The automatic water sampler is a commonly used device in water quality monitoring. Regular daily maintenance can ensure its sampling accuracy, extend its service life, and prevent monitoring data deviation or sampling interruption caused by equipment failure. The following are the detailed methods for its daily maintenance:
1. Daily inspection and basic maintenance
Appearance and connection inspection
Check whether the equipment casing, sampling tube, power cord, data cable, etc. are damaged, loose or aged. If any damage is found, replace them in time and tighten any loose parts.
Check whether the sampling port and drainage port are blocked (such as by leaves, sand, algae, etc.). If so, rinse with clean water or clean with a soft brush.
Battery and power supply inspection
If it is a portable device, check the battery power to ensure it is fully charged (it is recommended to charge it to full power every day). When it is not used for a long time, remove the battery and charge it regularly (1-2 times a month) to avoid battery damage due to low power.
If it is a fixed device, it is necessary to check whether the power connection is stable, and whether there is any leakage, short circuit or other situations to ensure normal power supply.
Clean the sampling bottles and containers
Before daily use, check if the sampling bottle is clean and undamaged. If there is any residual liquid or stain, rinse it 2-3 times with distilled water or deionized water, dry it and then use it to avoid contaminating the sample.
If the sampling bottle is for single use only, it is necessary to ensure that the packaging is intact and not expired.
Ii. Weekly maintenance
Maintenance of peristaltic pumps and sampling tubes
Check whether the hose of the peristaltic pump is worn, aged, deformed or clogged. If so, replace it with a hose of the same model in time (it is recommended to keep 1-2 hoses as backups).
To clean the residual liquid or impurities in the pump head, a small amount of special lubricant can be added (as required by the equipment manual) to keep the pump head running smoothly.
Check whether the connection of the sampling tube is tight and if there is any air leakage (you can manually trigger the sampling to observe whether the liquid is smoothly sucked in).
Calibration of sensors and detection components
For devices equipped with liquid level sensors and flow sensors, simple calibration is required once a week.
Liquid level sensor: Pour a known volume of water into the sampling container and observe whether the liquid level displayed by the equipment is consistent with the actual one. If the deviation is large, recalibrate according to the manual.
Flow sensor: By comparing the sampling flow displayed by the equipment with a standard flow meter, ensure that the error is within the allowable range (generally within ±5%).
Clean the interior of the equipment
Open the equipment casing (operate with power off), and clean the internal dust and moisture with a dry cloth or compressed air to prevent dust accumulation from affecting circuit heat dissipation or causing a short circuit.
Check whether the internal wiring connections are firm, and whether there is any looseness or oxidation. For oxidized areas, gently wipe them.
Iii. Monthly maintenance
Deep cleaning and disinfection
Thoroughly disinfect the sampling system (including sampling tubes, peristaltic pumps, sample storage containers, etc.) : The pipelines can be flushed with 5% sodium hypochlorite solution or special disinfectant reagent, soaked for 10-15 minutes, and then rinsed 3-4 times with distilled water to avoid residual disinfectant affecting the samples.
Clean the display screen and operation panel of the equipment. Use a soft cloth dipped in a small amount of clean water or neutral detergent to wipe them. Avoid using corrosive liquids such as alcohol.
Lubrication of mechanical components
Add special lubricating oil to the moving parts of the equipment (such as sampling arms, rotating joints, etc.) as required by the manual to reduce friction and prevent component wear.
Data and program inspection
Export the sampling data stored on the device, back it up to a computer or the cloud to prevent data loss, and clear the device's memory at the same time (if the memory is insufficient).
Check whether the sampling program Settings of the equipment (such as sampling frequency, sampling volume, sample division method, etc.) are correct to ensure they are consistent with the monitoring requirements.
Iv. Long-term Maintenance out of Service (more than one month
Comprehensive cleaning and drying
Thoroughly clean all components to ensure there is no residual liquid or impurities. Disassemble the sampling tubes, hoses, etc., dry them and store them separately.
Power-off and storage
Disconnect all power sources, remove the battery, and place the device in a dry, well-ventilated environment free of corrosive gases. Avoid direct sunlight or high and low temperature environments (it is recommended to store at a temperature of 0-40℃ and a humidity of ≤70%).
Regular inspection
Check the equipment condition every 2 to 3 months to ensure it is free from moisture, mold or component damage. Before reactivation, conduct a comprehensive calibration and test in accordance with the requirements for the first use.
V. Precautions
When maintaining, strictly follow the equipment manual and use original factory or recommended model accessories (such as hoses, batteries, lubricants, etc.) to avoid equipment damage caused by mismatched accessories.
If equipment malfunctions are found (such as inability to sample, abnormal data, abnormal noise, etc.), do not disassemble complex components by yourself. Instead, contact the manufacturer's after-sales service or professional maintenance personnel for handling.
Keep good maintenance records, documenting the time, content, replaced components and equipment status of each maintenance to facilitate traceability and reference for subsequent maintenance.
Through the above daily maintenance measures, the stability and sampling accuracy of the automatic water sampler can be effectively guaranteed, providing reliable support for water quality monitoring work.