Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-07-15 Origin: Site
Preparation before operation
Check the equipment status: Before using the fume hood, carefully inspect its appearance to see if there is any damage, cracks or looseness in components such as the cabinet door and glass window. At the same time, check the operating status of the ventilation system, turn on the fume hood, and listen to whether the sound of the fan running is normal and if there are any abnormal noises or vibrations. If it is found that the fan is not running smoothly or there is abnormal noise, its use should be suspended and it should be reported for repair in time.
Confirm the ventilation effect: The ventilation effect of the fume hood can be confirmed through a simple test. For instance, place a thin piece of paper at the operation opening of the fume hood and observe whether the paper is steadily sucked into the interior of the fume hood. If the paper drifts unstably or cannot be sucked in, it indicates poor ventilation. Further inspection of the ventilation system or adjustment of the position of the fume hood is required.
Prepare the experimental items: Neatly place the reagents, instruments and other items needed for the experiment in the appropriate positions inside the fume hood to avoid blocking the ventilation openings of the fume hood or affecting the ventilation effect. For some volatile, toxic and harmful reagents, it is necessary to ensure that they are well sealed to prevent leakage.
Precautions during operation
Standardize the operation of the glass window: The glass window of the fume hood is an important barrier to protect the operator. During use, the glass window should always be pulled to an appropriate height. It is generally recommended to pull it below the operator's face to ensure that the operator's breathing area is within the effective ventilation range of the fume hood. When conducting experimental operations, avoid extending your arms or other body parts out of the glass window to prevent contact with harmful gases.
Control the operation speed and amplitude: When conducting experiments in a fume hood, it is necessary to control the operation speed and amplitude as much as possible to avoid excessive airflow disturbance. For instance, when pouring reagents, it should be done slowly and steadily to avoid splashing of reagents or generating a large amount of volatile gases. At the same time, avoid vigorous stirring, shaking and other operations inside the fume hood to prevent affecting the ventilation effect.
Avoid cross-contamination: Different types of experiments may produce different harmful gases. To prevent cross-contamination, do not conduct multiple different types of experiments simultaneously in the same fume hood. If multiple experiments need to be conducted simultaneously, different fume hoods should be used or effective isolation measures should be taken.
Timely handling of leakage and overflow: In the event of reagent leakage or overflow during the experiment, immediate measures should be taken to deal with it. For minor leaks, adsorption materials (such as oil-absorbing cotton, sand, etc.) can be used for adsorption and cleaning. In the event of a large-scale leakage, the experiment should be immediately halted, the fume hood closed, and the emergency response plan of the laboratory handled accordingly. At the same time, it is necessary to clean the residues in the fume hood in a timely manner to keep it clean.
Post-operation maintenance
Clean the interior of the fume hood: After the experiment, it is necessary to promptly clear the experimental items and residues inside the fume hood, put the reagent bottles, instruments, etc. back in their original positions, and wipe the inner walls and worktops of the fume hood with a damp cloth to remove stains and dust. For some stubborn stains that are hard to clean, appropriate cleaning agents can be used for cleaning, but attention should be paid to the choice of cleaning agents to avoid damaging the material of the fume hood.
Turn off the ventilation system: After cleaning the fume hood, do not immediately turn off the ventilation system. Let the fume hood continue to run for a period of time (generally recommended to run for 15 to 30 minutes) to ensure that all harmful gases inside the fume hood are completely discharged. After the operation is completed, turn off the power of the ventilation system.
Regular maintenance and inspection: Regularly conduct maintenance and inspection on fume hoods, including checking whether the filters of the ventilation system need to be replaced, whether the operation status of the fan is normal, and whether the sealing performance of the fume hood is good, etc. It is generally recommended to conduct a comprehensive maintenance and inspection of fume hoods every 3 to 6 months. For fume hoods with higher usage frequency, the maintenance and inspection cycle can be appropriately shortened.
Safety and emergency response
Understand safety signs and warnings: Safety signs and warning information are usually affixed to fume hoods. Operators should be familiar with the meanings of these signs and information and strictly abide by relevant safety regulations. For instance, for some flammable and explosive reagents, there will be corresponding warning signs on the fume hood. Operators should pay special attention to fire prevention and explosion prevention when using these reagents.
Master emergency response methods: Operators should be familiar with the emergency response methods for possible emergencies that may occur during the use of fume hoods, such as fires, leaks, poisoning, etc. In case of an emergency, remain calm, take corresponding emergency measures immediately, and report to the laboratory management personnel and relevant departments in a timely manner. For instance, in the event of a fire, fire extinguishers should be used immediately to put out the fire and the power supply of the ventilation system should be turned off to prevent the fire from spreading.
