Autoclave Repair Tips

Your Midmark M7 Autoclave heats up to somewhere over 200 degrees F and suddenly the heat & pressure drops – and the autoclave shuts itself down.

Sometimes you can restart it immediately & sometimes you have to wait for it to cool down.

This is a very common problem with the Midmark M7 Autoclave.

What’s’ the problem?

The most common cause is the vent valve is stuck, allowing water to return to the reservoir during the sterilize cycle.

As the water is returned to the reservoir; the chamber runs dry, the safety switches are activated and your Midmark M7 Autoclave shuts it’s self down automatically.

Pressure cannot occur in your Midmark M7 autoclave because, with the vent valve stuck open, the chamber is not sealed.

To confirm the vent valve is the source of the problem, listen for “gurgling” sounds coming from the reservoir during the sterilization cycle.

Also, when you open the door on your Midmark M7 autoclave, you will find a mostly dry chamber, even though the autoclave shut itself down prior to the vent cycle.

There can be times you are met with a wall of water when you open the door, instead of a dry chamber. This means water is being allowed to flow in both directions, not a good thing.

Either way, you must repair the valve.

The good news is, you do not have to replace the entire valve. There are rebuild kits available for the Midmark M7 Autoclave, which are very inexpensive.

The procedures to repair your Midmark M7 autoclave require no special tools and is something you can do.

As a temporary fix, you can try removing the vent valve and cleaning the port, the stem and the o-rings to remove any debris. This may allow your Midmark M7 Autoclave to function until you get the vent valve rebuild kit and perform the repair

Wally
www.AllClaveParts.com
“Autoclave Repair Made Simple”

If It’s Not Telling You The Truth, It Could Be Putting You At Risk

Can autoclave temperature gauges tell a lie?  More importantly, is your gauge lying to you? 

The truth is, autoclave temperature gauges do wear out and lose calibration .  It can happen all at once or over a period of time.

And not knowing about it puts you, your staff, your patients and even your autoclave at risk. 

• If the autoclave temperature is lower than what the temperature gauge is telling you, sterility can still take place, but only if you increase the exposure time in the “sterilize” cycle.
• On the other hand, if the autoclave temperature is higher, it could be putting extra stress where it doesn’t belong on the autoclave and cause it to breakdown sooner.

So, how do you know if your autoclave temperature gauge is lying to you? 

How To Learn The Truth About Your
Autoclave Temperature Gauge

Use the same tool we use! 

We use the Maximum Registering Thermometer manufactured by The Kessler Thermometer Corp.  Simply shake it like you would a fever thermometer, place it inside the chamber on the tray and run a cycle.

And when you take it out, it will tell you the highest temperature reached during the cycle.  You will then  know whether you need to turn the autoclave temperature up or down to keep you, your patients, and your staff safe
 

And That’s Not All

 
This same Maximum Register Thermometer is also a diagnostic tool used by autoclave  technicians world-wide.

It can also help you discover a heat related problem  before it causes the autoclave to fail
 

Protect Yourself & Others

And Your Autoclave

 
We recommend you make testing your autoclave temperature a part of your regular maintenance program.
 
Measure the autoclave temperature monthly and compare it to the reading on your autoclave temperature gauge.  Note any discrepancy, make any changes needed and keep your autoclave sterilizing at its peak level.  

Wally
www.AllClaveParts.com
“Autoclave Repair Made Simple