Sinks and Drains

Manufacturers of laboratory equipment feature special sinks and drains with high chemical resistance. Sinks made from slabs of Alberene stone, which were popular for many years, often had traps made of lead. The softness of lead made the traps hard to clean out, and the job required tender loving care with a wrench of just the right size. 

Plastics have now taken over. Polyethylene sinks are quite popular, although some users have reported their tendancy to crack. The more expensive solid epoxy sinks have performed very well. In one laboratory doing cryogenic work, however, workers felt their resistance to temperature shock could be better. 

Sink traps of resistant plastic are now well accepted. They are easy to install and also easy to clean. Drains of glass pipe are sometimes seen in special installations. Some laboratories install regular thin-walled sink traps designed for kitchen use. The author s experience with them, even in the home, has been poor. 

Heavy-gauge brass traps are also available, sometimes on special order. They deliver quite good service. For most uses, however, plastic drain systems seem to work best. 

The need for good chemical resistance is no longer as great as it used to be. Under current waste water rules, most powerful chemicals may no longer be disposed of in a sink. Grood resistance, however, will be needed in cases where sinks do not drain to the sewer but to a waste holding tank which is pumped out by a waste disposal service. 

---

Sinks supplied to clean areas should be made of stainless steel and have no overflow, and the water should be of at least potable quahty. Wherever possible, drains in clean areas should be avoided. If installed, however, they should be fitted with effective, easily cleanable traps and with air breaks to prevent backflow. Any floor channels in a clean area should be open, shallow and cleanable and should be connected to drains outside the area. They should be monitored microbiologically. Sinks and drains should be excluded from aseptic areas except where radiopharmaceutical products are being processed when sinks are a requirement. 

Sinks and drains should be excluded from aseptic areas except where radiopharmaceuticals are being processed when sinks are a requirement. 

Traps in laboratory sinks and drains Traps should be checked and filled once a month with water to maintain liquid seal. If corrosive or toxic materials are known to be present, make sure the trap is flushed thoroughly with water. These precautions are taken to prevent backflow of gaseous wastes that may be hazardous. 

Sinks and drains should be avoided wherever posable and should be exduded from areas where aseptic operations are earned out Where installed they should be designed, located, and maintained so as to minimize the risks of microbial contamination they should be fitted with effective, easily deanable traps with air breaks to prevent back-flow. Any floor channel should be open and easily deanable and be connected to drains outside the area in a manner that prevents ingress of microbial contaminants. 

Sinks and drains should be prohibited in grade A/ areas used for aseptic manufacture. In other areas air breaks should be fitted between the machine or sink and the drains. Floor drains in lower grade dean rooms should be fitted with traps or water seals to prevent back-flow. 

Where required, sinks and drains are designed, located, and maintained so as to minimize risks of microbial contamination. Sinks and drains are excluded from areas where aseptic operations are carried out... 

Sinks and drains in clean areas shall be installed at suitable site to minimize the risks of contamination. Measures shall be taken to avoid contamination from the opening of drains. They shall be excluded from class 100 areas. 

Sinks and drains should be constructed so as to eliminate any risks of contamination... 

Secondary containment used near sinks and drains... 

IB Sink and drain window above sink advisable ... 

IB Gas elements with varying heat intensity. 2B Recessed sink and drain with central waste... 

Sink and drain in dark enamel (contrasting to cooker). 

The top of the bench should always be kept clean and dry this can easily be done if a wet and a dry rag are kept at hand. Apparatus not immediately required (a) should be kept as far as possible in a cupboard beneath the bench if it must be placed on the bench, it should be arranged in a neat and orderly manner. All apparatus should be washed immediately after use and placed in a position to drain at the first opportunity, the apparatus should be dried. It must be emphasised that as a general rule a deposit of dirt or tar is more easily removed when it is freshly formed a suitable cleaning agent can usually be found while one still remembers the nature of the material or the circumstances attending its formation. It is hardly necessary to add that sohd waste and filter papers must not be thrown into the sink, and that all operations requiring the handhng of unpleasant and noxious materials sliould be carried out in the fume cupboard ( hood ). 

The exhaust fan and vacuum can be piped into your sewer main, but valves must be employed to keep this pressure from overcoming your water traps and blowing back into your house through the sink and bathtub drains. Most fans may not be capable of producing this much pressure, therefore you must try to use the valves if necessary. 

Sink and toilet drain traps should have water in them (you can use the sink and toilet as you normally would). If it is necessary to drink water, drink stored water, not water from the tap. 

Distill off an ounce of acrolein and take away the lamp. An ounce is all this size batch is good for. Let the flask cool for an hour before opening and cleaning. Pour the residue down the sink and put your face over the drain to get a sample of the vapor. Jesus ... 

Sinks Provision of sinks in each laboratory is one of the essential requirements. For a laboratory of ordinary size generally four sinks of 15" " 12" " 8" or 20" 15" 10" are sufficient. These sinks be fitted on side walls. These sinks are in addition to the one provided with the demonstration table. Waste water from these sinks is carried to the drains with the helps of the lead pipes fitted with the sinks. In laboratories kitchen type sinks are preferred to wash basis type. Fig gives a sketch of sinks and drainage for water. 

Preparation of 1-hromobutane. You ve just finished the experiment and you re going to clean out your distillation apparatus. There is a residue of 1-bromobutane coating the three-way adapter, thermometer, inside of the condenser, and the adapter at the end. Do you wash the equipment in the sink and let this minuscule amount of a halogenated hydrocarbon go down the drain Or do you rinse everything with a little acetone into yet another beaker and pour that residue into the halogenated hydrocarbon bucket, fully aware that most of the liquid is acetone and doesn t need special halide treatment Check with your instructor. 

When insufficient surfactant is present to solubilize all of the oily soil, the remainder can be suspended in the bath by emulsification. An emulsion is a thermodynamically unstable suspension of liquid particles in a second liquid phase. Emulsion particles are much larger than micelles, about 500 nm or greater. The fact that emulsions are not thermodynamically stable is irrelevant since the dirty suspension is drained down the sink and the dishes are rinsed. 

Place the end of the siphon tube into the sink or drain and put its end as low as possible to ensure siphoning. 

Make sure the waste reservoir jug (on the floor) is at least half empty. Discard any excess into the sink and flush with water. Reinsert the drain tube. 

Take the Kilbom flask off the ring stand and drain most of the water into the sink. 

---