Troubleshooting - Teledyne FALCON GC Operation And Maintenance Manual

Maintenance & Troubleshooting

5.1 Troubleshooting

Columns
Problem:
Each column, if operated within the proper temperature
limits, should have a lifetime of 1 year+. TAI
recommends having spare columns on hand in case of
emergencies. Over time you may experience a changes
in the column phase or column hardware.
Effects:
Tailing peaks
Fronting peaks
Retention time shift
Runaway temperature or faulty temperature reading
(hardware failure)
Solution:
The column may need to be replaced. Please refer to
the column change guide if that is the case. In the case
of tailing, fronting, or retention time shifting it may be
possible to flush the column with solvent to clear out
any pollutants or "heavy" material. This should be
done while the column has been removed from the GC.
In the case of a hardware failure, or persistent poor
performance, you will have to ship the column back to
Teledyne for refurbishment
Detectors (FID)
Problem:
The FID may fail to light or the flame may go out due
to fluctuations in air or H2 pressures
Effects:
Chromatogram is produced with no peaks on the FID
channel
Solution:
Turn off the Hydrogen and Air to the detector and
repeat the "Ignite" process. You should hear a single
pop. Multiple pops may indicate that the flame is
lighting and extinguishing alternately. You can check
24 Teledyne Analytical Instruments
Falcon GC