Autoclave

— Ryla Cantergiani 2020/04/08 19:13

Autoclaves use high temperature and pressure to sterilize equipment and reagents. There are three autoclaves that we use. The small autoclave is in our lab. It can fit one 2 L flask, or about three 1 L bottles. Do not overfill. The other two autoclaves are in CRF on the first and second floors.

Please do not use the autoclave until you've gone over the process with an experienced user, for safety reasons.

1. Check water levels in the reservoir (top right side). The water should be above the copper coil.
2. Use the latch on the bottom left to open the door. Place media/equipment inside autoclave. Shut door, turn the handle to lock (you should feel resistance twisting it when it's locked)
3. If the screen does not say “select cycle” click “select” button. Click one of the four cycle buttons (probably “liquid”, but for velvets it's “packs” and for stirbars and spatualas it's “wrapped”). Click Start button. Set your lab timer from the screen countdown so you know when to come back. Do not open the autoclave until the psi is down to 0 and/or the drying cycle is complete. For liquids if you ignore this your stuff will all boil over. Hit start twice to run.
4. The autoclave runs for about 90 minutes. When the it's finished, it will beep. Hit stop and remove your materials. You can hit stop and leave it for a little while (an hour or two) without problems so long as the door stays closed.
5. Leave the door open after running to allow the autoclave to vent.

1. Take a cart with your equipment/media up to the autoclave. Make sure no one else is using it. The door should be unlocked and the autoclave should be empty.
2. Place your equipment/media into the plastic bins, and set those bins inside the autoclave. If autoclaving media, fill the bin with about an inch of water.
3. Close the door. Twist it shut until you cannot twist any more. The screen should go from saying “Unlocked” to giving an options menu.
4. For dry goods, hit 2 twice. For liquids, hit 4 twice. This should start the autoclave. It will purge first. Make sure you see this step happen before leaving.
5. The autoclave runs for about 55 minutes, and de-pressurizes for 10 minutes. When the run is done, open the door (about three inches) and let vent for 10 minutes. Remove your equipment/media. Leave the door open.

[Insert image of equipment here. To do this, take a picture of the reagent on the shelf, save it on to the shared computer 'mccormicklab1>Wiki-Documents and Figures> Pictures for WIki with a file name of “nameofequipment-image.png” . Select “Add images and other files” from above and upload your image. When the Link Settings tab pops up, select “Direct link to original”, “Align the image on the right” and “Medium Version”, then click insert. You may have to mess with the size and position. Please ensure that all images are facing the correct direction. ]

Location: To the left of the sink by the door.

Notes and Warning: Please indicate here if the equipment requires any special notes

Equipment maintenance: For the small autoclave, check the water levels before running, and refill if necessary.

Manual