That was our situation as well, Chris. The problem plagued us for
almost 2 years on all machines until we bought the hot pots to heat
up wash water. It persisted on one machine until we started using
cerium oxide and then *immediately* disappeared. I don't think it's
coincidence. We had carefully eliminated every other possible cause.
On the other hand, everyone has to eliminate other causes themselves.
As another poster pointed out, the ddNTP ratio can cause a similar
effect, and bad spin columns could in theory do the same. After all,
it's not science, it's witchcraft. :)
Bob Lyons
U of Mich