After the serviced ECD has been installed, it will require stabilizing prior to the running of samples. Failure to condition the ECD will cause irregular readings and contamination of the source, requiring cleaning. Conditioning stabilizes the ECD for optimum performance.

• Complete your installation process according to the manufacturers manual.

• Inspect the system for leaks.

• Set the flow of your carrier gas as is needed for the procedure you plan to conduct. Allowing the ECD to be heated without N2 flowing through it will cause permanent damage.

• Allow ECD to reach the preferred temperature. The general rule is to operate the detector at 50 deg. C higher than the oven temperature.

• Only after the ECD has reached the preferred temperature should you turn on the column oven. Turning the column oven on prior to the ECD reaching the correct temperature will cause condensate from the column to enter the source chamber and contaminate the foil.

• Let the system run for a minimum of 24 hours prior to injecting any samples. It may take as much as 48-72 hours for the ECD to stabilize.

Initially you might see a high baseline, but will find over time that this will come down. If the signal does not come down within 48 hours, increase the variance between the oven temperature and the ECD temperature and allow to stabilize another 2 - 4 hours, or until the baseline comes down.