USGS Ohio Water Science Center

Search this site:

Ohio Water Microbiology Lab

Research Topics

Internal Information

Ohio Water Science Center

USGS In Your State


USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

There is a USGS Water Science Center office in each State. Washington Oregon California Idaho Nevada Montana Wyoming Utah Colorado Arizona New Mexico North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Minnesota Iowa Missouri Arkansas Louisiana Wisconsin Illinois Mississippi Michigan Indiana Ohio Kentucky Tennessee Alabama Pennsylvania West Virginia Georgia Florida Caribbean Alaska Hawaii New York Vermont New Hampshire Maine Massachusettes South Carolina North Carolina Rhode Island Virginia Connecticut New Jersey Maryland-Delaware-D.C.

OWML: QA/QC

Quality Assurance/Quality Control Manual: Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory

 

Thermometers, incubators, water baths, refrigerators, and freezers
 thermometerThermometers are kept in three areas and are inventoried according to storage and use: (1) the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) thermometer (2) daily-use water-bath, incubator, and refrigerator thermometers, (3) digital thermometers, and (4) back-lab thermometers.

  • The NIST thermometer is calibrated and certified annually by an outside service technician.  Certification dates are recorded in the LIMS. Calibration records are stored in the equipment logbook.
     
  • Daily-use and back-lab thermometers are checked quarterly against the NIST thermometer.  Results are recorded in the LIMS and acceptance criteria are listed in table 4. Criteria are based on use.
     
  • Digital thermometers are checked quarterly against the NIST thermometer and are calibrated annually by the manufacturer. Results and calibration dates are recorded in the LIMS.

 

 

 


 Table 3.  Acceptance criteria for laboratory thermometers
 

Thermometer use

Thermometer identification (will vary)

Location

Test Temperature

Criteria

NIST

NIST

Drawer

Certified

Certified

Daily use

water baths

L

W/B 1

48°C

± 1°C

S

W/B 2

37°C and 70°C

± 1°C

O

W/B 3

36°C

± 1°C

T

W/B 5

70°C

± 1°C

K

W/B 6

36°C and 48°C

± 1°C

Daily use

incubators

U

Inc 5

35°C

± 1°C

R

Inc 6

35°C

± 1°C

Q

Inc 7

35°C

± 1°C

Daily use

refrigerators

M

Refrig 1

0°C

± 1°C

N

Refrig 2

0°C

± 1°C

V

Refrig 3

0°C

± 1°C

B

Refrig 4

0°C

± 1°C

W

Refrig 5

0°C

± 1°C

Digital

Dig F, Dig G, Dig H

Drawer

0°C, 36°C, and 48°C

± 0.3°C

Back lab

F

Freezer 5, Back lab

30°C and 0°C

± 1°C

X

W/B 4, back lab

51°C

± 0.1°C

C

back lab

0°C

± 1°C

 

waterbathThere are 7 incubators, 6 water baths, 5 refrigerators and 5 freezers in use in the laboratory.  Temperature settings and criteria for acceptance are dependent on use (table 3).  Approximately 11 aluminum-block blue field incubators and 2 double-chamber gray incubators are used for laboratory and field operations.

  • The temperatures of the laboratory incubators, water baths, and refrigerators are checked quarterly with NIST-calibrated laboratory thermometers and recorded in the LIMS.  During use, the incubators, water baths, and refrigerators are checked daily and recorded on a designated daily log sheet posted in the front or on a side of each piece of equipment.
     
  • The temperatures of the freezers are checked quarterly with NIST-calibrated laboratory thermometers and recorded in the LIMS. The -70ºC freezers are equipped with automatic alarms that are set to respond when temperatures rise above -60ºC; the alarm system sounds during regular working hours and is attached to a telephone notification system after hours.
     
  • The operating temperatures of microbiological aluminum-block incubators are checked annually (or in preparation for a major study) and recorded on the outside of each incubator and in the LIMS.  During periods of heavy use, the temperatures are checked and recorded weekly.
     
  • The two –70oC freezers (freezers 3 and 4) are used to store samples and microbiological cultures.  A filter is cleaned and fans behind the filter are checked by laboratory personnel for operation quarterly and dates are recorded in the LIMS.  The condenser is dusted or vacuumed every 6 months and recorded in the LIMS.  A temperature chart is changed after a single pass around the chart (weekly).
     
  • Water baths are filled with distilled water and are cleaned with mild soap quarterly, or more often as needed.  Record quarterly cleanings in the LIMS.

 

Table 4.  Acceptance criteria for laboratory refrigerators, freezers, incubators, and waterbaths.
 

Equipment identification

Use

Acceptance criteria

INC 2

Actinomycetes

28°C ± 1.0°C

INC 3

Hybridization oven

51°C ± 1.0°C, 80°C ± 1.0°C

INC 4

Fungi, general use

36°C ± 1°C

INC 5

Method 1601/1602, transfer cultures, general use

35°C ± 1.0°C

INC 6

Method 1601/1602, Clostridium,  transfer cultures, general use

35°C ± 1.0°C, 42°C ± 0.5°C

INC 7

Method 1601/1602,  transfer cultures, general use

35°C ± 1.0°C

W/B 1

Melt and temper agar

48°C ± 3.0°C

W/B 2

Method 1602, heat treatments

37°C ± 1.0°C, 70°C ± 3.0°C

W/B 3

Grow hosts/1602

36°C ± 1.0°C, 48°C ± 1.0°C

W/B 4

Shaking bath for hybridization

51°C ± 0.2°C

W/B 5

Heat treatments

70°C ± 3.0°C

W/B 6

Grow hosts/1602

36°C ± 1.0°C, 48°C ± 1.0°C

REFRIG 1

Sample storage

1 to 4°C

REFRIG 2

Sample storage

1 to 4°C

REFRIG 3

Reagent storage

1 to 4°C

REFRIG 4

Sample storage

1 to 4°C

REFRIG 5

Reagent/ media storage

1 to 4°C

FREEZ 1

Reagent storage

 -20°C to -30°C

FREEZ 2

Ice packs, biological sample storage

 -20°C to -30°C

FREEZ 3

Bacteria stocks, virus stocks, samples

Shelf 1 -70°C ± 10°C

Shelf 2 -70°C ± 10°C

Shelf 3 -60°C ± 10°C

Shelf 4 -60°C ± 10°C

Shelf 5 -60°C ± 10°C

FREEZ 4

Sample storage

-70°C ± 10°C

FREEZ 5

Probes, hybridization reagents

 -20°C to -30°C

FIELD INCUBATORS

Membrane filtration

35°C ± 1.0°C, 44.5°C ± 0.5°C, 41.5°C ± 0.5°C
   

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

Take Pride in America home page. USA dot Gov: The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://oh.water.usgs.gov/
Page Contact Information: Webmaster
Page Last Modified: