It looks like it should be pretty easy to repair, right? Your Tuttnauer autoclave is giving you an error code telling you to add water, so it probably means that all you need to do is add some water. But when you look, you see that the tank is already full. Now what?

Your autoclave is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your office, and if something goes wrong, you can understandably panic. You are thinking about all the money it will cost you to send it in for repair, the expense of renting a spare part and you may even have to close your office for a while.

When the sensors indicate that it should be an easy fix, like just adding a little more water, and the easy fix doesn’t work, it can be frustrating. But don’t panic just yet. Autoclaves just look intimidating. They are actually very simple pieces of equipment. Usually there is a very simple solution and most of the time you can do it yourself.

Check the model number on your autoclave. Tuttnauer’s most popular models are its E-series autoclaves, including the EZ9 and EZ10.

If you have an E Series model, take a look inside the water tank and you will see a float. This float is connected to a water level switch that acts like a light switch: when you turn it on, the autoclave turns on, and when you turn it off, the autoclave turns off.

When everything is working properly, the water level in the tank raises the float and turns the switch to the “ON” position, making an electrical connection that allows power to reach your autoclave. When the water level is too low, the float is turned off with the switch, essentially turning off your autoclave until you refill the reservoir.

When the water level is too low, you will see the “Add Water” indicator or error message light up on the display, and as a safety measure, the unit will not turn on again until you fill it with water. Which brings us back to the original problem.

In your case, the message “Add water” flashes but the tank is full. Now what?

If the reservoir is full and the float is moving freely, your problem is probably a faulty water level switch. To be safe, you can run a simple continuity test by removing the leads and placing a probe from your meter (or continuity tester) on each lead.

With the meter set to test for continuity:

• When the float is in the Up position, the meter should show continuity.
• When the float is in the Down position, the meter should show an open circuit.

Once you’ve verified that the problem is with the switch, you can stop worrying. All you need to do is replace the switch and if you can use a key, you can do it yourself. After replacing the water level switch on your Tuttnauer autoclave, be sure to run a test cycle to make sure everything has been properly repaired and is working again.