[NHCOLL-L:3032] Re: Fluid collections on compactor systems

[Leslie Harris]

Hi Jane et al.,

We also have a manual system with chrome-coated wire shelving.  We 
had a few problems but damage to the specimens caused by compactor 
movement was not one of them.  The first was the wire shelves because 
the spacing between the wires was too large for small jars & 
vials.  We initially lined several thousand feet of shelving with the 
same neoprene non slip pads that Rebecca mentioned.  After about 7 
years we noticed that the mats were covered with a grayish powdery 
bloom and the jars had a tacky coating on their surfaces.  On many 
shelves the chrome grills were oxidized & corroded under the mats. 
This occurred at the same time as a fungus infestation.  We don't 
know if the mat bloom & corrosion were caused by the fungus growth 
but I suspect they were not.  As a result we tossed all the neoprene 
mats & replaced them with Scoot Guard non-slip matting.  The second 
problem is that after 10 years of usage the internal gears are 
slipping and we need frequent maintenance.
Leslie


At 08:39 AM 4/6/2006, Gretchen Anderson wrote:
>Hi Jane
>I know that Rebecca already answered you for SMM, but I am including 
>her comments for wider distribution, and adding my own:
>from Rebecca:
>Hi there,
>
>We use a compactor system for our fluid collections and have not had 
>any problems.  We installed them 5 or 6 years ago.   The shelves 
>have a small (approximately 1") lip at the edge.  We have lined the 
>shelves with a neoprene non slip pad called from PGC Scientific 
>http://www.pgcsci.com/online/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_mod=4208&CFID=160183&CFTOKEN=72360510
>
>Good luck!
>Rebecca

Leslie H. Harris
Collection Manager,
LACM-Allan Hancock Foundation Polychaete Collection     tel: 213) 763-3234
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County            fax: 213) 746-2999
900 Exposition 
Boulevard                                                email: lharris at nhm.org
Los Angeles, California 90007 U.S.A.
website: http://www.nhm.org/research/annelida/index.html
http://www.nhm.org/guana/bvi-invt/home.htm 
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