Shellab SCO2W-2 - Manual (Page 6)

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B. Special care should be taken when cleaning around sensing heads to prevent damage.
C. If you use chlorine-based bleaches or abrasive cleaners this will modify the stainless steel
interior finish. DO NOT USE hard tools such as metal wire brushes or steel wool. Use
non-abrasive cleaners and soft tools such as plastic brushes.
TYPICAL DECONTAMINATION PROCEDURE
1. Remove the humidity pan every week and autoclave, or wash with soap and water then
disinfect with 70% alcohol solution. Replace in the incubator with fresh, DISTILLED
water.
2. Flush the sample port tubing with 70% alcohol solution. Replace any lines that have a
green color.
3. Remove the door gaskets, clean and disinfect. Clean and disinfect all mounting grooves
for the door gaskets.
4. Remove all shelves, shelf supports, shelf standards and shields. Autoclave, or wash and
disinfect as described in item 1.
5. Wash and disinfect all interior surfaces.
6. Give special attention to cleaning and disinfecting all access ports, air bleeds, shaft holes,
electrical pass-through and any other passages into the chamber.
7. Replace all air and CO
2
filters every six months or when noticeably dirty on the upstream
side. CO
2
filters are located in the shadow box just behind the GAS IN fitting and in line
with the CO
2
tubing kit. Units with flow meters require operator- supplied air pumps.
These pumps should be checked for proper air filtering.
OPERATION FOR MINIMIZING CONTAMINATION
1. Keep the outside of the incubator, including the air in the laboratory, as clean as possible.
This is particularly important for units placed directly on the floor. Do not place
incubators near doors, air vents or other areas of high air movement or traffic.
2. The floor around the unit needs to be clean. Units that are placed on the floor should be
mounted higher
– typically on a caster platform – for ease of moving the unit during
cleaning and access to the back of the unit.
3. Minimize the number of times access is made to the chamber during normal operation.
4. Do not depend on the use of antibiotics to maintain uncontaminated conditions, as this is
an inadequate technique for sterilization. Preferably use aseptic techniques as described
above for maintaining sterile conditions in the incubator.