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Thread: Laminar Flow Hood Question

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  1. #1

    Default Laminar Flow Hood Question

    Hey everyone dont know if its the right place to put it but I just installed a UV light in my Laminar flow hood, Can I run it while i am working in the flow hood or should i let it run a couple of minutes then turn it off before i run the fan?

    Here are some Pictures of the Light installed.

    HOMEMADE LAMINAR FLOW HOOD HAD IT FOR 5 YEARS NOW
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    NEW UV LIGHT INSTALLED
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  2. #2
    Real Name
    Bruce Brown
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    Default

    I don't run lights like this, but if it produces heat, I would run the fan a bit after turning off the light just to make sure the lamp cool properly. It should extend the life of the lamp.

    Really nice setup!
    cheers,
    BD

  3. #3
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    Tony
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    The point of these rather intense lamps is that UV light kills microorganisms and viruses by damaging their DNA. If you work in the cabinet with the UV light on, then you will damage the DNA in your exposed skin and run a very serious risk of contracting skin cancer and damaging the retinas of your eyes. The UV lights should be on for at least 30 to 60 minutes before you use the cabinet to make sure you kill the majority of living organisms and, more importantly, fungal and bacterial spores inside the cabinet. The spores are better protected and more recalcitrant, so you need that little bit of extra exposure to kill them. A few minutes before you use the cabinet is simply not enough time to kill anything. At work (I'm a scientist in a virology lab) we leave the UV lights in our laminar flow cabinets on all the time EXCEPT when we're actually using the cabinets and the lamps get changed every 6 months as their UV output decreases quickly (this also applies to the full spectrum and grow lights used to grow plants indoors).

  4. #4
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    Amey Bhide
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    Couldn't agree more with Tony. UV light that the intensities needed to kill to microbes is very bad for your eyes and skin even for short amount of time. In our lab if the UV light is on ofr the surface sterilization of the laminar hood and other instruments no one is allowed inside the room, only 10 minutes after the light has gone off are we allowed in. There is also an entire air exchange in the lab. because UV light creates Ozone which is a very damaging reactive oxygen species.

  5. #5
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    Tony
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    I forgot to mention that our cabinets have vertical rather than horizontal flow, with a removable access plate at the front and a roll-down blind that completely covers the glass front of the cabinet. When we finish using a cabinet we clean it, swith the flow off, close the front by putting the plate back in place, lower the blind to cover the glass front of the cabinet and switch the UV light on. The access plate helps to keep dust and microbes from getting into the cabinet and the blind protects us from the UV light while the cabinet is not in use.

  6. #6

    Default

    Hmm...well in that case I will just keep working without it, It was more of a lazy way to keep the area clean but i will keep cleaning it every time i use and finish using it. okay thanks guys, I will just send it back and get my money back.

  7. #7
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    I realize this post is a little dated, 2009, but I was wondering if you have plans for that homemade LFH posted anywhere on the interwebz? I would really like to replicate that design. I can probably attempt it just from the pictures, but if there are more detailed plans posted anywhere, that would be helpful. Thanks.

  8. #8
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    Arne Schon
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    Do you live anywhere close to a university with biological research? I work at such a place and we discard old biohazard cabinets by the week nowadays. These biohazard cabinets, albeit outdated from a safety point of view (safety for the people working with hazardous stuff), are superior for sterile work with orchid seeds and meristem cultures.

  9. #9
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    Default

    Arne, Thanks for the reply, unfortunately I do not live near such a place. However, I did find this other thread here on the Orchid Talk Forum that has more information and links to information about building your own LFH.

    http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...flow-hood.html

  10. #10
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    Arne Schon
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    I guess you also want to build stuff. That in itself is very fun and I used to do it myself. The problems is that my orchids have filled our basement to the extent that I cannot do any work there with wood or anything else for that matter.

    In your profile can you also say in what country you live please? It is very helpful in this forum.

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