There is solvent in the XT15/XT15I Vent Flask
There is solvent in the XT15/XT15I Vent Flask
There should not be any significant amount of solvent in the vent flask. If solvent is dripping into the flask during the extraction, there may be a leak in valve Q7 and it may need to be cleaned or replaced. See XT Service Procedure #5 - Solenoid Valves Servicing.
Another possibility is the leaking is coming from the safety valve and the valve will need to be replaced. To determine if the safety valve is leaking, see XT15 Service Procedure #16, Point #4. If solvent is dripping into the flask at the end of the run, the water was not turned on or the water was too warm to cool the condenser.
Too much solvent dripping into the vent flask will result in an "ETS Heater Overheat" on the instrument's computer screen.
Pet Ether is left in the vessel (>50ml) after a run.
Pet Ether is left in the vessel (>50ml) after a run.
Possible Causes:
The Q6 Valve (drain valve) is not opening correctly or there is a line blockage between the Q6 valve and the vessel. To best assist you, it would be helpful to run a test which will take approximately 10 minutes. Please contact ANKOM with your results.
To test:
- Verify that the Q6 solenoid, (the electrical connector) has not been swapped with the Q5 solenoid. If you are looking at the XT15 from the front, the solenoid marked Q6 should be on the right, the Q5 Valve should be on the left. If these were accidentally swapped, this would cause the problem.
- Remove the Q6 solenoid and open the Q6 valve. See XT Service Procedure #5
- Check the filter. It may need to be cleaned. See XT15 Service Procedure #17.
- Remove the long tube that connects the Q6 valve to the vessel, and the short tube that connects Q6 with the condenser.
- Run air or nitrogen through both tubes to make sure they are not blocked.
- Blow air or nitrogen through all ports on the valve to make sure there is no blockage in the valve.
- Open the vessel and blow air through the tube connection on the back of the XT15, to confirm air travels into
the vessel. - Replace the rubber tip on the Q6 Valve Piston if you have a spare, and put the Q6 valve back together.
- Reconnect the 2 tubes.
- Verify that the white Teflon Cup does not have any blocked ports.
- Close the vessel.
- Run a 10 minute extraction. At the end of the extraction, when the screen goes to "Draining" start a timer and record the pressure every minute. After the pressure reaches zero, record the time. Then record the time when the screen says "Cooling".
- Contact ANKOM with your results.
Pressure when "Draining" starts (start timer) ____
Pressure at Minute 1,2,3,4,5,6, __,__,__,__,__,__
# of minutes until "Cooling" cycle starts ______ Pressure at start of "Cooling Cycle"______
Excessive pressure in the vessel after extraction is complete.
Excessive pressure in the vessel after extraction is complete.
Possible Causes:
A valve may be "stuck" closed. If the instrument hasn't been used in awhile, it is possible that the solution is simply to clean the valves and clean any debris or buildup that may have settled on the valve piston.
To test:
Turn the instrument on and press <stop> to initiate a drain cycle. If the pressure does not drop to zero in 3 minutes, you will need to clean valves Q5 and Q6.
To clean valves Q5 and Q6:
Remove the back of the machine and clean the coils (do not get them reversed). See XT Service Procedure #5.
After the valves are cleaned and put back together, run a 10 minute extraction to see if this solved the problem. When the 10 minute extraction ends, the screen will say "Draining". Contact ANKOM if the pressure does not drop to Zero over the next 3-5 minutes.
Fault Screen: "ETS Heater" "OverHeat" <ENTER>
Fault Screen: "ETS Heater" "OverHeat" <ENTER>
See XT15 Service Procedure #16.
Fault Screen: "Operating Temp" Fault
Fault Screen: "Operating Temp" Fault
Possible Causes:
There is a leak. The most common cause is a leaky Q1 valve, which would cause cooling water to flow into the vessel during the heating stage.
To test:
- Turn the instrument completely off but keep the water supply on. Check to see if water is running out of the drain line. Water should not be running out of the drain line if the instrument is off. If it is, then you need to inspect and clean valves Q1, Q2, And Q3 (Q1 is the most important). To inspect the valves, turn off the water supply and see XT Service Procedure #5.
- After inspecting the valves, turn your water supply back on and verify that no water is running through the drain line while the instrument is off. Run an extraction. If the vessel is not heating, contact ANKOM.
Fault Screen: "Ck levelsw[ent] "Is Vessel Full?" "Y[Start], N[Stop]"
Fault Screen: "Ck levelsw[ent] "Is Vessel Full?" "Y[Start], N[Stop]"
This fault display means the Level Sensor is indicating a full vessel when the vessel is actually empty. The Level Sensor has three parts:
- Glass Tip (visible inside the vessel)
- SICK Module (blue, found inside the electrical cabinet)
- Fiber Optic Cable that connects the glass tip to the SICK Module.
Possible Causes:
The glass tip needs to be cleaned. Open the vessel, remove the white Teflon bag holder, and locate the glass tip. Clean the tip with alcohol.
The SICK Module is not working correctly. Open the electrical cabinet and locate the SICK Module. It is blue and mounted to the back wall. If the vessel is empty, the white button on the SICK Module should be lit. If it is not lit, press and hold the white button until the button lights up. This will retrain the Sensor.
Fault Screen: "Level Sensor" Fault <Enter>
Fault Screen: "Level Sensor" Fault <Enter>
This fault display means that at the end of the extraction, the level sensor detected solvent in the vessel. (At the end of the run, the vessel should be empty, and the sensor should not detect solvent.)
Possible Causes:
Note: The instrument has either a Teflon Level Sensor or a Glass Tip Level Sensor
Teflon Level Sensor:
The Teflon Level Sensor may need to be replaced. Observe the Teflon Sensor. It should have a green light (power on, vessel empty) and a red light (power on, vessel full). The red light should not be on at the end of a run. If it frequently indicates red at the end of a run, it will need to be replaced. When contacting ANKOM for replacement assistance it would be helpful to know the Instrument Serial #.
The Teflon Level Sensor may need to reset itself. When the vessel is hot, sometimes it takes the Teflon Sensor a few minutes to reset. If this happens frequently it should be replaced with a Fiber Optic Level Sensor upgrade.. For Instruments with a "D Slot," see XT15 Service Procedure #9 or for Instruments without a "D Slot," see XT15 Service Procedure #10.
Glass Tip Level Sensor:
The Glass Tip Level Sensor may need to be retrained. Open the vessel and observe the solvent level. If the Glass Level Sensor is covered with solvent the Level Sensor Module light (inside the electrical cabinet) should be off. If the glass sensor tip is NOT covered with solvent and the module light is off, the level sensor needs to be re-trained see XT15 Service Procedure #13 or replaced. See XT15 Service Procedure #11.