The greatest threats to all concentric, pneumatic nebulizers are the entry of dust and the formation of solid precipitates or crystals in the gas orifice.
When a nebulizer is stored it should be fitted with the soft plastic caps provided.

'No-Break' doesn't mean that these nebulizers can't be broken ... pushing a wire or needle into the gas orifice of a nebulizer - in an attempt to clean it - is to be avoided : it will almost certainly damage the nebulizer.

If you are reading this after such a mis-adventure, note that we offer to re-furbish damaged NB-nebulizers :
Just wash them free of any soluble or hazardous contamination and then Post them to   EPOND Switzerland.

This diagram shows the recommended method for cleaning NB-nebulizers ... cleaning solution should be pumped in reverse through both the sample and gas passages of the nebulizer at a rate of a few milli-litres per minute. A peristaltic pump is a good choice. The flow of cleaning solution into and through the gas passage of the nebulizer will generally be more than 10 times faster than through the sample uptake tube.

It's a good idea to measure the partition of these two flows when the nebulizer is clean - this will provide a good bench-mark for the future, if you are faced with contamination and are looking for its origin.

There's a quick way to do this : with an  EPOND  XENA  flow meter.

Favourite cleaning solutions are : Sigma-Aldrich RBS-25 diluted 10x to 20x, Deconex similarly diluted, either of these but with the addition of 10% methanol.

When the wet-cleaning process is finished, rinse with DI water and flush dry with compressed air or inert gas.

Avoiding contamination in the lab is a constant challenge ... please send us any comments you have.

email   :    info @ nb-nebulizer. com  with your questions about the care of nebulizers - NB-class, glass, quartz or other.