Troubleshooting guide
18 QIAprep Miniprep Handbook 12/2006
Multichannel pipet recommendations
Many steps of the QIAprep 8 procedure and the QIAprep 8 and 96 Turbo procedures
require repeated pipetting, and a reservoir or multichannel pipet can greatly facilitate
liquid handling. The Matrix Impact
®
cordless multichannel pipet can be purchased with
an optional expandable tip-spacing system for direct liquid transfer from tubes to
microtiter plates.
These can be purchased from Matrix Technologies Corporation:
www.matrixtechcorp.com
.
Pipet tip recommendations
Some standard 1 ml pipet tips are not easily accommodated in the flat-bottom blocks
that are used in the QIAprep 96 Turbo Miniprep protocol. When pipetting into flat-bottom
blocks, we recommend using pipet tips with 1.25 ml or 1.5 ml fill volume, such as:
■ Matrix pipet tips (cat. no. 8051) for use with the Matrix pipet mentioned above.
These can be purchased from the supplier listed above.
■ Finntip
®
Multistepper
®
pipet tips for use with single-channel pipets. These are
available from Thermo Electron Corporation: www.thermo.com
.
Guidelines for QIAvac manifolds
QIAvac 24 Plus, QIAvac 6S, and QIAvac 96 facilitate DNA minipreps by providing a
convenient modular vacuum manifold for use with the QIAprep system. The following
recommendations should be followed when handling QIAvac manifolds.
■ QIAvac manifolds operate with a house vacuum or Vacuum Pump (e.g., Vacuum
Pump, cat. no. 84010 [USA and Canada], 84000 [Japan], or 84020 [rest of
world]).
■ Always store QIAvac manifolds clean and dry. To clean, simply rinse all compo-
nents with water and dry with paper towels. Do not air dry, as the screws may rust
and need to be replaced. Do not use abrasives or solvents.
■ Always place the QIAvac manifold on a secure bench top or work area. If
dropped, the manifold may crack.
■ The components of QIAvac manifolds are not resistant to ethanol, methanol, or
other organic solvents (Table 4). Do not bring solvents into contact with the
vacuum manifold. If solvents are spilled on the unit, rinse thoroughly with distilled
water. Ensure that no residual Buffer PE remains in the vacuum manifold.