Depending on how often you use your autoclave will determine when you’ll need to service your steriliser. Having regular services on your machine will ensure it’s always running efficiently to reduce downtime, improve productivity and to ensure longevity. Having daily, weekly and scheduled servicing is the ideal way to extend the life of your autoclave/s.

The best way to work out a suitable maintenance schedule for your machine is to go by the number of cycles it has completed in one year. For example, if you use your machine once a week it has a 52-cycle span over 12 months, compared to a dental practice who uses their autoclave daily which would equate to a 365-cycle span over the same period. Based on this, the two machines will have very different lifetimes. A machine running once a week might only need an annual service whilst the second machine should be serviced quarterly by a professional to extend the life of this hard working machine ensuring the return on your investment of the steriliser is maximised.

In order to keep your machine running in tip-top condition follow these 10 maintenance tips to extend the life of your autoclave in between scheduled professional technician services.

1. Ensure instruments are dry and clean before placing into autoclave. Don’t leave any excess cleaning solution on equipment as this can sometimes cause build up to occur faster making your machine work harder.
2. Use only distilled water in your Autoclave. Water purity will really help to extend the life of your machine to ensure calcium doesn’t build-up and avoid corrosion or damage in your autoclave. You might like to purchase a water distiller if you don’t already have one.
3. Don’t over fill your autoclave beyond 75% holding capacity. A little too much can cause serious damage with the drainage parts of the machine.
4. Replace filters and door gaskets regularly
5. When cleaning the machine be aware of any damage or wear and tear. Fixing a crack in the seal or any other problems sooner rather than later could save you time and your machine by preventing a major breakdown in the future.
6. Cleaning the chamber filters weekly will dramatically help the cycle of your machine for optimal running. This will help the drainage of the Hydraulic system – the water from the chamber.
7. A Spore Test is a recommended test to be carried annually out to provide indication of bacterial levels. When validation is done on the autoclave this gives extra verification to confirm the autoclave is doing it’s job.
8. Every day you should clean the door gasket with a cloth and mild liquid soap to protect the machine from build-up.
9. Drain the waste from the water tank, this rids the daily build-up of bacteria and wastewater containments
10. Ensure the machine has a scheduled maintenance validation by a professional technician as needed, depending on use of the machine. Dentec provides professional servicing and can replace any faulty parts. The service includes inspection of the valves, heating coils, vacuum pumps, steam traps and controls to ensure the machine is working correctly from the inside out.

If you require a routine service on your autoclave or require a breakdown repair service please call Dentec on
1800 88 44 44 to log your service request or visit our online booking page.