Home Centrifuge Question(s)

[PrimeTimer]

Question: Anyone else's centrifuge sound a little louder than usual and if so, did you find out the cause of it? 

We use a CFVI Centrifuge (Cygnus LLC) from Spectra Laboratories at home. It's a little louder than usual when spinning. Not real loud, just a little louder. I always turn it on and do a "warm up" run before use and during the warm up run, it is still very quiet. It is only louder when I put an actual tube of blood in it to spin. Other than that, it's working fine. It started doing this after not being in use for a month (while my husband was in the hospital and then in-center). Nowhere in the manual do I see a "trouble shooting" section. I've also tried to do an online search. The fact that it is louder now makes me wonder if trouble is around the corner.

[Charlie B53]

Since I am on PD, I know nothing about a centrifuge.

Perhaps the manufacturer has a phone # listed in the user manual where you could call tech to ask about the noise being a indication of any upccoming issue with the machine.

Good Luck

Charlie B53
Modertor

[Vt Big Rig]

Ours has not ever had a problem (knock on wood).

I would guess it is a balance issue. Did you move it around at all while hubby was in the hospital?  Try moving it around at little on the counter or where you keep it.

May be it just seems louder since you have not used it for awhile........

[Simon Dog]

Check to make sure the fluid level in your balance tube is identical to that in your sample tube.  Even a slight different can radically alter the vibration/noise.   The fact that this is happening only with tubes in suggests a balance issue.

[PrimeTimer]

Check to make sure the fluid level in your balance tube is identical to that in your sample tube.  Even a slight different can radically alter the vibration/noise.   The fact that this is happening only with tubes in suggests a balance issue.

Thanks. I was wondering the same thing. All the weight/balance tubes appear to all be filled with the same amounts, no changes there but I do wonder if the water in them ever evaporates and needs refilling. Or..perhaps the sample tubes are getting slightly more blood in them and throwing things off. I say this because my husband's AVF pressures and blood pressure has been slightly higher. I know this sounds kind of silly but perhaps because of the higher pressures, a tiny bit more blood ejects out into the sample tubes, or maybe my husband's blood is "heavier" lately ?? He says the centrifuge sounds just the same as it always has but I think it sounds slightly louder. I have not moved/changed tube positions within the centrifuge. I never move the centrifuge, have kept it in the same place for two years. Haven't moved a thing. In fact, a long time ago I marked where the pre-Tiger and Gold-post tubes should be placed and I never move the balance tubes. Could just be my imagination or like VT Big Rig says, having that one month off kind of messed me up, you know, "the loose nut behind the wheel".   

[Simon Dog]

Never move the balance tubes?   Don't you have to take the gold one out when spinning the tiger and vice-versa? 

Try holding up the balance tube and blood tube next to each other pre-spin to verify the height in the balance tube, and fine-tune with a syringe if necessary.

[PrimeTimer]

Never move the balance tubes?   Don't you have to take the gold one out when spinning the tiger and vice-versa? 

Try holding up the balance tube and blood tube next to each other pre-spin to verify the height in the balance tube, and fine-tune with a syringe if necessary.

When I spin a tiger( or gold post) I remove the tiger/gold balance tube and put the tube filled with blood in it's perspective place to spin. Once done, I put the balance tubes back in. I only spin one tube of blood at a time...pre-tiger early on during treatment, gold-post after. Never two tubes of blood at the same time. If that makes sense.   

[Simon Dog]

When I spin a tiger( or gold post) I remove the tiger/gold balance tube and put the tube filled with blood in it's perspective place to spin. Once done, I put the balance tubes back in. I only spin one tube of blood at a time...pre-tiger early on during treatment, gold-post after. Never two tubes of blood at the same time. If that makes sense.

I am having trouble parsing the words.  When you spin gold, do you have the gold balance tube in the opposite slot?

[PrimeTimer]

When I spin a tiger( or gold post) I remove the tiger/gold balance tube and put the tube filled with blood in it's perspective place to spin. Once done, I put the balance tubes back in. I only spin one tube of blood at a time...pre-tiger early on during treatment, gold-post after. Never two tubes of blood at the same time. If that makes sense.

I am having trouble parsing the words.  When you spin gold, do you have the gold balance tube in the opposite slot?

Yes. If I'm spinning gold (tube filled with blood) then the "gold balance" tube that is filled with water and used as balance/weight is seated opposite/across from it. I've checked all balance tubes and their water levels inside them seem to be fine. I think the problem lies with the tubes filled with blood. Since I've already done this month's labs I can't check the blood-filled tubes against the balance tubes but I will.

[PrimeTimer]

The centrifuge runs "whisper silent" with just water-filled balance tubes in it. Is it suppose to also be that quiet when spinning blood tubes? I can't remember.

[Simon Dog]

The centrifuge runs "whisper silent" with just water-filled balance tubes in it. Is it suppose to also be that quiet when spinning blood tubes? I can't remember.

The different specific gravity between blood and water will introduce a bit of imbalance even with perfectly matched tubes.

[PrimeTimer]

The centrifuge runs "whisper silent" with just water-filled balance tubes in it. Is it suppose to also be that quiet when spinning blood tubes? I can't remember.

The different specific gravity between blood and water will introduce a bit of imbalance even with perfectly matched tubes.

Thanks. I'm going to check the balance tubes again and then during next month's labs, check the level of a sample tube against a balance tube. I know one time when I didn't do something right the centrifuge shook, rattled and rolled and was very loud. It's not currently doing that, just seems a little louder from what I remember, or think I remember. Sometimes (understatement) I let the smallest of things bother me. Sometimes that has been a blessing, sometimes not.

[PrimeTimer]

Just a little update here...I think I wasn't allowing the Tiger tube to sit long enough before spinning. Written instructions from our nurse say to let it sit 30-60 minutes in a tube rack before spinning. Perhaps while my husband was temporarily in-center I got out of the habit. Haven't had to redo labs but the Tiger tubes started looking questionable to me. Now that I've gone back to letting it sit for the right amount of time, tube looks good and a little less noise coming from the centrifuge.