PB5


PourBoy® 5 Sterile Media Dispenser, incl. Pump-Tubing Set

PB5:  $1,027.03 † - In Stock

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PourBoy® 5 Sterile Media Dispenser — Petri Dish Pouring Machine

The PourBoy® 5 turns the tedious chore of pouring Petri dishes into a fast, highly precise, and hands-free process. We periodically ask biology labs for their "wish lists," and one request comes up over and over: "A good, inexpensive, reliable sterile media dispenser." Most laboratory media dispensers are either expensive peristaltic pumps or expensive motor-driven, syringe-based pumps. If you have ever spent an afternoon pouring hundreds or thousands of Petri dishes, you already understand why an inexpensive, reliable alternative is appealing. At Tritech Research, we designed the original PourBoy to be exactly that alternative: a simple, robust, user-friendly Petri dish dispenser designed specifically for biology laboratories. The new PourBoy® 5 takes the same basic concept and improves the engineering where it matters.

The PourBoy 5 combines a foot-pedal-controlled electronic dispensing system with an inexpensive, detachable, miniature electromagnetic pump cartridge that is easy to sterilize and designed for decades of laboratory use.

The pump is driven with carefully optimized pulses of power rather than simply being switched on at a fixed 50% duty cycle. This makes the PourBoy 5 substantially quieter, reduces pump heating, and improves dispensing accuracy as the temperature of the liquid changes. It also allows the pump speed to be reduced from its maximum flow to a precisely controlled, exceptionally gentle flow rate—useful when dispensing small volumes or when you want to avoid splashing, bubbles, or disturbing delicate contents. The result is a sterile media dispenser that is fast when you need it to be fast, gentle when you need it to be gentle, and uncomplicated enough that you don't need a degree in pump engineering to operate it.

Key Features of the PourBoy® 5

  • Average pumping rate of approximately 350 mL/min, with a maximum of approximately 450 mL/min under typical conditions.
  • Continuously variable pumping speed, from maximum flow down to an infinitely variable low flow rate.
  • Improved dispensing accuracy: within 2%, and often within 1% or better when dispensing with a consistent rhythm.
  • Quieter operation and less pump heating than the previous PourBoy 4.
  • Easy user calibration for accurate repetitive dispensing.
  • Microprocessor-controlled dispensing with a foot pedal for hands-free operation.
  • Pump cartridge is fully autoclavable (validated for 25+ cycles without performance degradation).
  • Medical- and food-grade silicone tubing can be autoclaved indefinitely.

Applications and Media Compatibility

The PourBoy 5 is designed for smooth liquids, including aqueous solutions, sterile cell culture media, hot molten agar, and oils. It is not designed for thick slurries, dense particulates, or highly viscous gels that can clog a small pump. In other words, it is an excellent agar dispenser and sterile media dispenser for biological laboratories. The PB5 is particularly useful for pouring hot agar growth media such as LB, NGM, YPD, and other agar-based media into Petri dishes. It is also well suited for repetitive dispensing of sterile cell culture media and other aqueous laboratory solutions.

The PourBoy 5 can pump liquids from approximately 0°C to 65°C. For molten agar, we recommend keeping the medium at or above approximately 45°C while it is being pumped to prevent gelation inside the tubing and pump. Keeping the agar below 65°C also helps minimize condensation after the medium is dispensed into Petri dishes and the lids are replaced. Actual flow depends on the viscosity of the liquid and the hydrostatic pressure—that is, the difference in height between the source vessel and the dispensing outlet.

Electromagnetic vs. Peristaltic Pumps

Peristaltic pumps are useful machines, but they are not the only way to move sterile laboratory media. For repetitive Petri dish pouring, the PourBoy's small electromagnetic pump has several distinct advantages: it is inexpensive, detachable, compact, easy to replace, and easy to sterilize.

The pump cartridge is a consumable component that you can replace yourself in less than a minute, without tools, for approximately $60. There is no need to send the instrument out for repair or replace a $2,000–$4,000 pump system simply because its motor has reached the end of its useful life. Furthermore, peristaltic pump tubing presents a potential failure point. Because the tubing is repeatedly compressed by the pump mechanism, it eventually fatigues and can develop a leak or split. PourBoy tubing is not repeatedly squeezed, pinched, stretched, or otherwise mechanically stressed by the pump, eliminating this failure mode. This makes the PourBoy 5 a particularly attractive lower-cost alternative to peristaltic pumps for laboratories that need to dispense hundreds or thousands of plates. We deliberately engineered the PB5 to be user-friendly and robust rather than to turn a straightforward laboratory job into an expensive piece of automation equipment.

Electrical Safety and Low-Voltage Design

The PourBoy 5 uses an isolated low-voltage DC power supply, so AC mains voltage does not enter the PB5 enclosure. The operating voltage is well below the voltage range covered by the European Union Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU. This provides an additional layer of electrical safety—and a significant advantage over conventional equipment—for a device used around water, hot media, and wet laboratory surfaces.

Technical Specifications

  • Pumping rate (average rated flow): approximately 350 mL/min
  • Pumping rate (maximum): approximately 450 mL/min
  • Flow rate: continuously variable from maximum to very slow flow
  • Recommended liquid temperature range: 0°C to 65°C
  • Dispensing accuracy: within 2%; often within 1% or better with consistent dispensing rhythm
  • Pump type: detachable miniature electromagnetic pump cartridge
  • Pump cartridge sterilization: autoclavable (validated for 25+ cycles)
  • Tubing: medical- and food-grade silicone; indefinitely autoclavable
  • Power: isolated low-voltage DC

Note: Actual pumping rate depends on liquid viscosity, temperature, and hydrostatic pressure.

Publications and Protocols Citing the PourBoy® Series

The PourBoy has been used in published research and laboratory teaching protocols, particularly in C. elegans laboratories where large numbers of agar plates must be prepared consistently. The PourBoy 5 is the next-generation replacement for the PourBoy 4, with improved pump control, lower noise, lower heating, and improved dispensing accuracy over a wide range of liquid temperatures.

Re-replication of a Centromere Induces Chromosomal Instability and Aneuploidy. Stacey L. Hanlon, Joachim J. Li. PLOS Genetics. 2015.

Integrated Genomics: A Discovery-Based Laboratory Course. Guy A. Caldwell, Shelli N. Williams, Kim A. Caldwell. 2006.

Heterochronic Phenotype Analysis of Hypodermal Seam Cells in Caenorhabditis elegans. Yon Ju Ji and Jiou Wang. Bio-protocol. 2019. DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.3132. This protocol specifically lists the PourBoy 4 as equipment and uses it to dispense NGM into 60-mm Petri dishes.

Germ fate determinants protect germ precursor cell division by reducing septin and anillin levels at the cell division plane. Caroline Q. Connors et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 2024. DOI: 10.1091/mbc.E24-02-0096-T. The Materials and Methods identify the PourBoy 4 as the equipment used to fill nematode culture plates with NGM.

Genetic Complementation Testing in C. elegans. Pliny A. Smith. Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching, Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, Volume 38, Article 16, 2017. The protocol describes using a Tritech Research PourBoy 4 automatic plate-pouring machine to provide consistent media volumes and reduce contamination.

Feel free to contact us for your special dispensing needs, such as integration with computer-controlled multichannel dispensers. If you can think of it, we can probably make it!





Here is a video that shows how the PourBoy works and how to set it up to pour hot agar-based media (such as LB, NGM, YPD, etc.) into Petri dishes:


To watch the video larger, Click the full-screen arrows.
To watch in a separate window with captions, Click on "Watch on Youtube"

Approximate specifications of the PourBoy 5:

Height: 14cm (5.5")
Width: 15.5cm (6")
Depth: 20cm (8")
Weight: 1kg (2.2 lbs)
Pumping rate, full speed, Medium Pump, normal conditions: 6ml / sec
Pumping rate, full speed, Low Speed Pump, normal conditions: 3ml / sec

FAQ's

Q: I am having media contamination problems when using my PourBoy. How can I sterilize the pump tubing set?
A: There is a very easy and effective way to sterilize the pump-tubing set - you can re-circulate hydrogen peroxide through it. The "drugstore grade" 2% hydrogen peroxide works fine for this. Get about 250 ml of 2-3% hydrogen peroxide and re-circulate it through the pump for 5 minutes at room temperature. While alcohol is pretty good at killing most bacteria, hydrogen peroxide is very effective at killing both bacteria and fungus, yet it is much more compatible with the internal components of the pump than bleach (which is not recommended). Autoclave 2 bottles of distilled water along with your media. Run one bottle of hot water through the PourBoy before you pour your media to preheat the tubing and pump and wash out / sterilize any contamination. Run the second bottle through the PourBoy *immediately* after you pour the last plate to wash out any media before it can gel in the system. You can also autoclave your tubing before use. Remove the tubing from the pump, wrap it in aluminum foil, and autoclave it thoroughly. Use the foil to make sure that nothing touches the outside of the input tube so that it remains sterile before it goes into the medium. Of course, it is also important to do negative controls when looking for the source of contamination. Hopefully, you already know that there is no contamination already present in the "sterilized" media or the Petri dishes. The next time that you pour a batch plates you could manually pour a few using a sterile pipette to make sure that the source of the contamination is not upstream from the PourBoy.
Here is our recommended practice for pouring plates:
1) Remove the tubing from the PourBoy's pump, and wrap it in aluminum foil.
2) When autoclaving your media, also autoclave the PourBoy's tubing and 2 bottles, each containing 1 liter of distilled water.
3) Optionally have 500ml of 2 or 3% hydrogen peroxide on hand. Ethanol or isopropanol is also acceptable, but generally less effective.
4) Put the input and output tubes back on the PB4 with care so as not to contaminate the parts of the input tube that will be in contact with your media.
5) Optionally pump some hydrogen peroxide through the system for 2-3 minutes. It can be recycled back into its bottle or discarded. it can also be filled into the system and paused so that the internal parts are being bathed.
6) Insert the input tube into the first bottle of hot distilled water and run at least 500 ml of hot water through the system, discarding it. In most cases, the hot water is enough to kill and / wash away any small amounts of contamination without the hydrogen peroxide step. The hot water is necessary if you are going to pump gel-based media (such as agar) because it will preheat the tubing and pump, preventing gelation.
7) Transfer the input tube from the first hot water bottle into your media, and pump media through until the water has been displaced.
8) Pour your plates. It you need to pause for more than 30 seconds, direct the output tube back into your media vessel and recirculate the media, by using an automatic mode pour setting, to keep the tubing hot and prevent gelation within the tubing and pump. Even 1 minute of stationary medium could cause an unpleasant gelling problem.
9) Immediately after pouring the last plate, transfer the input tube into the second bottle of hot water, and pump it through to remove any residue of media, which would otherwise gel in the system and/or be a source of nutrition for a contaminant. It is important to use distilled water, because, if allowed to dry out, the precipitated minerals from residual tap water could cause the pump to stick/jam.

Q: How precise and consistent is the PourBoy?
A: The PourBoy can deliver liquid volumes precisely from 0.1 mL to 999.0 mL. The precision is controlled by a microprocessor, which ensures consistency of aliquots. Precision using the standard pump is typically within 2%. Reproducibility can be affected by hydrostatic pressure - the difference in height between the input medium and the output dispensing tube. Do what you can to minimize changes in this height over the course of dispensing. This difference is more pronounced with the High Speed pump than the Standard pump.

Q: Do you have to hit the foot pedal for each dispensing operation?
A: The PourBoy has two dispensing modes, Manual and Automatic. In Manual Mode, the set volume is dispensed each time the foot pedal is pressed. In Automatic Mode, you can set the pause interval between deliveries of media, and press the foot-pedal once to start and once to stop the cycle.

Q: What are the differences between different speed pumps that have been offered with the PourBoy?
A: The currently available "Medium Speed" PourBoy pump dispenses media at ~350-400 ml per minute at full speed, and an included variable-speed option allows you to set slower speeds for dispensing small volumes into small vessels. Our previous "Standard Speed" pump delivered ~180-200 ml / min and our previous "High Speed" pump could dispense liquids at a rate of ~800ml/minute. You can check with us if you need one of these older pumps to see if we have any in stock. Both versions have a variable speed option. Without the variable speed option, the pump always runs at its maximum speed; the variable speed allows it to slow down to flow rates below maximum.

Q: What happens if the PourBoy sterile media dispenser ends up clogged?
A: We ALWAYS recommend that you purchase an extra of pump-tubing set (PB4-PTS) with your PourBoy sterile media dispenser in case you encounter any problems with the pump or tubing getting clogged. This way, you can quickly change out the pump-tubing set, continue working, and worry about cleaning it later.

Q: Does the PB4 Media Dispenser need to be used in a sterile culture hood (for pouring plates)?
A: It is always best to pour sterile media in the hood to reduce the chance that mold spores or bacteria or dust will fall into your media. We recommend avoiding contamination at all costs! Also, if your hood has laminar airflow, that will also help to evaporate any condensation that forms on the Petri dish lids and to cool and gel the plates more quickly.

Q: After I pour agar in the plates, how long should I leave them exposed to the air before I cover them with the lids?
A: To avoid contamination, it's best not to wait at all. Before pouring the plates, if you allow the media to cool (while stirring on a hot plate with a magnetic stirring bar) to about 45-50°C, then you can close the dishes immediately. The resulting condensation should evaporate after several hours. We recommend first forming a stack of plates, for example, 5 plates tall (or 10 plates if you have good balancing skills). Then, we suggest lifting the top 4 plates, plus the lid from the bottom plate and shooting the media into the bottom plate. Next, lower the stack, putting the lid back on the bottom plate, and lift the top 3 plates plus the lid from the second-to-the-bottom plate, and shoot media into that 2nd plate, etc. It is important not to move the plates around after you have poured them and before they fully gel, to avoid a messy surface. You'll get the hang of it in no time!

Q: Which parts of the PB4 unit are safe to autoclave?
A: The PourBoy 4's tubing can be autoclaved indefinitely. It is made from medical grade silicone rubber and is impervious to autoclaving. However, the actual pump is not and, while it might survive autoclaving, there is a good chance that this could cause some of the plastic parts to distort, which would make the pump stop working.

Q: What is a recommended practice for pouring plates?
A: We recommend holding the output tube in your hand and aiming it into the dishes at a 30-45 degree angle. If you find that the stream is not smooth enough or dripping at the end of each dispensing operation, you could insert a piece of smooth glass or plastic tubing at the end of the output tube to act as a nozzle. Do make sure that the nozzle is still being sterilized with the same procedure you use on the rest of the tubing.

Q: How can I make sure the tubing will stay submerged in the media instead of floating up to the top when using the PB4?
A: The vibration from the pump could cause the weight of the tubing outside the flask to pull on the tubing inside the flask. You can try taping the tube in place or shoving something (such as sterile aluminum foil autoclaved along with the media) against it at the neck of the flask to address this.

Q: Will I need a handle of some kind or is the tubing cool to the touch when dispensing molten agar?
A: The silicone rubber tubing provides some insulation, so you probably will not need a handle when touching it. You can wear gloves to provide an additional layer of insulation.

Q: How can I attach a sterile needle to the PB4 tubing?
A: To make a piercing adapter tip to inject large volumes, we suggest a large-bore needle / cannula with an O.D. of slightly over 1/8 inch so that it fits tightly inside the PB4's output tube. If it were for much smaller volumes than 40ml, you could use a 1cc syringe body with slip-tip output as an adapter for standard luer-lok / slip-tip needles that are available up to about 16 gauge.

Q: Which replacement parts would you recommend for the PB4 for extended use?
A: The PourBoy base unit and coil have no moving parts (except the push buttons) and are generally very robust. The item with the most variability and sensitivity is the pump cartridge because it has small springs and small apertures that can get clogged with gelled agar or particulates. For some people they last years, and for others they might last less than a year. We suggest keeping a spare pump on hand at all times so that you can change pumps and keep going in the event that the pump gets clogged. Over the years, a few people have also managed to damage the foot pedal or the plug / receptacle for it.

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