Chapter 5 Water Bath eo 15-108 16-772 Water bath Water bath, shaker ‘The water bath is an instrument used in the laboratory for carrying out serological, agglutination, inactivation, bio- ‘medical, and pharmaceutical tests and even for industrial incubation procedures. In general they use water, but some baths use oll. The temperature range at which water baths are normally used range between room temperature and 60°C. Temperatures of 100°C can be selected, using a cover with special characteristics, Water baths are manufactured with chambers of a capacity ranging from 2 to 30 litres. DIAGRAM OF A WATER BATH Figure 16.Waterbath MAINTENANCE MANUAL FOR LABORATORY EQUIPMENT Immersion type. These resistors are installed inside a sealed tube and located on the lower part of the container in direct contact with heating medium. External. These resistors are located on the lower part but on the outside of the tank. These are protected by an isolating material which prevents heat loss. This type of resistor transfers the heat to the bottom of the tank. through thermal conduction. Belowisa basic diagram of a water bath. In the diagram, itis possible to observe the electronic control, the screen, the cover (an optional Seen accessory) and the tank. Other components ‘an be installed, e.g. a thermometer and Conlon! an agitation unit to keep the temperature constant (not shown). Selector oa wtih OPERATION PRINCIPLES Water baths are made of steel and are generally covered with electrostatic paint ising Tay Drang ave with high adherence and resistance to environmental laboratory conditions. Water baths have an external panel on which the controls can be found, They also have a tank made of rustproof material with a collection _ Figure 17. Immersion and external of electrical resistors mounted on their lower part. By means of these, heatis transferred to the medium (water or oil) until reaching the temperature selected with a control device (thermostat or similar). The resistors may be of the following types: FtCHAPTER 5 WATER BATHS 2 Certain types of water bath havea series of accessories such a8 agitation systems or circulators, generating carefully controlled movement of the heating medium to keep the temperature uniform. A table which describes the main types of water baths is shown below. lass Temperature range Room temperature up 160°C Low temperature Room temperature up to 100° Room temperature upto 275°. When needs to ‘each temperatures above 100°C, tisnecessary to use ‘uid othe than water asthe bling pont of water is 100° unde norma conditions This typeof bath generally ses ls which have much higher bling points. Room temperature upto 100°C with accesories and or agitation stems (wth wate) High temperature Insulated WATER BATH CONTROLS Water baths generally have very simple controls. Some manufacturers have incorporated controls with microprocessors. They vary depending on the type of bath. The diagram of a basic water bath’s control panel is. shown next. Figure 18, Water bath controls The control panel has these elements: 1, The on and off control switch 2, AMenu button for selecting the operation's parameters: ‘operation temperature, alarm temperature, temperature scale (°C,"F) ‘Two buttons for parameter adjustment Ascreen Apilot light Pilots (2) for identifying the temperature scale (°C *) WATER BATH OPERATION Installation 1. Install the water bath close to an electrical outlet. The outlet must have its respective ground pole in order to guarantee the protection and safety of the operator and the equipment. Water baths generally operate at 120 V/60 Hz or 230 V/60Hz, Its installation and use is facilitated by a sink close by for supplying and draining of water. 2. Verify that the location selected is levelled and has the necessary resistance to safely support the weight of the water bath when itis full of liquid. 3. Ensure that the location has a suitable amount of space for putting the samples and the accessories required for the normal operation of the water bath 4. Avoid placing the water bath where there are strong air currents which can interfere with its normal operation For example: in front of an air-conditioning unit or window. Safety 1, Avoid the use of the water bath in environments where there are flammable and combustible materials. The equipment has components (resistors generating very high temperatures) which could start an accidental fire ‘or explosion. 2. Always connect the equipment to an electrical outlet ‘equipment from electrical discharges. The electrical connection must comply with the required norms of the country and the laboratory. 3, Use the water bath exclusively with non-corrosive or non-flammable liquids. 4, Use personal protective elements when working with the water bath. The bath has resistors which can cause burns if inadvertently touched, even a considerable time after turning off the equipment, 6, Remember that liquids incubated in the water bath tank. ‘can produce burns if hands are inadvertently placed inside te. 7. Take into account that the water bath is designed for use with a liquid inside the tank. Ifthe inside is dry, the temperature of the tank can become very high. Use the diffusing tray for placing the container inside of the filled tank of the water bath. This has been designed for distributing the temperature in a uniform way. 8, Avoid using the water bath if any of its controls is not working, eg. the temperature or limit controlsUsing the water bath Before using the water bath, verify that it is clean and that accessories needed are installed. The steps normally followed are: 1. Fill the water bath with fluid to keep the temperature constant (water or oil. Verify that once the containers, to be heated are placed, the fuidlevelis between 4 and 5.cm from the top of the tank, 2. Install the control instruments needed, such as thermometers and circulators. Use additional mounts, provided for this purpose. Verify the position of the thermometer’s bulb or thermal probe to ensure that. the readings are correct 3. fwateris used.as the warming fluid verify that itisclean. Some manufacturers recommend adding products which prevent the formation of fungus or algae. 4, Put the main switch N° 1 in the ON position (the numbers identifying the controls herein correspond to those shown in the diagram), Some manufacturers have incorporated controls with microprocessors which initiate auto-verification routines once the ON switch is activated. 5. Select the operation temperature using the Menu Ne 2 button and the buttons for adjusting the parameters. 6. Select the cut-off temperature (in water baths with this control). Thisis a safety control which cuts off the supply of electricity if it exceeds the selected temperature. This is selected also by using the menu button and is controlled by the parameter adjustment buttons. 7. Avoid using the water bath with the substances indicated below: a) Bleach. ') Liquids with high chlorine content. Weak saline solutions such as sodium chloride, ‘calcium chloride or chromium compounds. 4) Strong concentrations of any acid. @) Strong concentrations of any salt. f) Weak concentrations of hydrochloric, hydrobromic, hydroiodic, sulphuric or chromic acids. 9) Deionised water, as it causes corrosion and perforation in the stainless steel. Maintenance Warning: Before carrying out any maintenance activity, disconnect the equipment from the electrical feed outlet. Water baths are equipment whose maintenance is simple. The recommended routines mainly focus on the cleaning of external components. The most common routines are featured next. MAINTENANCE MANUAL FOR LABORATORY EQUIPHI Cleaning Frequency: Monthly 1. Turn off and disconnect the equipment. Wait until it cools to avoid the risk of burns and accidents 2. Remove the fluid used for heating, If it is water, it can be poured through a siphon. If iti oll; collect into a container with an adequate capacity. 3. Remove the thermal diffusion grid located atthe bottom of the tank, 4. Disassemble the circulator and clean to remove scale and potential algae present. 5. Clean the interior of the tank with a mild detergent. If there is any indication of corrosion, use substances for cleaning stainless steel. Rub lightly with synthetic, sponges or equivalent. Avoid using steel wool toremove rust stains as these leave particles of steel which could accelerate corrosion. 6. Avoid bending or striking the temperature control «capillary tube generally located at the bottom of the tank. 7. Clean the exterior and interior of the water bath with clean water. Lubrication Frequency: Daily For water baths with an agitation unit or circulator system: Lubricate the axis of the circulator’s electric motor. Put a drop of mineral oil on the axis so that a good lubricating condition is maintained between the motor’s bearings and its ax Periodic inspection Frequency: Quarter! Checkthe thermometer or temperature controls every three months using known standards. Ifno reference standard is, available, use an ice/water mixture and/or boiling water. Note that the thermometer or the water bath temperature controls should also be checked when the equipmentis first installed after purchase. ENT 3BCHAPTER 5 WATER BATHS TROUBLESHOOTI UA rT Ger nexe ris aL Thereisno power tothe instrument. The waterbathis disconnected, Connect the waterbath, Theswitchis defective, Change the switch, The fuse is defective Substitute the fuse. ‘The water bathisnot geting ho, The temperature conta not se. Set the temperature canto The resist) isfare defective Ghange restos Thelimit controls ntset Set th mit contol The temperatures higher than that selected The temperature contois defective Grange the temperature contol irequited Vey the selection ofthe parameter “The samples are warmed slowly. The tanks empty or contains very itl fi Filthetankup tothe recommended evel The temperature isincesing vey slowly. The resistor) islare defective Grange te resistors) The temperature contois defective Substitute temperature cont BASIC DEFINITION: Girculator. An apparatus that shakes or ts fuds to keep thet properties temperature, cl, density homagenous, These are also called agtatr, Ditusing tray. Device locate atthe boom ofthe waterbath o support the containers located isthe tank aso allows thermal convection cen geneated Inthe uid contained inthe tankto cate frm top ta bottom and back othe op, maintaining the temperature horageneausattheleel selected by the operator. Imngeneral the itusing ays made of sans see Electrostatic painting A panting proces that uses the partice-attrating property of electrastatic charges. A potential diferenceof 80-150 is aplied toa gd of wires through which zhe paint sprayed to charge each pate. The metal obectsto be sprayed are connected tothe opposite terminal ofthe high-voltage ‘cit so that they atractthe partes of paint. The pec covered with paint partes then placed in an electrical oven tomelt the patides, making them achere strongly othe pie. Fuse. A safety device which protects the electrical cuts from excessive current Fuses are made of materials whose dimensions and properties equip them to ‘work well within some predefined conditions. If for sme reason the design parameters are exceeded, the material burs cut andinterupsthe passage ofthe lec curent. Immersion resistor. An elec ssor(e definition Below inside of sealed tube. These are generally sed for heating Fuidss water oo Resistance Opposition tat a matria or lcci imposes tothe fof lec curent It isthe property ofa it that tansfoms lca energy into heat asi oppose the flow of arent. Te resistance [RL oe body of uniform scan such aw sd proportional othe length] and iversely proportional othe sectional rea. The esstanceiscltd by he llng equation k= constant that depends onthe units employed 1 = Length ofthe conductor 2 = sectional area ofthe conductor ‘The ohm (0) isthe common uni of electrical resistance; one ohm is equal to one vol per ampere