Moisture in a Steam Sterilizer

Question: In a steam sterilizer, should there be any moisture inside the door gasket after the warm-up, Bowie Dick test, or even after running a test pack in an empty sterilizer? -- JB, Massachusetts

Answer: No! Check with your manufacturer and your maintenance department; you may have a seal problem or a vacuum exhaust issue. Make sure your pressures are good throughout your process and make sure they are consistent with the PSIA for the temperatures throughout. For example: 212 degrees F at start-up should register between 10 PSI to 14 PSI depending on your relationship to sea level, while your PSI at 270 degrees F should be about 40-45 depending on your relationship to sea level. Make sure you are using a pre-vac cycle and not a gravity for warm-up or dart/bio ... you will get failures and moisture.