Cartridge systems make changing gas filters quick and easy. A base plate allows cartridges to be exchanged without introducing oxygen. Spring-loaded check valves seal when a filter is removed and open only when a new filter has been locked in place. There is no longer a need for loosening and tightening fittings every time a trap is changed and your system will not become contaminated during the process. Carrier Gas Purity Carrier gas should contain less than 1ppm of oxygen, moisture, or other trace contaminants, to prevent column degradation, increase column lifetime, and decrease stationary phase bleed. The expense of using high-purity gases in combination with carrier gas line purifiers will be offset by longer column lifetime and less GC maintenance. Contaminants cause ghost peaks to appear during temperature programming and degrade the validity of analytical data. Make-up gas also should be contaminant-free, or baseline fluctuations and excessive detector noise can occur; detector gases should be free of water and hydrocarbons, or excessive baseline noise can result. Gas purifiers remove these contaminants from gas sources, thereby improving system performance.