Hi,
We are struggling to solve an issue with an Agilent 8860 GC-FID we purchased in 2019. It is used to quantify propane in headspace samples that are manually injected. It is possible but unlikely that some of those headspace samplings result in the needle being in contact with the liquid bacteria growth medium if traces of the media have splashed the base of the septum in the cultivation vessel.
Key problem: Ignition of the flame does not ignite or turns off very soon after being ignited. And, the baseline signal is very high 615,000 pA.
Observations
- The detector signal remains incredibly high regardless of what is turned on or off, approx. 615,000 pA.
- All gas flows easily and quickly reach method settings when turned on, and appear stable. But, when we try to ignite the flame, some of the gases start fluctuating momentarily, e.g. Air.
- Another GC-FID next to our unit uses the same gas supplies (N2, H2, air) and they have no problems
- FID temperature reaches recommended temperature
- When I try to ignite the FID it pops gently, then after 2-3 more tries says it has failed to ignite.
- Jet restriction test Pass
- Leakage Current test Fail
We considered cleaning or replacing the jet, but given that the Jet Restriction Test passed, maybe this is not the issue?
I subsequently tried to do a bakeout, but since the bakeout procedure requires the FID to be ignited, this could not be continued.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Patrik
