When performing maintenance or service procedures, pay attention to the following safety guidelines:

Observe all warning messages and precautionary statements presented in Safety Precautions.

WARNING

High Voltage

High voltages are present inside the device that could cause an electric shock.

Do not open the housing or remove protective panels unless specifically instructed to do so in this manual.

WARNING

Sharp Tip of Injection Needle

The injection needle has a very sharp tip that can cause injury to the skin.

To avoid personal injury, never touch the needle tip.

WARNING

Escape of Hazardous Substances from Flow Connections

Flow and capillary connections can be filled with substances that can pose health risks. Solvent can spray when capillaries burst, slip out of their fittings, or are not properly tightened or when capillary connections are otherwise open.

  • Wear appropriate protective equipment and follow good laboratory practice.
  • Before starting maintenance or repair procedures, flush out harmful substances with an appropriate solvent.

WARNING

Tilting Liquid Reservoirs

Liquids in the reservoirs on the solvent rack might contain harmful substances. Spilling of these substances can pose health and safety risks.

To prevent the reservoirs from tilting, be careful not to pull on the liquid lines when performing maintenance.

CAUTION

Spraying Solvent

Solvents can spray when under high pressure.

  • Stop the pump flow prior to opening the flow path.
  • Wait until the system pressure is down to zero.
  • When opening the flow path, wear appropriate protective equipment.

CAUTION

Hot Surfaces

Surfaces inside the system may become hot during operation. Touching hot parts might cause burns.

Allow hot surfaces to cool down before starting replacement or maintenance procedures.

CAUTION

Hydrostatic Pressure

Solvent may spill when you open the flow path. This is due to hydrostatic pressure in the system when the solvent reservoirs are located above the pump outlet. Before you loosen a connection in the flow path:

  • Turn off the pump flow and wait until the system pressure is down to zero.
  • Unscrew the caps of the solvent reservoirs and remove the solvent lines together with the caps from the reservoirs.
  • Empty the solvent lines. See Emptying the Solvent Lines.
  • Retighten the reservoir caps.

CAUTION

Electric Shock or Damage to the Device

After the power to the device is turned off, the device is still energized as long as the power cord is connected. Repair work on the device while the device is connected to power could lead to personal injury.

  • Always unplug the power cord before starting repair work inside the device.
  • If you were instructed to remove any housing covers or panels, do not connect the power cord to the device while the cover or panels are removed.

NOTICE

Moving the Vanquish system stack even over short distances on the workbench can damage and impair the functionality of the system base.

Before moving the system stack, unlock the system base using the locking tools.

TIP

When the power is turned off to the autosampler, the left front door of the autosampler is opened automatically for proper ventilation of the sample compartment and cannot be closed while the power is turned off.