The Do’s and Don’ts To Using a Laboratory Fume Hood

A laboratory fume hood is a ventilation machine often installed in lab spaces and areas where there’s large scale usage of or exposure to chemicals. Using the laboratory fume hood helps reduce this exposure and limits the amount of fumes, vapours and gases present in the room or area where it is installed by throwing these hazardous chemicals out of the building/ area. Once a laboratory fume hood is installed, it dilutes the chemicals and gases with better quality air present in large amounts. This diluted mix of air is then sucked up by the exhaust fan installed inside the fume hood. The sucked up air is further expelled out in open air. Most often, you’ll find laboratory fume hood available for sale without any difference in the quality of the product. This way, you may own a suitable product for less, and sometimes even half the original price. A good quality laboratory fume hood, when installed properly, also helps to prevent any sort of an uncontrolled reaction amongst the workers as well.

However, to use a fume hood, even if it’s a laboratory fume hood for sale, there are certain points that you need to take care of.

The Do’s For the fume hood to work properly and in the most effective manner, here are some key things that you should remember.

1. Always keep in mind to do all your experiments that use chemical and/ or any sort of hazardous gases inside the laboratory fume hood itself.2. Before you start on performing your experiments or chemical work inside the fume hood, make it a point to check your machine for any faults or defects.3. Always avoid cross ventilation as much as possible. Even though a fume hood does require large amounts of air to process the hazardous materials, it does not need obstructive air in its way. Hence, see to it that the laboratory fume hood is not placed near open spaces such as an open door or an open window.4. With every fume hood, even the laboratory fume hood for sale, there’s a sash that is provided along. Always make use of this sash for your safety, and keep the sash on as low a level as possible for better use.5. Always remember to keep all the chemicals and hazardous materials in containers that are properly sealed everytime the fume hood is not being used in the laboratory.

The Don’ts

While it is important to know how to operate a fume hood and what to do with the same, it is equally important to have the knowledge of what not to do in and with the fume hoods.

1. Never create a clutter within the fume hood. The machine is to expel and keep hazardous chemicals and gases out of the labs and experimental areas. Creating a clutter might just defeat the very purpose of the fume hood and lead to the chemicals to flow in the reverse direction (inside the room instead of outside).2. Another important point, do not try to modify the fume hood on your own and at your will. Always ask a technician to do it for you.3. Do not plug in or connect electric devices or any other device that has even the slightest chance of causing a spark or igniting a flame in the lab area.4. Further, avoid using the laboratory fume hood as anything other than what it actually is. Do not use it to store chemicals or other hazardous materials.

Since the fume hood in itself is a device/ machine that needs proper care and vigilance to work with, it is best to ritually follow the do’s and don’ts while working with the machine.

The author is an online bloggerJoyful living, learning, and loving on and throughout Planet Earth.