LABEC AA9 - Manual (Page 4)

Safety Instructions
1.
Use full face shield protection when loading and unloading the chamber.
2. Fill only with hose or bucket – do not connect to water mains.
3. Load or unload with gloves which cover forearms or wear long sleeve shirt.
4. If contents are harmful wear an appropriate respirator and filter to prevent inhaling hazardous
vapors.
5. Ensure both hands hold lid handles when opening autoclave and ensure no body parts
extend over the autoclave.
6. Ensure the baskets are not too heavy when loading and unloading and use correct lifting
methods.
7. Keep hands and body away from autoclave when in use to prevent burning and/or scalding.
Operation
1. Connect the autoclave to an alternating current supply of voltage specified on the rating
plate mounted on the side or rear of the unit.
DANGER; THIS UNIT MUST NOT BE CONNECTED TO DIRECT CURRENT SUPPLY !
2. Manually fill the boiler with clean water to a level just below the reservoir lip on the front
inside edge.
3. Load the autoclave.
4. Closing the door­ Push the door shut and apply leftwards pressure to the safety handle
with your right hand and tighten the door with your left hand until the pin on the bridge piece
is located in the “V” or notch of the bridge piece. If leftwards pressure is not applied to the
locking pin when closing the door spring on the door will lock in and you will be unable to
tighten and seal the door..
5. Switch the mains power on. Turn the temperature controller to the required temperature.
6. Set the timer to the required autoclaving period. The timer has multiple time unit selections
which are displayed in the window ie. 0.1 seconds, 0.1 minutes, 0.1 hours, hours, 10’s of
hours. The time may be selected in any mode from 001 to 300hrs.
7. Press the ‘start’ button. A red heater lamp should illuminate.
8. The autoclave will switch on and will heat up until the preset temperature is reached.
9. The timer is in operation when a green flashing light in the top left corner is flashing. As the
time runs down the green lamp will flash faster until it turns red – this indicates the timer
has finished.
10. Solenoid valve & ball valve – when the timer has finished the set cycle time, it will actuate a
solenoid valve to release the steam/pressure. The release may be stopped or slowed by
opening or partially opening the ball valve at the rear of the cabinet. NB: If dumping steam
it is advisable to connect a waste line to the ball valve!
11. Opening the door – Check the pressure gauge has dropped to zero KPA, this may vary
depending on the load mass and temperature. There will be no pressure behind the door
when opened. Some steam may still be emitted depending on how long the wait period is.
(Alternatively you may open it before reaching zero pressure – by carefully unscrewing the
door but not touching the safety handle, only one or two turns until the first sign of steam is
visible ­ stop and allow all the steam to evacuate, around 2 minutes, then completely
release the door when no more steam is being emitted and the pressure gauge now reads
zero KPA). Release the door turning in an anti­clockwise motion. Push the safety handle to
the right, away from the bridge allowing the door to swing open. If it is difficult to open the
door after use (due to vacuum in the chamber), switch ‘mains’ on & energize the solenoid
valve (& open the ball valve if closed) to allow air into the chamber. This also can be
overcome by leaving the door ajar after use.
Laboratory Equipment Pty Ltd Instruction Manual ­ Autoclave AA9 Bench Top Model