Is there a limit to how many times you can pierce a vial?

[teab]

I'm looking at a source that sells 30ml vials. It seems great, but what happens when you end up piercing the vial many times? Even if you use a small needle to draw (say, 25ga), will all those holes cause issues with contamination? (I ask because I've heard numerous reports of holes forming when using 18ga needles for drawing.)

[teab]

Also, is there a time limit to how long you can use a vial once pierced? I know BAC water has an expiration of 28 days once pierced.

[AlphaMike]

Hard to say exactly but if anything just preload several syringes upfront and avoid wearing it out over the course of time

[teab]

Hard to say exactly but if anything just preload several syringes upfront and avoid wearing it out over the course of time

Great suggestion.

Would you suggest backfilling the syringes to avoid exposing the needle? Or is it ok to use the needle and recap it for use several weeks later?

[AlphaMike]

I'd use the same needle head to draw for all the syringes. The others stay sharp that way. Also I've never tried this(never seen a 30ml vial) but it might even be possible to prefill them all without removing the needle from the vial until after(similar to a catheter in an IV)

[michael30]

A really simple fix if your that concerned would be just go to our site sponsor at the top right of the page an order 2- 10ml sterile bottles and your good to go.

[teab]

A really simple fix if your that concerned would be just go to our site sponsor at the top right of the page an order 2-3 10ml sterile bottles and your good to go.

I just thought of this a few minutes ago and realized how stupid I was.

So I'll just use the 30ml vial until I feel its time is up. Then I'll just load whatever oil is left into a big syringe and inject into a new sterile vial. Piece of cake

Thanks for all your advice!

[ironbeck]

I use 30ml vials, unless you are re-using the vial the stopper is good for hundreds of punctures, if wiped for alcohol before each puncture and each puncture is with a NEW fresh needle.
I use a new 18g for drawling and discard! and put the 22g g back on for injection. If use re-use the same drawl needle over and over u risk the chance of that needle becoming contaminated, and then tainting your whole vial contents.

[Captncavematt]

How exactly does bac water go bad?

[Wizwell]

Good question Captain. I was wondering that myself.

[JayMoe]

Technically speaking, it probably won't go bad However, in a medical setting, most vials will have an instruction sheet folded up inside saying how long the substance or vaccine is good for once opened. The biggest reason for this is money. The second is sterility; the outside of the vial is not sterile, and that's why you swab it with alcohol before piercing it with a needle. As soon as that needle pierces the outside, the inside of it has been introduced to a non-sterile environment. Alcohol does not kill 100% of bacteria. It kills the very large majority, but not all of it. The more you pierce the vial with a needle, the greater chance you have of bacteria getting to the inside of that vial and potentially giving you problems in the future. We label all of our vials for 30-day limits once opened.

Will it hurt you to keep using it for a longer period? Probably not. You take a much bigger risk using gear from a UGL than to use pharmacy grade gear or bac water for longer than 30 days, and some of those things may say that it is good for a period longer than 30 days.

[Times Roman]

This is all well and good.

But let me ask a question.

Has anyone ever experienced a stopper failing due to excessive use? I sure haven't. And don't know anyone that has brought it up to my attention, either.

How often would this happen, as opposed to entering all this additional gear into the solution?

[SEOINAGE]

I had a 100 ml vial, 18 g needle caused some bits of the stopper to break away and get inside. But that is rare in my opinion, the stopper got damaged early on in one spot so i avoided that spot but it still was sealed. My next vial didn't have any problems, so I don't know what I did different that caused the problem. Personally I don't think a 30 ml vial is that big of an issue. It should be fine in my opinion, you just have to watch for if you are breaking the stopper up, in which cause you would be best off transfering it, and at worst refiltering.

[fit2bOld]

Never a problem with a 30ml. Just use it, if it fails then attend to it.