several times with double distilled water.
6. If acids such as 1M HCl and 3M HNO3 are used to clean the chambers, make sure ALL surfaces are thoroughly dried after
copious washes with double distilled water. Any residual acid will cause corrosion of the stainless steel jaws and pins.
To prevent the tubing from becoming blocked with buffer salt deposits after an experiment, remove the chamber cover from the
chamber and turn on the vacuum and press the vacuum valve for about 10 seconds by holding down the valve button(s) down.
Turn off the vacuum and gas supply. Remove any water or buffer remaining in the chamber or on the tubing using absorbent
paper.
IMPORTANT NOTES
BE VERY CAREFUL USING HCL OR HNO
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BECAUSE THESE ACIDS MAY CAUSE EXTREME DAMAGE TO THE STAINLESS STEEL
CHAMBERS AND SUPPORTS. DO NOT USE BLEACH TO CLEAN THE CHAMBERS. REPEATED USE OF CHLORINATED SOLUTIONS
SUCH AS BLEACH AND HCL WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE STAINLESS STEEL PARTS OF YOUR WIRE MYOGRAPH SYSTEM. AVOID
USING THEM IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.
AFTER CLEANING, ALWAYS CHECK THAT THE GREASE AROUND THE TRANSDUCER PIN IS SUFFICIENT TO KEEP THE BUFFER
AND WATER FROM ENTERING THE TRANSDUCER HOUSING.
If red or brown discolorations appear on the chamber sides or on the supports, the following cleaning procedure will work in most
cases:
7. Incubate the chamber and supports for 30 minutes with 2mM T-1210 Tetrakis- (2-pyridylmethyl)-ethylenediamine solution
dissolved in double distilled water.
8. Use a cotton-tip applicator to mechanically clean all the affected surfaces during the last 15 minutes of the incubation
period.
9. Wash the chamber and supports several times with double distilled water.
10. Incubate the chamber with 96% ethanol for 10 minutes while continuing the mechanical cleaning with a cotton-tip applica-
tor.
11. Remove the ethanol solution and wash a few times with double distilled water. Incubate the chamber and supports with an
8% acetic acid solution for 10 minutes and continue the mechanical cleaning with a swab-stick.
12. Wash the chamber and supports several times with double distilled water.
13. Dry the surfaces using absorbent paper (i.e. Kim-Wipes) or cotton-tip applicators.
IMPORTANT NOTES
IN EXCEPTIONAL CASES, THE SUPPORTS (JAWS OR PINS) MAY NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE CHAMBER AND CLEANED
INDIVIDUALLY TO ASSURE PROPER CLEANING OF ALL SUPPORT SURFACES. NEVER SOAK THE SUPPORTS IN ANYTHING
STRONGER THAN 8% ACETIC ACID FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME (I.E. SEVERAL HOURS OR OVERNIGHT)!
CHAPTER 4
