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7.3 Cleaning and draining the chamber
Regular cleaning and drying of the chamber reduces endotoxin build-up.
Automatic Drain Down valves may be fitted to any Touchclave-R autoclave as an option or, if
the autoclave is fitted with Cat. 3 Effluent Retention, as a compulsory accessory. If Automatic
Drain Down is fitted, the autoclave must be located near a suitable floor drain to which the
effluent can be hard-piped, and it will cause water to be drained from the chamber after every
cycle. This helps to reduce build-up of endotoxins and non-dissoluble solids in the chamber or
on the heating elements, which in turn helps to prolong the life of the autoclave.
If there is no Automatic Drain Down fitted to the autoclave, the chamber should be drained and
cleaned manually at least once per week. The procedure for manual draining is illustrated
below. The procedures for both horizontal and vertical machines are similar, apart from the
orientation of the chamber. In the case of the vertical machine the base tray simply lifts out
from within the chamber to access the heaters
Attach a hose to the discharge pipe and
place the other end in a container.
Insert a screw driver into the slot on the
valve indicated and turn 180
o
to open the
valve and release water from the chamber.
Unscrew securing screws and remove base
tray to allow the chamber’s base and
heating elements to be cleaned.
(When reassembling, make sure that the
base tray seal is correctly positioned to
avoid any leaks into the drip tray).
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