Discussion Category: Centrifuge

Beckman Optima TLX Oil Change

We have an optima TLX ultra in our lab that is begining to take longer to reach full vacuum and smells like it is burning oil. I beleive the instrument is from 2000 and I doubt that it has ever been serviced (I am fairly new to the lab). We do not have money in our budget for Beckman to come look at it and I am the most handy person in the lab so I have been elected to address this issue. Any trouble shooting tips would be appreciated. I also would like to change the oil in the pump regardless, can I get some sort of procedure for doing this? I have checked the Beckman manuals in our lab and online, both of which recommend calling the service tech's out.

Thu Oct 30 2014

Asked by

52willysmd

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9 years agoReply by

dpkleessr

The vacuum system in an Optima TLX as well as any other Beckman benchtop ultra centrifuge can be very picky at times. Everything has to be working perfectly to get reliable performance. The vacuum pump is very small in comparison to a floor model ultra so age and condition of oil are very important. That's why regular service on the benchtop units is so important. You must also be prepared to drain and replace the diffusion pump oil and both of the vacuum hoses because any cracks will effect performance. The hose between the vacuum pump and the diffusion pump can be especially problematic because if you bent the hose over just a little bit at either end of the hose it will cause just enough of a leak to effect whether or not a run will achieve full vacuum so be sure you use the proper length of vacuum hose. I no longer have the part numbers for the vacuum pump oil, the diffusion pump oil and the two hoses but you should still be able to get them from Beckman's customer support. After you get the pieces, let me know and we can go from there.

Don

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