Fume hoods and benches
There are different kinds of ventilated hoods. Make sure you get an introduction on how to work in each of them.
Some general things for the common fume hoods
- A basic rule is to keep as few things as possible in the fume hood, especially in the back of the fume hood where it may block the airflow. Items located in other places in the fume hood may cause turbulence.
- The window should be pulled down as far as possible, to protect you from potential splashes and also to minimize turbulence in the air flow.
- A fume hood is not for storing things. All chemicals etc must be removed when you stop working for the day.
- Pipettes should be left inside the hood and never be used outside of the hood. This is to prevent hazardous chemicals or contagious materials to spread to the rest of the lab.
- Make sure the water drain is protected in case of spill.
- Before you start working, let the water run for 20 sec to fill the water lock, to prevent vapor to escape through the drainage system.
- Always leave the hood clean and with the window pulled down so the light goes off (to save energy).
- There are some settings that can be modified on the hoods. Please ask for help from an experienced user.
Never turn off the auto-closing permanently!
Some general things about fume benches
- Fume benches are used for tasks where no heat is used. It provides protection from particles and fumes.
- The maximum height of protection is 15-20 cm above the perforated surface. This height depends on the air flow of the bench. Please check the details of the specific bench before starting to use it.
- It is important that the perforated surface is never covered more than 1/3 and that a 10 cm zone is left uncovered at the front of the bench to give enough protection.
- A fume bench can be with or without a safety shield.
If there is something wrong with the fume hoods, please contact Johan Fransson at the EBC Campus Management.