FID temp in standby mode?

[amitchell]

Hi all. I was just curious as to what temperature you would leave the FID if you GC system was idle for a few days or a few weeks.
Should I set it just high enough to prevent condensation or would leaving it at 250-300C be OK.
Thanks for any input.

[Peter Apps]

For a few days you can leave it at whatever temperature you use for the analysis. If the GC is not going to be used for weeks at a time I might shut the whole thing down, and seal the ends of the column and put it back in its box.

This saves exposing the column to the vagaries of carrier gas purity, saves electricity and gas, and cuts the risk that the GC gets nailed by power spikes and power cuts.

Peter