NuAire LabGard NU-581-400, Operation And Maintenance Manual

Page: 33 / 107

OM0302
Rev 2/December 2020 Page 33 of 107
6.3 Operating Sequence
6.3.1 Start Up
Turn on cabinet blower and lights, check air intake and exhaust portals of the cabinet to make sure they are
unobstructed. The electronic airflow control system will automatically control airflows to specified setpoints.
However, upon filter loading, the cabinet may be required to be re-balanced or filters replaced. Only a qualified
maintenance technician should perform cabinet balancing and filter replacement.
NOTE: Some cabinets are equipped with ultraviolet (UV) lights. Good procedure includes the decontamination
or wipe down of cabinet surfaces with chemical disinfectant before work commences. This practice
eliminates the need for UV lights, whose primary utility in this application is inactivation of surface
contamination since the filters effectively remove all airborne contaminants. UV lights, therefore, are not
recommended in the LFBSC.
Allow blowers to operate for a minimum of 15 minutes before aseptic manipulations are begun in the
cabinet. If the filtered air exhausted from the cabinet is discharged into the room, as in some
installations, an additional advantage is obtained from purification (filtration) of the room air circulated
through the equipment. Because of this characteristic contributing to the quality of the laboratory
environment, some owners of LFBSC leave them in operation beyond the time of actual use.
6.3.2 Wipe Down
The interior surfaces of the workspace should next be disinfected (see Cleaning Procedures) by wiping them
thoroughly with 70% alcohol or similar non-corrosive anti-microbial agents. USE OF CHLORINATED OR HALOGEN
MATERIALS IN THE CABINET MAY DAMAGE STAINLESS STEEL.
6.3.3 Materials & Equipment
The apparatus and materials should next be placed into the cabinet. Care must be exercised that no items be
placed over the front intake grills. Materials should be arranged so that clean, dirty (used), and virus materials are
well separated. Passage of contaminated materials over uninoculated cultures or clean glassware should be
avoided and transfer of viable materials should be performed as deeply into the cabinet (away from open face) as
possible.
6.3.4 Air Purge
Additional purging of the workspace without user activity should be allowed for 2-3 minutes after materials and
apparatus have been placed in it. This will rid the area of all "loose" contamination that may have been introduced
with the items.
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