Why Should You Replace the Air Jet Valve Every Year?

The Tuttnauer Air Jet Valve - Here Is What You Need To Know

The Tuttnauer Steam Sterilizer is designed as a gravity displacement system. This means that no other methods are used to move steam and air in or out of the Chamber other than the natural forces of gravity. Water inside the autoclave Chamber is heated to produce steam. The rising steam forces any air inside the Chamber to the top of the Chamber where it is bleed off by the Air Jet. This event is due solely to the effect of gravity on the steam and air.

As the pressure builds within the Chamber, the air is continuously expelled through the unit’s Air Jet. The Air Jet is located in the water reservoir and connected by a copper tube to the top rear of the Chamber. The process of removing the air and leaving only steam in the Chamber is essential to the operation of the Sterilizer. Assisting the Air Jet in this function is the Air Outlet Valve.

This valve participates in removing the air until a temperature of 195° is reached then the valve closes and any remaining air is removed by the Air Jet. Steam temperature has a direct and important correlation to steam pressure. At every level of pressure, steam has a specific corresponding temperature; this is a universally accepted fact.

There is one stipulation required to make this true, there must be 100% steam present. For this reason, it is important that the air be removed as completely as possible from the Chamber. Removing the air is what allows the temperature to rise properly inside the Chamber.

The importance of a clean working Air Jet cannot be understated. The Air Jet has two important functions:

1. First is to remove the air from inside the Chamber while the unit is heating up. If air were allowed to remain in the Chamber its presence would produce pockets of low and high temperatures. These uneven temperatures within the Chamber would result in areas of no sterilization. Only by removing the air can more uniform temperatures be attained and as a result, even and complete sterilization.  
2. The Air Jet has a second function, which is to maintain circulation within the Chamber. It does this by remaining open after all the air has been bled off and continuing to purge the steam. This constant purging of steam causes motion within the Chamber. This constantly moving, constantly circulating steam is important in maintaining uniform temperature. Uneven steam temperatures can be the result of the heating elements turning on and off during the sterile cycle. This can cause hot and cold pockets of steam within the Chamber. If an instrument is in one of these cold pockets, it will not be sterilized even though the rest of the load was and the spore test confirmed a sterile load. The end result of keeping the steam in motion, because of the Air Jet, is that no pockets of uneven temperature will form and the load will be completely sterilized.