Thermo Guide #
Strategy
Any troubleshooting strategy involves five steps:
1. Identification of the problem
2. Awareness of the cause(s) of the problem (elements)
3. Isolation of the exact cause of the problem
4. Rectifying the problem if able
5. Returning the unit to routine use OR referring the problem to your maintenance manager.
Troubleshooting Process
To execute the strategy a systematic approach, which will work for any problem, is required. The systematic approach should follow a logical sequence, so that the exact cause of the problem can be found.
1. Gather the facts – not theories.
2. Check the simplest things first – it’s easier.
3. Compare the performance obtained to the expected performance.
4. List possible causes. (elements)
5. Work through the possible causes in a step-by-step manner checking the outcome from any changes made.
6. As a last resort – get help from elsewhere, for example your instrument supplier help desk or your local technical support department.
It is important to remember that once the problem is defined and possible corrective action is identified, only one change at a time should be made; after each change, the whole system should be checked again to determine whether the problem still exists or whether the change corrected the problem.
All problems and corrective action should be documented in the instrument log.