Abnormally High Chromatogram Baseline

[phil]

I've tried fixing the problem on this GC several times without success.

The GC is a Varian 3800 connected to a Star workstation in a network. The problem is that the chromatogram baseline remains very high after the first peak. As a result subsequent peaks are not well defined and difficult to determine.

Normally, the baseline should return to zero after each peak, allowing the peaks to be clearly defined.

Any ideas on what might be the cause, and the solution?

Additional Info About the GC:
Detector type: FID
Column size: 30M X 0.53MM
Carrier Gas: Helium

[Bernd]

I've tried fixing the problem on this GC several times without success.

The GC is a Varian 3800 connected to a Star workstation in a network. The problem is that the chromatogram baseline remains very high after the first peak. As a result subsequent peaks are not well defined and difficult to determine.

Normally, the baseline should return to zero after each peak, allowing the peaks to be clearly defined.

Any ideas on what might be the cause, and the solution?

Phil,
first You should tell us what kind of detector is in use and a little bit more about the GC. Check in the instrument the autozero detector settings. Switch them Off! Try again. Let us know the result.
Regards
Bernd