Chromatography Forum

I have been working with an HP3396 Series II Integrator. It was working fine but recently started giving me trouble. I am seeing excessive noise or drift on the chromatogram when I should be seeing a baseline. I ran the tests as stated in the manual and it has passed them all. I know the power cable is fine because I swapped it for another and it works just as well. I also ran the T test and though the retention times of the peaks were the same, the peaks themselves did not resemble those seen on the example of demo chromatogram test T from the manual. I am not sure what to do or how to solve this issue. Any suggetions would be appreciated.

Do a blank run with the pump off. Do anaother with the lamp off.

My guess is that you have a chromatographic issue, not an integrator issue.

Thanks for your help. So, when I ran the blank with the pump off, the chromatogram just showed a lot of noise. When I ran the blank with the detector off, the chromatogram showed a nice straight baseline.

Also, just to clarify, what do you mean by "chromatographic issue?"

Thanks for your help. So, when I ran the blank with the pump off, the chromatogram just showed a lot of noise. When I ran the blank with the detector off, the chromatogram showed a nice straight baseline.

Also, just to clarify, what do you mean by "chromatographic issue?"

From your update, seems like an issue with the detector/lamp. A chromatographic issue would be something with the detector, the pump, the degasser, solvent quality, etc.