User Manual for the Vacuklav
®
23-B
41
8.3
Regular care of the Vacuklav
®
23-B
_________________________________________
8.3.1 Cleaning _____________________________________________________________________________
At least once a week perform a cleanliness inspection of the tray rack, the sterilization chamber, the sealing surface
for the door gasket, and the round plate around the door of the sterilization chamber. Check for dirt and for
deposits. Clean dirty spots from the sterilization chamber
with a non-ravelling cloth
(i.e., which does not shed lint)
which is moistened with methylated alcohol. Before cleaning the sterilization chamber, remove the trays and the
tray rack by lifting them out through the front of the chamber. If there are stubborn spots or stains on the
sterilization chamber, use a non-ravelling cloth moistened
in small amounts
of a gentle cleaning agent which is
especially designed for stainless steel and which has a pH of 5 ... 8. We recommend the German product Sidol
®
.
Warning:
Be careful that none of this cleaning agent enters the piping which leads off from the sterilization
chamber.
Important:
The cleaning agent used may not contain chlorine and may not be alkaline.
Do not use
metal pot cleaners
(such as steel wool), and do not use wire brushes. Once a week inspect the door gasket for
damage and soiling. Remove any dirty spots with normally commercially available, gentle cleaning agents which
have a pH of 5 ... 8 and which do not contain vinegar. Or, use methylated alcohol. If required for cleaning, remove
the door gasket from the plate around the door of the sterilization chamber.
The locking bolts of the door lock (right side of door), as well as the hinges of the door (left side) must be kept
constantly lubricated. This is required to allow ease of shutting and locking the door, and to prevent premature
wear. As required, use silicone grease as a lubricant. You can use normally commercially available, gentle liquid
cleaning agents to clean the outer part of the autoclave enclosure. If water for your autoclave is supplied and
disposed of directly through the built-in water storage tanks, check these tanks for cleanliness each time you fill the
right tank with demineralized / distilled water. Before filling, clean the tanks out if necessary by flushing out with
fresh demineralized / distilled water. Empty the water drain tank on the left side at least every two weeks and clean
it out with clear tap water. In case the drain tank is soiled with stubborn or oily matter, use a suitable synthetic
brush, washing-up liquid (kitchen detergent), and warm tap water to clean it. Then rinse out with demineralized /
distilled water. If the right chamber of the water storage tank is soiled from long service in the circulatory-flow mode
of water supply, then also use warm water and washing-up liquid and a suitable synthetic brush to clean it. After
cleaning, likewise rinse out with demineralized / distilled water.
8.3.2
Use of demineralized / distilled water
__________________________________________________
Quality criteria for the demineralized / distilled water used
The following is required for steam sterilization: use of steam-distilled water, or fully demineralized water.
The autoclave operator must observe the values given in the following two tables as criteria for the water quality.
These characteristics are in accordance with European standard EN 13060.
Battery water is also suitable for operation of the Vacuklav
®
23-B, but only if it strictly conforms with the relevant
VDE criteria. These criteria are:
Specifications for water quality in accordance with EN 13060:
Evaporation residue
10 mg/l
Silicon oxide, SiO
2
1 mg/l
Iron
0.2 mg/l
Cadmium
0.005 mg/l
Lead
0.05 mg/l
Other heavy metals
0.1 mg/l
Chlorides (Cl)
2 mg/l
Phosphates (P
2
O
5
)
0.5 mg/l
Conductivity at 20°C
15
S/cm *
pH (degree of acidity)
5 ... 7.5
Appearance
Colourless; clean; without
sediment
Hardness (
of ions of alkaline earth)
0.02 mmol/l
*
S/cm = micro-Siemens per cm