A precolumn or also called guard column protects the main column of plugging and contamination by samples and mobile phase. We recommend using precolumns, integrated or stand-alone, because they are easy to replace and it generates less charge for you than replacing the main column. But: A precolumn never substitutes the necessary sample pretreatment.
The lifetime of a precolumn is limited, it is a consumable, and contingent upon the analysed matrix and how good the sample preparation is.
