GC-MS instrument transport

[josebenjamin]

Dear Friends,

At the lab I am working there will be a switching of quarters and a good number of instruments need to be moved. I would like to hear from anyone one of you about problems, special precautions, and general recommendations you have to ensure success and no damage to the units, in particular on those with MS and FTIR detection.

The instruments are:

GC 5890 Series II with MS detector (5972 Series),
Trace GC-MS Finnigan Polaris

Agilent Model 6890 GCs, withhead space sampling, and another one with FTIR detection.

I know suppliers would be very happy to do it for big bucks. If you want to share info about this I would like to hear it as well.

Thanks,

josebenjamin

[CE Instruments]

Manufacturers and specialist service companies charge big bucks to move kit because they should be checking the system, moving the system, re-checking the system to prove it works as well once moved as before. They should also be taking any responsibility for damage in the move.

If you feel confident there is no reason why you should not decommission , move and recommission. If anything has suffered it will most likely not cost more than getting the professionals to move it.

Note if your kit is covered by either an extended or standard warranty you should pay the professionals. Your warranty assumes that you have not "damaged" any kit yourself and this could be difficult to prove if the system has been moved

[Peter Apps]

Moving instruments is made out to be more difficult than it really is by people who want you to pay them to do what you could do yourself.

Cool all the heated zones, shut down the instruments, turn off the gas, disconnect the mains power. Disconnect the gas lines and plug the connectors. Disconnect the column from the MS transfer line and plug the line using a nut with a no-hole ferrule. Label and disconnect all the communication cables.

Separate the instruments into solid chunks - i.e separate the MS from the GC, take the autosampler tower off etc.

Pick up the bits, carry them to the new lab, put them down, and reverse the above procedure ! If you have to move things by road, pack them with lots of bubble wrap - if you have the original packaging, use that. As long as they do not get dropped or bumped there should be no problem - there are no fragile mechanical parts in a GC or GC-MS.

You can spend the money you save on the move on something useful !

Regards Peter

[Schmitty]

I believe the 5972 has a screw-in bracket or two to prevent the source/quad/horn assembly from bouncing free of the vacuum chamber.

[josebenjamin]

Dear Friends,

Thanks for all your comments, I will try to use your suggestions.

josebenjamin