Facility Services: Water & Steam Utilities

Imagine that you’re driving to work, and suddenly your car stops. You glance at the dashboard and see the needle on your fuel gauge is on ‘E’. Without water or steam, sterile processing machinery is like a car without fuel. The machines won’t work without the correct utility supplies.

Just like a car, it’s also important that the utilities supplied are of the right quantity and quality. If the fuel you put into your car was diluted with water and other contaminants it wouldn’t run properly. The same is true for sterile processing equipment. The equipment will only operate as well as the utilities supplied to them allow. This means that having your utility supplies in specification with the requirements found in each device’s technical manual. 

The two most used utilities in the sterile processing department (SPD) are domestic water and steam. 

 

Domestic Water

What is it?

Just like in your home, domestic water is the hot and cold-water that is supplied to your sterile processing department.

Where does it come from?

Domestic water is supplied by local utility services.

What types of machines use it?

Used almost everywhere in the SPD including sinks, automated washers, ultrasonic cleaners, boilers, cart washers, water purification systems, etc.

How does it impact my equipment’s performance?

The three biggest factors that impact the domestic water supply are pressure, temperature, and water hardness.

• Pressure – Low supply pressures can increase the cycle run times on certain devices like automated washers and ultrasonic cleaners.
• Water Hardness – This describes the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium found in the water. Over time, too much water hardness will develop a white residue on equipment surfaces known as ‘scale’. This scale can interfere with the operations of mechanical components and make it more difficult to adequately clean surgical instruments. It can also cause spotting and discoloration on instruments.
• Temperature:

Cold Water Temperature – If the cold-water temperature is too high, proteins found in blood can adhere to surgical instruments making them difficult to clean.

Hot Water Temperature – If the hot water temperatures are too high, enzymatic detergents can be influenced resulting in poor cleaning outcomes. If the hot water temperatures are too low, equipment run times can increase. 

 

Steam

What is it?

Water in its vapor state.

Where does it come from?

Supplied by boilers and/or steam generators.

What types of machines use it?

Primarily used by steam sterilizers but also used to heat other equipment like instrument washers, cart washers, etc.

How does it impact my equipment’s performance?

Steam Quality, Pressure, and Purity are the biggest factors that influence the effectiveness of your steam system.

 

• Steam Quality – This describes the amount of water present in the steam. Steam used for SPD applications must have very little water present. Too much water in the steam supply will problems such as wet packs.
• Purity – This describes the number of contaminants such as rust or mineral particles contained inside the steam. This contamination can result in scale deposits on the chamber, and spotting/staining of surgical instruments. Many facilities choose to use a separate ‘clean steam generator’ for their sterilizer to increase their steam purity. 
• Pressure - In a steam system, pressure, and temperature correlate with one another. This means that if your pressure supply is low, your temperature will also be low and vice versa. 

 

When checking steam pressure, it’s important that the system is in a dynamic state. This means the steam should be actively supplying the loads on the system.

 

Low Pressure Steam – Low pressure steam takes longer to transfer heat to the items  being sterilized. This can result in increased cycle times or errors that can cause a cycle to terminate. It some cases, low steam pressure may also cause wet packs.

High Pressure Steam – Excessive or high steam pressure could cause a sterilizer to exceed its normal operating pressure and trigger an error that terminates the cycle. In some cases, high steam pressure can even cause equipment damage. 

 

Key Take-Aways:

 

• Utility specifications can be found in the device’s technical manual.
• Low water pressure can increase washer cycle times.
• In severe cases water hardness can impact the operation of SPD equipment and cause spotting/discoloration of surgical instruments.
• Steam pressure should be measured in a dynamic condition – when it’s supplying a load.
• Poor steam quality can cause sterilization problems such as wet packs.
• Using a ‘clean steam generator’ can improve the purity of your steam and help prevent spotting/staining of surgical instruments.