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PIPETMAN L®
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USER’S GUIDE
Chapter 9
CLEANING AND DECONTAMINATION
PIPETMAN L is designed so that the parts normally in contact with liquid contaminants, can easily be
cleaned and decontaminated and the variable volume models are autoclavable without disassembly.
However, because the models P2L and P10L, F1L, F2L, F5L, and F10L contain miniaturized parts, it is best
not to disassemble these pipettes yourself; please contact your local Gilson authorized Service Center.
Cleaning
The pipette must be cleaned, as described below, before it is decontaminated. Soap solution is
recommended for cleaning PIPETMAN L.
FOR VARIABLE VOLUME SINGLE AND FIXED MODELS
Cleaning External
1.
Remove the tip ejector.
2. Wipe the tip ejector with a soft-cloth or lint-free tissue soaked with soap solution.
3. Wipe the entire pipette with a soft-cloth or lint-free tissue soaked with soap solution, to remove all
dirty marks. If the pipette is very dirty, a brush with soft plastic bristles may be used.
4. Wipe the entire pipette and the tip ejector with a soft cloth or lint-free tissue soaked with distilled
water.
5. Refit the tip ejector and allow the pipette to dry.
Cleaning Internal
The following components
only
can be immersed in a cleaning solution: connecting nut, tip ejector, tip
holder, piston assembly, seal and O-ring.
1.
Disassemble the pipette (refer to
MAINTENANCE FOR SINGLE AND FIXED MODELS
, page 14).
2. Set aside the upper part in a clean, dry place.
3. Clean the individual components of the lower part of the pipette using an ultrasonic bath (20 minutes
at 50°C) or with a soft-cloth and brushes. Note that the piston assembly and seals must be degreased
with isopropanol or ethanol before being immersed in another ultra sonic bath. Small round brushes
with soft plastic bristles may be used to clean the interior of the tip holder.
4. Rinse the individual components with distilled water.
5. Leave the parts to dry by evaporation or wipe them with a clean soft-cloth or lint-free tissue.
6. Reassemble the pipette (refer to
MAINTENANCE FOR SINGLE AND FIXED MODELS
, page 14)
FOR VARIABLE VOLUME MULTICHANNEL MODELS
The following components
only
can be immersed in a cleaning solution: tip ejector, ejector locks and
ejector spacer.
1.
Remove the tip ejector and the ejector spacer.
2. Immerse the tip ejector, ejector locks and ejector spacer in the cleaning solution or wipe them with a
soft cloth or lint-free tissue soaked with the cleaning solution.
3. Rinse the components with distilled water.
4. Wipe the entire pipette with a soft cloth or lint-free tissue soaked with the cleaning solution.
5. Wipe it with distilled water.
6. Leave the parts to dry by evaporation or wipe them with a clean soft-cloth or lint-free tissue.
7. Refit the tip ejector (refer to
Change the Tip Ejector
, page 16).
Autoclaving
FOR VARIABLE VOLUME (SINGLE AND MULTICHANNEL MODELS) ONLY
PIPETMAN L variable volume models are fully autoclavable without disassembly for maximum
convenience as well as protection from contamination.
1. Before autoclaving
It is possible to clean PIPETMAN L pipettes and grease the piston prior to autoclaving; however, if you
remove existing grease, lightly lubricate the piston seal using only the grease specified in this User’s Guide.
Set the pipette volume to the nominal volume before placing it in the autoclave.
You may refer to the decontamination procedure available on the Gilson website
(
www.gilson.com
). Liquid must never enter the upper part (handle) of any pipette.
NOTICE
