Mar 11, 2025
BD FACSDiscover S8 - Bi-weekly Maintenance and Cleaning Protocol
This protocol is a draft, published without a DOI.
- 1European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
Protocol Citation: Daniel Gimenes 2025. BD FACSDiscover S8 - Bi-weekly Maintenance and Cleaning Protocol. protocols.io https://protocols.io/view/bd-facsdiscover-s8-bi-weekly-maintenance-and-clean-d4w48xgw
License: This is an open access protocol distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,  which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: In development
We are still developing and optimizing this protocol
Created: February 28, 2025
Last Modified: March 11, 2025
Protocol Integer ID: 123580
Keywords: BD, FACSDiscover S8, Imaging, Cell sorting, Flow Cytometry, Maintenance
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Abstract
This Standard Operation Procedure is intended to guide the facility staff to perform scheduled maintenance and cleaning of the instrument BD FACSDiscover S8‱.
Guidelines
This protocol should be followed:
- Preventively every 15 days.
- After running potentially bacterial loaded samples.
- When a bacterial/fungal contamination is detected in the weekly assessment.
Perform the steps subsequently unless otherwise stated.
Materials
- Autoclaved and mounted sheath-tank (with the sensor).
- Autoclaved lab kitchen distilled H2O bottles.
- Cleaning box.
- Incidin Foam.
- 70% Ethanol.
- Distilled H2O in a 50 mL tube.
- FACS Clean.
- MAAX Windus C2.
- O-ring lube.
- Paper towel.
- Long Q-tips.
Protocol materials
MAXX Windus C2ECOLABCatalog #9084640
Step 7.2
Incidin FoamECOLABCatalog #3046010
In 3 steps
FACSCleanBecton Dickinson (BD)Catalog #340345
Step 3.1
Safety warnings
Handle FACSClean carefully. It should't enter in contact with the skin and eyes (wear gloves, lab coat and glasses) and it ruins colorful clothes.
Before start
Be sure to wear gloves and lab coat at all times!
General rule: spray 70% ethanol in all connectors before plugging any tubing!
Switch on the PC, the instrument and then the FACSChorus software
Pull the fluidics cart, unplug the waste tank, discard it's contents and reconnect it
Go to: Run Extended Fluidics Startup
On the step 4, fill the water bottle with FACSCleanBecton Dickinson (BD)Catalog #340345 instead of distilled H2O.
Safety information
Wear protective clothes, gloves and glasses every time FACSClean is handled in this protocol.
Wait for 00:15:00 and then proceed to the next step
15m
On step 5, don't connect the sheath tank!
Prepare the sheath tank for autoclaving and send it immediately to the lab kitchen
Rinse the distilled H2O bottle to remove the FACSClean, then fill all bottles with its respective solutions
Go to Cytometer: System Startup - Prepare for aseptic sort
In the meantime of the Aseptic cleaning, remove the parts for cleaning and put them in the Cleaning Compartment box.
Spray Incidin Foam on the following parts: tube holder and splash shield
Spray carefully the entire sort chamber (use first MAXX Windus C2ECOLABCatalog #9084640 to remove the salt crystals, then after some minutes follow with 70% Ethanol) and dry it with soft tissue paper.
Clean the table and surroundings of the sorter with Incidin FoamECOLABCatalog #3046010
On the last step, put the newly autoclaved and fully filled sheath tank in the fluidics cart. Connect the air connection to the sheath tank. Connect the sheath tank sensor.
Change the connections from the clean port to the sheath tank. Plug the bypassed connections to the sheath filter. Start the last step.
After the Aseptic Cleaning is done, remove the closed loop nozzle and put into the 50 mL tube containing DI H2O.
Remove the nozzle lock, put into the Clean Compartment box and spray Incidin FoamECOLABCatalog #3046010 over it.
Soak Q-tips with Incidin FoamECOLABCatalog #3046010 and insert them into the nozzle slot and nozzle lock slot. Wait for 00:10:00
10m
Clean all the parts in the box with 70% Ethanol and re-install them
Remove the Q-tips, clean and dry both the closed loop nozzle and the nozzle lock and
re-install them
Perform an Extended Fluidics Startup
Grease the O-ring of the sample pressure chamber (by greasing the socket of the tube holder)
Purge the sheath filter 2x
Insert the desired nozzle and start the stream