Taking Care Of Your Enbio
Hey Game Changer,
The Enbio is the heart of a fast paced studio. It's the reason you can offer "jewelry while you wait" and keep your workflow moving at a breeze. But like any high performance tool, it only stays fast if you take care of it.
So, Let's dive in . . .
The HEPA filter ensures the air entering the chamber during the drying cycle is sterile. When the Enbio finishes the steam phase, it pulls a vacuum to remove moisture. To return to atmospheric pressure, it has to "breathe" air back in.
If this filter is clogged or old, two things happen:
1. Contamination: You risk pulling non-sterile room air directly onto your freshly processed tools.
2. Back pressure: The vacuum pump has to work twice as hard to pull through a dirty filter, which leads to overheating and premature pump failure.
The Rule: Replace your HEPA filter every 1,000 cycles if your drying cycle feels sluggish, the best part is the machine warns about the time of replacement.
Shop HEPA Filter
Water and specifically boiling water (at a atmospheric pressure maxes at 212°F (100°C) while at its highest temperature does kill most active bacteria doesn't touch resistant pathogens.
Many dangerous bacteria can transform into endospores which act like biological panic rooms that protect the bacteria's DNA from heat and dehydration. These spores can survive in boiling water for hours.
So, how does Enbio do it? The secret is PHYSICS. Because the Enbio is a sealed pressure vessel, the steam cannot escape, which causes the pressure to build. This pressure changes the boiling point of the water, forcing the steam to reach 273°F (134°C). That extra 60 degrees is the difference between life and death for those resistant spores. At that temperature, the pressurized steam is forced into the micro-structures of the bacteria, melting that protective shell and achieving 100% sterility.
We know many piercers like to place jewelry on a single piece of gauze during sterilization. However, autoclave technicians see a recurring problem: loose gauze fibers clogging the internal valves of the unit.
These fibers can also easily clog the sensors, and the extreme heat often causes the gaze to "bake" onto the tray. This leaves behind a sticky residue that is nearly impossible to remove without damaging the tray's surface.
To keep your machine clean and safe, we recommend skipping the loose gauze entirely. We've developed two better ways to manage your jewelry:
- Autoclave Jewelry Boxes: Designed specifically to keep even the tiniest ends secure. Don't worry, nothing will fall through the holes, and you'll keep your tray pristine.
- Sterile Prep Packs: If you want to skip the prep work entirely, we offer ready to use packs (with or without drape) so you can get straight to the procedure without worrying about gauze fibers ultimately saving you time and money.
The Enbio tray is the most handled part of the machine. Over time, it can accumulate microsophic organic matter.
- A good wipe down with a soft damp cloth can remove any buildup
- Always use quality distilled water. Tap water contains minerals like calcium, and magnesium. Under high heat, these "bake" into a white scale that acts as an insulator, preventing the tray from heating evenly.
The enbio uses a conductivity sensor to check for Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in your water. If the water is "hard" or dirty, it conducts electricity too well, and the Enbio will stop the cycle to protect its internal steam generator.
If you use low quality water, those minerals will eventually coat the heating elements, leading to "pitting" and internal corrosion that can't be fixed without a full teardown. Let's not forget that the magic filter also adds additional help to keep the distilled water at proper conductivity. Many store bought distilled water jugs have conductivity way higher then what the Enbio requires to operate properly (0.003ppm).