How to Replace Glove Box Gloves

Gloves used in a glove box must be flexible and relatively thin to allow movement within the main chamber. However, they must also provide adequate ingression protection. Therefore, the glove box gloves will be the most vulnerable exposure point as small holes and tears can easily occur.

Steps to Replace Your Glove Box Gloves

Push in Old Glove
Remove External O-Ring
Place New Glove Over Old
Reposition External O-Ring
Remove Old Glove
Take Out Old Glove
Position Final O-ring

Glove box glove with small hole — Holes in the gloves can be temporarily covered with black tape

If you find any tears, temporarily cover them with black tape.

To replace a glove without exposing the internal environment to air, follow these steps:

1. Push the old glove into the glove box. You need to stop the system purging to allow the gloves to be pushed in and internal pressure to lower.

Glove box glove - push gloves into glove box — Push old glove into the glove box

2. Once the glove is mostly in, remove one of the O-rings. Next, roll the glove back over the second O-ring as shown below. Make sure that the glove does not roll off the port completely.

Glove box glove - remove one O-ring — Remove one O-ring

Glove box glove - roll glove over O-ring — Roll the glove lip back over the O-ring

3. Compress the new glove as much as possible to ensure that minimal air is trapped in it and place it over the port and the old glove

Glove box glove - compress glove — Compress the new glove

Glove box glove - put new glove on — Place the new glove over the old glove and O-ring

4. Place the O-ring on top of the new glove to secure it in place.

Glove box glove - new glove in place — New glove over old glove

Glove box glove - o-ring secures glove — Place the other O-ring on top of the new glove

5. From inside the main chamber, carefully pull the old glove off the port into the main chamber. Use the hand outside of the glove box to ease this movement, ensuring that the new glove stays on the port. This is difficult so proceed carefully.

Glove box glove - pull old glove through — Pull the old glove into the glove box main chamber

6. Once the old glove and O-ring are in the main chamber, these can be removed through the antechamber.

Glove box glove - take glove out of chamber — Take the old glove out using the antechamber

7. Place the final O-ring on the port, to secure the new glove.

Glove box glove - final o-ring secures glove — Place the new O-ring over the new glove.

Contributing Authors

Written by

Dr. Mary O'Kane

Application Scientist