May 2015 - Optimizing Performance During Humid Months

You can avoid some of the nuisance status conditions like dryer dew point failures which can be problematic in times of high humidity.   Ensure the prescribed preventative maintenance has been successfully accomplished, such as the replacement of dryers and the cleaning of the cooler.  Resolving status conditions is important because such conditions can result in negative mass concentration (MC) values or data.

Cooler cleaning
Ensure you clean the coolers annually using the cooler cleaning wizard in the instrument firmware.  For detailed instructions, see section 5 of the Thermo Scientific™  1405-DF TEOM™ Continuous Dichotomous Ambient Air Monitor operator's manual or section 5 of the Thermo Scientific™  1405-F TEOM™ Continuous Ambient Air Monitor operator's manual.  If you need to purchase a cleaner kit, call (866) 282-0430, option 1 and reference these part numbers:

Dryer refurbishment
Thermo Fisher Scientific™ recommends an annual dryer replacement or refurbishment for FDMS dryers. Fefurbishment is meant to minimize sampling artifacts that could affect the measurement of total mass concentration over time. The refurbishment consists of cleaning and any necessary replacement of parts. Contact us by phone at (866) 282-0430, option 2 or by email to order a replacement dryer or to take advantage of our  dryer trade in program.

Set up and installation notes
In addition to routine preventative maintenance, there are several set up and installation recommendations to address operation in high humidity environments.  To achieve the best results, locate the TEOM™ sensor unit in an environment with relatively slow temperature fluctuations.  To avoid condensation in the sample tubing, Thermo Fisher Scientific™ strongly recommends that the user insulate the sample tube extensions with pipe insulation.