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I wrote a few weeks ago asking if anyone had any experience with using larger
volume containers for the Facscan sheath and waste tanks.
Many thanks for the numerous responses!
Changing from the regular tanks to larger ones was very easy and we didn't
run into any of the potential problems that I had thought that we would.
We simply substituted a Gibco stainless steel pressure vessel (3.5 US Gal)
for the sheath container and a Nalgene plastic carboy (8 Liter or approx. 2
US Gal) for the waste container. Then used the Facscan quick disconnects with
longer hoses (6 ' Tygon tubing 1/8" ID and 1/4" OD) to connect the air line
to the sheath tank, the sheath line from the sheath tank, and the waste
line to the waste carboy. The fourth line (air vent from the waste) was not
needed.
Inside the Facscan we installed a pressure gauge (Ashcroft 0-15 psi)
serially in the air line to measure the pressure, which (according to BD)
should be at 4.5 psi. This gauge gives us confidence that the pressure is
holding correctly. In addition, our samples have been running as smoothly
as ever.
One advantage of using these materials was that we already had them and the
only thing we had to buy was a pressure gauge. Another advantage of using
the stainless tank is that it is autoclavable.
By using a transluscent waste container with a slightly smaller volume than
the sheath vessel, we are able to see the amount of waste fluid, and when
the waste fluid is full there is a safety margin to prevent the sheath fluid
from running out. It's important, therefore, to fill the sheath tank each
time you empty the waste. With the aforementioned tanks, we find that we
can fill/empty them each morning and then run the Facscan for the whole day.
This eliminates many problems we were having with a multiuser Facscan and has
overall proved to be a success.
Regards,
Gary A. Ward
Fannie E. Rippel/NCCC Flow Cytometry Lab
Dept of Physiology
Dartmouth Medical School
Hanover, NH USA
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