If you’re having trouble with your Tuttnauer autoclave’s water pump, you need to find out what the problem is right away and fix it. Lack of water or a water level that is too low means that your machine is not working properly and will not fully sterilize your equipment. And that means you’re basically out of business until you fix the problem.
If you’ve always sent your autoclave in for repair whenever there’s a problem, then you know how expensive those repairs can be. You have labor charges, parts charges, and don’t forget shipping and handling charges. You could almost buy a new machine when all is said and done! If you are having problems with the water in your Tuttenauer autoclave, here are some troubleshooting tips that may help you solve the problem yourself.
- If the water flows in the wrong direction, check the two tubes connected to the pump. It may be that you just need to reverse them.
- If the pump is noisy, check to see if the mounting bracket is loose or broken. You may just need to tighten or replace it. If it’s not the bracket, the problem is probably inside the pump and you’ll need a new one.
- If the water pump keeps blowing a fuse, first check for pinched or kinked wires that may be causing a short. If that’s not the problem, turn off the pump and disconnect the wires from terminals number 1 and 2 on the solid state relay. Turn the pump back on and if the fuse blows again the problem is with the water pump or the pump condenser and you will need to replace both.
- If the pump doesn’t turn off then you need a volt/ohmmeter to test the relay. Reading between TP13 and TP1. A 10 to 12 volt DC signal is required to tell the relay to turn off and a 0 to 1 signal is needed to tell it to turn on. If the reading is different, it means you have a problem with the control circuit.
- If the signal is correct, repeat the procedure on the relay. And if you get a bad signal there, you’ll need to replace the Ajunc board.
- If your pump won’t turn on, the first thing to do is check the fuse and replace it if necessary. Next, look for pinched or kinked wires running from the solid state relay to the pump. If that doesn’t help, turn off the autoclave and disconnect the wires at terminals 1 and 2 of the relay. Now connect those two wires and turn the pump back on. If the pump still does not work, it will need to be replaced.
While your autoclave may be a ‘machine’ and performs a very important life-saving function, after all it is still just a big box with a few basic working parts. It is usually quite easy to find the problem. And most of the time you can fix it yourself!