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2.8b The Care of a Trap
When using a cold trap the refrigerant should be maintained at a high level in order to keep the trap at a
uniformly low temperature. If the trap is rewarmed it may allow re-evaporation of the condensate. If the trap
becomes saturated it should be disconnected from the system, drained and cleaned. An increase in pressure in the
vacuum system will normally indicate that the trap has become saturated. To clean the trap, remove the trap from
the system and allow the trap to warm up and rinse off the condensate with a suitable solvent in a fume hood.
Thoroughly clean and dry the trap before reinstalling into the system.
