It might sound silly to offer tips on what you can do when your Tuttnauer autoclave water pump doesn’t pump water. You just replace it, right? Who has time to worry about what might actually be causing the problem? The pump doesn’t work, you call the repairman and you tell him to fix it.
But if you’ve ever sent your autoclave out for any type of repair then you know how expensive it can be. Not only do you have to pay for parts and labor, you’ll also have to pay for shipping and handling – both ways! And let’s not forget – you’ll also need to rent a machine to tide you over for the next 4 to 6 weeks. After you get done shelling out all that money you could almost buy a brand new machine!
So don’t be so quick to relegate that poor little water pump to the junk heap. It may be a simple problem that will only take you a minute or two to fix. And if you find the problem and fix it yourself you’ll save yourself a ton of money and aggravation. Here’s what you can do if your Tuttnauer water pump doesn’t pump water like it’s supposed to.
Check the pump strainer. It may just be that it’s clogged. Clean it and use the water inlet key to run the pump. If it works, problem solved! See how easy that was?
If it doesn’t work, you’ll need to check the Fill Solenoid. Don’t panic. It’s easy.
Use something made of steel, like a screwdriver, and place it on the center post of the fill solenoid to see if the magnetic field is activated. If it is, then that means the solenoid has been turned on.
If you don’t detect a magnetic field, listen for a small ‘click’ when you turn on the pump. That ‘click’ sound means the solenoid should be open.
If you don’t hear the click then open the solenoid valve, remove the plunger and put the housing back on. Now, use the water inlet key to run the pump. If water is now running into the chamber then the plunger was the problem and you’ll need to replace it.
Now, if there’s still no water, take the housing off again and press the water inlet key again. If you see water going through the base of the valve then the problem is a clog or crimp in the tubing that runs from the valve base to the chamber.
However, if you see no water in the valve base, then the problem is the pump itself and you’ll need to replace it.
As you can see, if your Tuttnauer water pump isn’t pumping water, it’s a pretty easy fix. And even if you have to replace it, you’ve already seen how easy it is to make all the necessary connections. You’ll save yourself a lot of money if you just repair it yourself.