food hygiene & safety 23
Plan properly for autoclave
positioning and installation
Tony Collins discusses the problems of
brand new laboratory floor to install the necessary
autoclave positioning and installation.
drains.
Access and drainage
W
hen planning and designing a In the longer term most laboratory autoclaves live in
laboratory the task of positioning or splendid isolation in the corner of lab – until they stop
repositioning a Laboratory Autoclave working. It is a little late to discover that service
can be at either end of the engineers do not fit into a 50 mm gap while your
‘easy-impossible’ scale. laboratory is grinding to a halt.
While Bench top autoclaves and those with a small In older buildings, which have been adapted from
footprint usually present fewer problems there is often a their original uses, access and drainage can be a
temptation with larger models to fit a quart into a pint problem.
pot. With newer buildings it is not unusual for architects,
So why worry? when designing and positioning a laboratory, to overlook
the requirements for large, heavy pieces of laboratory
Installation problems
equipment such as autoclaves.
For one thing it is not unknown for some manufacturers It is often the case that little thought is given to the
to leave their equipment at the bottom of the stairs if services and space required for the installation of such
there is not an easy way in – leaving the problem of equipment or to the removal of equipment with a
getting it into position down to you. shorter life-span than the building.
Also, how would you feel about digging up your
Increased sophistication
The increased sophistication of laboratory autoclaves
with venting and vacuum systems, coupled with an
increased awareness of possible bio-hazards means that
in most cases it is no longer sensible to plan the position
of an autoclave without considering drainage and water
supplies.
Some key questions to ask are:
p Positioning and Installation: Can you get the
autoclave into the suggested location via any steps,
corridors, tight corners and doors? If on an upper
floor, is a suitable lift available? Will there be enough
space around it for service access? Is access to a drain
available and if so is the drain vented? Will the
drainpipes and joints stand the temperature of the
exhaust from the autoclave? Room size – Just how
much space do you really have?
p For a cabinet type autoclave you should ideally allow
the following: To the sides, 1 metre; to the rear,
300 mm; to the front, 2 metres or twice the length of
any loading trolley; will heat extraction be required,
especially if installation is planned in a separate small
autoclave room?
ny reputable supplier will be able to provide
A
assistance, advice and information on these
factors. Often you will be able to arrange a
site survey to make sure that everything is
going to fit.
Fig. 1. Front loading, high capacity priorclaves are easily maintained. What services do you have or need and how do they
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