Bio-Rad Bio-Plex® 200 Systems - Manual (Page 40)

5.2 Troubleshooting Guide for Vacuum Manifold
Message/Problem Causes Solution
No Flow/no vacuum. Lid on plate Remove lid.
All wells not wet, or Wet unused wells with Milli-Q
unused wells not covered water. (You can reuse these wells
or sealed later.) Or, tape the unused wells
with sealing tape. If you need to seal
partial rows or columns, seal the
unused rows or columns with tape
and leave the adjacent unused row
partially sealed. Then wet with buffer
since it is difficult to make seals at the
row edge.
Poor alignment of plates Align plates.
with gasket
Vacuum trap filled Empty trap.
Filter on pump clogged Replace filter.
Pump not turned on Turn on pump.
Manifold ON/OFF valve in Turn to ON position.
OFF position
Manifold pressure gauge Turn up to higher value.
turned to the lowest value
Damaged gasket Replace gasket.
Gauge plug missing Replace gauge plug in side of
manifold ring using hex key wrench.
Wells do not empty at the Lid on plate Remove lid.
same time/uneven flow.
Vacuum line turned off or Clear line and repeat.
clogged
Debris in sample Remove cellular debris prior to
adding to wells.
Bad plate-to-vacuum To ensure a good plate-to-manifold
manifold seal seal, put pressure on corners of
plate.
Too many beads Check to ensure that proper bead
concentration was used.
Leakage during incubation. High surfactant Lower the concentration.
concentration
Failure to blot under-drain Blot under-drain.
after filtration and before
incubation
Under-drain contacting Place plate on smooth, flat surface
surface so nothing touches the underdrain
spouts.
Absorbent material Place on flat, nonabsorbent
contacting under-drain material (such as lid).
Excessive agitation or Mix using orbital table at a lower
vibration volume (maximum 200 µl on shaker,
340 µl without a shaker) or use lower
speed.
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