Protect your Clinic – Properly Shut Down your Dental Equipment for COVID-19

Through this terrible pandemic, there has been forced closures for Dental Practices across North America. These closures have put a huge financial burden on many Dental Professionals, having their thoughts reeling on all aspects of their business. A very important step for every clinic is to be sure to shut down their equipment properly. Leaving equipment unseasoned for a long duration could have serious effects on the systems. Unfortunately, many offices have not been shutting their equipment down properly, a very expensive mistake that they will learn when the COVID-19 shutdown is lifted.

Dental Technicians will be busier than ever, being called for hundreds of downed equipment. This panic will cause a high demand for new/used equipment to replace vacuums and compressors that have broken down due to poor storage practices. 

BaseVac wants to ensure that members of our BaseVac Family have the proper procedures to shut down their equipment for long durations of non-use. The following instructions will ensure your clinic will remain running once it is re-opened. 

Compressors

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  • Unplug the Compressor or Turn off “breaker” to disconnect the main power

  • Optional - Check Valve at the bottom of Tank - open to check for any moisture and let any moisture drain from the tank. Be sure to close the valve when finished

BaseVac Dental Compressor - Shut Down Maintenance and Service
  • When Power is disconnected - relieve any air from the compressor - drain valve on bottom or tank if accessible or use tubing “without” handpiece at the chair to dissipate air from the system

  • Record hours on hour meter and serial number for future reference

  • Older compressors - Over 5000 hours of use - consider having the compressor inspected by your Trusted BaseVac Dealer and serviced if needed while not in use, Be sure to have the filters, valves, desiccant beads, piston rings checked. 

  • Storage - Maintain temperature between 40-degrees and 104-degrees F

Note - do not add any oil or lubrication anywhere - the compressor is Oil-Free


Vacuum-Pumps

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  • Suggestion - do a final cleaning at “Chair Side” - clean tubings and HVE valves to ensure any prophy paste (sugars), blood, and any other debris is cleaned from tubings and pipes -then run dry vac pumps 1 hour after final cleaning to ensure pumps are dry and also hot for final shut down - heat will help make sure the pump is dry for storage

  • Run the Vacuum for an Hour – Running the vacuum with all the HVE and SE closed will get the pump hot enough to ensure there is no moisture left in the motor. Once the motors are hot and dry, they are ready to be shutdown.

  • Unplug Suction Pumps or Turn off main breaker “breaker” to disconnect the main power to units

  • When Power is "off" relieving suction from pipe system - open a suction valve HVE - this will ensure the tank will drain if any liquids are in the tank. PLEASE NOTE – BaseVac Tanks do not need to be opened and the tank does not need to be cleaned.

  • Optional - Check Inlet Filters for possible replacement - visible through clear filter bowl

  • Record hours on hour meter and serial number for future reference.

  • Older Dry Vac’s - Over 5000 hours of use - consider having suction pumps inspected by your Trusted BaseVac Dealer and serviced if needed while not in use.- check vanes, filters, exhaust drop leg.

  • Storage - Maintain temperature between 40 and 104 degrees F

Note - do not add any oil or lubrication anywhere - BaseVac suction pumps are Oil-Free and do not use water


Questions? Concerns? 

Please contact any of our Trusted BaseVac Dealers. If you cannot get a hold of them, BaseVac has our Technical Support Team available for any assistance you require. Please call us at 1-800-668-8736.