Daisy Incubator

The F57 Filter Bags should not be oven dried after the acetone treatment.  Doing so can release the calendared set (heat and pressure used to flatten) we put on the filtration media from which the bags are made.  Simply allow the acetone to completely evaporate from the bags prior to filling the bags with sample.

The MoistureStop Desiccant Pouch is a small, airtight zipper bag, utilized for desiccating all of the Filter Bags that are used with ANKOM instrumentation. A single pouch can hold a full run of F57, F58 or XT4 bags at one time.  When folded, 6 IDF or SDF bags can also be placed into a MoistureStop Desiccant Pouch. Each time a bag has been removed from the desiccant pouch, the air can and should be pushed out. The "zipper" does not have to be used with every bag removal but some action should be taken to keep the air from entering the pouch while the just removed Filter Bag is being weighed. For example, air can be pushed out of the bag by laying it on a firm surface while compressing or flattening the air out of the pouch with your hand. 

Many instruments in the marketplace have the capacity to run 6 samples at a time.  After being dried, the beakers, flasks or crucibles are placed into a counter top or cabinet desiccator.  Once cooled, they are then removed one at a time and weighed. Each time the desiccator is opened to remove sample, moist ambient air is introduced inside the desiccator. However, because the lid or door of the desiccator is opened just 6 times, the samples that remain in the desiccator after each item is removed are affected very little by ambient moisture that may be introduced.

However, with Filter Bag Technology, generally larger numbers of Filter Bags are extracted at a time. As with the beakers, flasks and crucibles mentioned above, if the bags are placed in a desiccator after drying, each time the lid or door is opened to remove a bag, moist, ambient air is introduced. Because the desiccator is opened up to 24 times, the moisture can more readily affect the remaining bags. If a collapsible, ANKOM desiccant pouch is utilized, the air can be pushed out of the pouch each time a Filter Bag is removed. This will eliminate a build up of moisture on the remaining Filter Bags and allow for a more accurate and precise result. Every month it is possible to place the small desiccant packets into the oven at 100° - 105 ° C for a few hours to insure that the desiccant is renewed. In addition, to ensure the integrity of the zip lock bag, regular replacement should be considered.

The F57 filter bags are ash free and therefore can be used for ash determination. See D200 Service Procedure 7 for the Ashing Procedure.

This analysis can be performed using the older Kjeldahl Method with filter bags. The automated combustion instruments (Dumas Method) can also be used. With some of the automated instrumentation, it may be difficult to get the entire filter bag into the "pellet" form necessary but many customers have been able to cut up the bag and make it fit.

First, make sure that your Daisy is not placed under an Air Conditioner or fan. Check your Daisy instrument bulbs, controller, and temperature probe to ensure they are functioning properly. With further questions or concerns, please contact ANKOM Technology at [email protected]

Possible Causes:

The dial on the heat sealer may not be turned up high enough. In order to seal the F57 Filter Bag, the dial must be set at approximately "4" while the XT4 Filter Bag is sealed at a setting of "6." Different lab conditions may affect the proper setting. Experiment with a bag to "dial in" the correct setting.

The heating element is broken. On the sides of the Teflon cover are two shiny metal strips that keep the cover in place. Loosen the screws that keep the strips tight to the base of the heat sealer and remove the Teflon cover. Check to see if there is a break in the heating element. If there is, take the extra heating element from the box that the heat sealer came in and replace the defective element. Additional elements can be ordered from ANKOM Technology.

The Insulator is not properly installed. The Insulator should be installed to ensure that the heating element does not touch any of the metal on the base of the heat sealer.

When the rotation switch is activated on the Daisy, the jars should continue to rotate until the switch is turned off.

Possible Causes:

There is not enough friction between the outside surface of the jars and the rollers on the instrument. This is especially true if either the outside surface of the jars or the rollers are moist. Many Daisy users put tape on the jars at the point of contact with the rollers in order to create more friction. Of course, it is important to use a type of tape that has a "rough" surface. Many find the tape that athletic trainers use to tape athletes works best. See D200 Service Procedure 6.

The drive belts may be slipping. This may occur if the Daisy has a bit of age on it. The drive belts are the black o-rings that fit on the instrument's pulleys and cause the jars to turn. Overtime, the o-rings can begin to lose their elasticity and become too stretched. When this happens, the rotation will be erratic. If this is the reason for the jars not turning, it is possible to fix the issue temporarily until the new o-ring can be ordered. Remove the o-ring from one pulley and twist the o-ring into a figure 8. This will cause the o-ring to "shorten" and will keep it tight on the pulleys. New o-rings should be ordered and installed if this proves to fix the problem. See D200 Service Procedure 6.

The set screw on the drive pulley may be loose and is slipping on the motor shaft. Tightening the set screw with a 3/32 hex wrench to the drive shaft will fix this problem. Refer to D200 Service Procedure 1 and reference the steps related to reattaching the drive pulley.

The motor may be going bad. This however is a bit unusual and each of the above possibilities should be investigated thoroughly before ordering a new motor. Contact ANKOM for information on how to test the motor. To replace motor see D200 Service Procedure 1.

Possible cause: A power surge has occurred.

Solution: Reprogram your controller using the controller menu setup in your Operator's Manual

Possible Causes:
1)  Sample size is too large.
2)  Bags were not acetone rinsed.
3)  The rubber baffle spacers fell off.

Possible Solutions:
1)  Ensure that the procedure is followed completely.
2)  Reduce sample size to .025 per procedure.
3)  Rinse bags with acetone and thoroughly dry prior to filling.
4)  Check baffle spacers.

Contact ANKOM Technology via e-mail at https://www.ankom.com/contact/technical-services or by calling 1-315-986-8090 for assistance in making this determination. Follow D200 Service Procedure 1 to replace the motor on the Daisy instrument.