Please take a close look at any diagrams or manuals that were sent to you with your equipment. Take the time to (re)read them carefully. If you are still having trouble, please call our technical support.

If you think your set up is wrong, please re-read the setup manual carefully. If you are still having trouble, ask a lab partner to help you troubleshoot as they may see things you cannot. A technical support call may be required if you are still having trouble.

Please read you manual. If your piece of equipment can be calibrated, a direct procedure to do so should be listed in you manual.

Depending on the question, most calls about procedures can generally not be answered by our techs as they relate to protected Intellectual Property, which would not be known to the techs. We can, however, refer customers to our consulting services for various procedures and guidance.

Our standard vacuum hosing is ¼ inch ID and works well with all of our Short Path Systems except the new packable heads. Additionally, all kits come with larger ½ in ID Braided PVC Hosing For connection to large ports on vacuum pumps.  The PDH-1 has ⅜ inch ID hose connections.

Yes. You need to either purchase a 19/22 adapter to use a thermocouple probe for a Vapor Monitoring Kit or use a hollow stopper to seal the vacuum at the top of the distillation head. The old adapters for every other head (V1/ V1 Silvered, V2/ V2 Silvered) utilize a 10mm joint size, which is a narrower fitting due to the lack of necessity of filling them with packing material.

There are a number of important differences between our systems that make up the large cost differences. The Standard short path distillation kit comes with a Chinese manufactured mantle, which is unfortunately not covered by a warranty.  In its place, the Precision Complete Short Path Distillation System comes with our LS StirMax, a bottom fabric heating mantle, and a J- Kem Temperature Controller K-type 210. The Warrantied Stir Max and Fabric Heating Mantle work well with the J-Kem unit to maintain precise control over material temperature throughout the distillation process.

Glasses should always be worn when dealing with solvents, glassware or even when stepping foot into a lab. Protective eyewear should be on before entering the lab and be taken off after exiting the lab.

Any chemical waste should be first classified as hazardous or extremely hazardous chemical waste. If classified as extremely hazardous, a different procedure will be required. To check, you may visit this site to help classify what you may or may not have: Known Hazardous and Extremely Hazardous Wastes. If your waste is hazardous, you must then designate a container based off what kind of hazardous materials you plan to put in the container. Acids and Bases cannot be stored in metal. Hydrofluoric acid cannot be stored in glass, and solvents cannot be stored in lightweight polyethylene jugs. The recommended jugs for waste storage are specifically designed for waste material. The jugs make use of leak proof, screw-on caps so waste will not spill. Do not use parafilm, corks or any other method to cap waste material! Make sure to select an economical size bottle for your waste. Label the fresh or used container, but do not destroy the original label as waste technicians needs to be able to read what was in the bottle before it became a waste bottle. Always keep waste bottle closed when not adding waste, and wipe down bottles prior to collection. Waste bottles should be stored in a fume hood or in a secondary container that is chemically compatible and can hold 110% of the volume in the first waste container. Do not mix solid and liquid waste, do not over fill, and leave about 10% at the top of the bottle. Do not combine organic solvents with toxic metal waste such as arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, silver, copper, nickel, and zinc. For disposal of oils such as waste petroleum, one should contact EH&S. Oils containing traces of mercury, lead, or other regulated metals are excluded from the recycling program. Notify EH&S on the hazardous waste tag if your oil waste may contain these materials.

If you have gotten something in your eye and need to use the eye wash station, flush eyes for at least 15 minutes. The affected person should hold his/her eyes open and roll eyes around in every direction while water is flushing eyes. If one cannot hold their eye lids open, help by holding the eyelids open may be required by user or another person.  Every lab should have a shower or an eye wash station in case one gets debris in their eye or eyes. Someone should also call the poison control center ((800) 222-1222) to seek advice on the specific situation. If you work with hazardous chemicals, you should know where the eye wash is stationed every time you walk into a lab. Use only approved safety equipment. One should know how to operate an eye wash station before preforming any experiments in a lab. Make sure the eye wash station is clear and does not have clutter around it. A check should be performed every month to make sure the station works properly. Use only as was intended.

Make sure the area is clear and that you did not leave anything on that would require attention, such as a Bunsen burner. Analyze the wound, and grab the first aid kit. If the wound is big enough, going to the hospital is the best decision, because you may require stitches. This is the reason why you should try to clear the room of any other dangers before you leave as you may not return for a while. If hazardous chemicals were spilled, extra care should be taken to not get any hazardous chemicals in the wound. One should treat the affected area as best they can, or go to the hospital. If the wound is not dire, then proceed to grab a set of gloves to clean up the accident before returning to work or going to the hospital. If immediate care must be taken, inform a lab partner or supervisor to watch over the lab or turn off equipment before you leave for the hospital!

Remember that this FAQ is a guideline only. Always trust only the official agencies and related professionals when dealing with any health-related situation.

No. No one should be allowed in a lab without proper attire on. This includes jeans, closed toed shoes, no low-cut shirts (shirts should cover at least to near the elbow) and people with long hair should have it tied up. Regular reading or outdoor glasses are not sufficient for lab use. Lab glasses standards are set by OSHA and can be researched more here: Eye and Face Protection.