CONTROLLED COPY
Centre for Biological Engineering
Standard Operating Procedure
SOP025
Title: USE AND MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEC VX 95 AUTOCLAVES
Location:
Autoclave Room, H31, CBE
Version 004
Effective Date: 28
th
June 2020
Review 28
th
June 2022
Written by: A. Chandra
Reviewed by: P.Hourd
Approved by: R.I.Temple
Page 16 of 26
(ix)
Place the flexible temperature sensor in the liquid or in a reference vessel. The
reference vessel should have the same size and fill volume as the vessel containing the
liquid to be sterilized.
5.4. Closing the Autoclave Door
(i)
Once the autoclave has been loaded in accordance with instructions, close the
autoclave door by holding firmly shut until the door lock engages.
(ii)
The ‘Ready’ message in the display tells you that the door is completely locked.
5.5. Starting the cycle
Make sure there is sufficient paper in the printer!
(i)
Once the door is securely locked, select the
correct cycle
by pressing the menu key.
When the menu displays “Select Cycle” press the “Set” key. The list of cycles will then be
displayed.
Choose Cycle 1, 4 or 11
using the arr
ow keys and then press the “Set” key.
(ii)
In the solids cycles (1, 2 and 3), no liquids may be sterilized. The sterilization of liquids
in solids cycles causes danger through boiling delays or exploding vessels and can result in
serious injuries. To prevent liquids mistakenly being autoclaved in a solids cycle, a safety query
is performed after the Start display key is pressed. The message ‘
No Liquids!!!’
informs you
that the cycle is not suitable for the sterilization of liquids. When you are sure that no liquids are
in the autoclave, confirm the query by entering the code of your access level.
NOTE:
Liquids MUST only be sterilized using the cycle No's. 6 to 11, which are designed for
this purpose.
(iii)
From this point on, the controller takes over the entire procedure. In the display you will
see a plain text report about the first phase of the sterilization program.
NOTE:
The printer
automatically logs the entire cycle procedure from the start of the cycle.
(iv)
Preselectable starting time:
If the parameter StartByTime is set to “1” in the cycle
selected, the current time and the current date appear after the Start display button is pressed.
You can use the arrow keys to set the desired start time and press the Start display button to
enter this time. Instead of the current time, the time remaining until the start is displayed.
5.6. End of cycle
After the completion of an autoclave cycle, an acoustic signal sounds and the message ‘Cycle ended’
appears in the display. The autoclave procedure is completed and the item being sterilized can be taken