Corning Pc 351 Manual
Posts: 28 Registered: 24-2-2012 Member Is Offline Corning pc320 is a POS I got this thing used. Barely used it more than a handful of time. Today, I was heating up a 2L beaker (pyrex),went upstair to take a piss. When I came back, the beaker had cracked and made a huge mess.
Before this, the hotplate was working intermittently already. I rinsed off the thing lightly and put it in a bucket of rice. Now, it's completely dead. I disassembled the thing to check for damages, and everything was fully exposed inside. I thought it was advertised as having enclosed electronics. This is unacceptable for a piece of lab equipment.
My other hotplate stirrer has no exposed vent and is rated to ipx8. Rinsing off with water has never caused any problems. Moral of the story is, if you're buying a hotplate stirrer, make sure its waterproof. Anything else is useless in the lab. Posts: 1455 Registered: 9-12-2006 Location: Mars Member Is Offline Mood: Nucleophilic I've had vessels of acid and halogens rupture (due to my stupidity, not the hotplate) immediately on top of my Corning PC-351 and nothing has ever damaged it. If I were the hotplate, I would be dead.
Water and solvents have spilled all over it, and it has been covered in hot, grimy mineral oil bath. I have also disassembled it and reassembled it. The components are all exposed and the design is quite open, but they are far from 'not robust' The design of the hot plate top prevents anything from directly spilling onto the electronic guts.
If your hotplate wasn't working well to start with, it sounds like you bought it with issues. What was in the beaker in question? Edited on 3-4-12 by UnintentionalChaos. Posts: 71 Registered: 12-7-2010 Member Is Offline Next hotplate you get that's open like that, you can coat the electronics with something like plasti-dip spray to protect them from water and other brief exposure to fluids. Such coating could be a problem for certain components that require air-cooling.
But it has worked so far on all my Corning hotplates. Costs about $8 bucks in hardware or autopart stores. But I've never been able to find the clear version in stores so I got some online for $13 shipped Edited on 3-4-2012 by MyNameIsUnnecessarilyLong.
Background Spontaneous and unexpected heating of hotplates has been the cause of laboratory fires and explosions. In 2005, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory issued a safety advisory related to a Corning model PC 420 hot plate. In 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014 the University of California, University of Pennsylvania, MIT, and Oak Ridge National Lab issued similar safety advisories for Corning PC-35, PC-200, PC-220, PC- 351, Fisher IsoTemp and the Thermolyne Model:SP46925.
Corning Pc 351 Manual Review
Issues. Hotplates manufactured from 1960s – 1980s may still be in active use. Hotplates in disrepair may be in use. Older hotplates with relay heater switches can spontaneously heat in the heater dial OFF position. Liquids in contact with electronics may cause shorts.
Newer hotplates with TRIAC or microprocessor-controlled heater switches may spontaneously heat in the OFF position due to liquid exposure to the electronics. Hotplate/stirrer combinations may be used when only stirring is required. Hotplate/stirrer combinations generally stay plugged in even when inactive.
Temperature sensors may be misplaced, fall out or malfunction. Similarity of heating/stirring control dials and left /right reversal of control dials on hotplates from different manufacturers can lead to user errors. Users may not read user manuals.
Recommendations. Discard old hotplates through Emory Surplus. Hotplates purchased prior to 1984 do not have temperature feedback controls. These models include the Corning PC-35 and PC-351 (pictured above) and the Thermolyne Model:SP46925. When only stirring is required, acquire and use a stirrer instead of a hotplate/stirrer combination. Unplug inactive hotplates or heating mantles in close proximity to oil baths, combustible or flammable material. Select hotplate housing designs that are less affected by spills and aggressive environments.
Where liquid spills can be anticipated (i.e. Water cooled reflux) do not use hotplates that have open housing designs. Look for hotplates with two independent temperature control circuits, which switch off heating in case of an over temperature situation.
Corning Pc 351 Manual For Sale
Make user manuals easily accessible. References: This article was adapted from the Image Credits:.