Animal Cage Washer Installation Considerations

Laboratory animal cage washing equipment presents
a number of challenges for successful installation.
Image courtesy Girton Mfg.

Laboratory animal cage and rack washers are major equipment items in the facilities where they are installed. A successful installation that enables the washer to provide rated performance for a long service life requires consideration of a host of items.

Size and Weight - These machines are large, by any measure. They are very heavy and often require special equipment and trained riggers to get them into place. Moving the washer across existing floor surfaces, because of the weight of the machine, can cause damage if not done properly. It is also necessary to plan a route from the point of unloading to the point of installation. Clear access for machine sections and any required transporting gear is needed. It may be necessary, and is often possible, to have a machine fabricated in sections that make transport through the building easier.

Material - Washing machines are fabricated of stainless steel, making them potential destroyers of almost any finished surface in a building along the transport path. It may be prudent to install protective coverings over finished surfaces during transport of the equipment from unloading area to installation space.

Utility Requirements - Laboratory animal cage washers are intended to disinfect the wash load, with carefully designed processing protocols to assure consistent levels of quality. This requires the attainment of minimum wash and rinse temperatures, along with the normal operation of every component of the machine. There are pumps, motors, air driven components, valves and a whole range of other components. Utility requirements for steam, water, electricity, compressed air, drain and possibly other services must be carefully coordinated with services available in the facility. The recommended capacity and other characteristics for each service will be clearly stated on approval documents and should be adhered to, without compromise.

Service Access - Cage and rack washers are heavy duty equipment with many mechanical parts. Service and maintenance is required on a regular basis to keep the washer in good operating order. Make sure the installation space is not too tight. Allow access for a service technician to work safely and effectively. The manufacturer, as well as the facilities manager, can provide guidance on minimum service access clearances.

Structural Requirements - There are several installation schemes for cage and rack washers. One involves recessing the washer in the floor to provide a level loading and unloading path. A pass-thru washer will require a barrier wall to separate the load and unload areas. The weight of the machine must be accommodated by the building structure at the installation site. Dimensions for a recessed installation area, or pit, need to be coordinated closely between machine manufacturer and construction trades.

Much of what is outlined here is applicable to cabinet type and tunnel washers, too. Share your plans with a washing equipment specialist for assistance in attaining a successful outcome.

Atlantic Technology Group Additional Services

We have written previously about the contribution of a technical sales representative and the added value he or she can bring to the purchase of a physical product. With a daunting array of potential product variants available, it can be difficult and time consuming to reach a knowledge level that enables a confident selection of laboratory equipment for a specialized application. The tech sales rep's knowledge of currently available products and their application virtues and limitations can speed the selection process and contribute to a positive outcome for all stakeholders.

At the company level, many technical representatives commit to bringing factory level training resources to their customers. Reading instruction manuals can often fail to instill real understanding about the application, use, and upkeep of complex laboratory gear. Plus, manuals provide only one way communication. Training conducted by experienced, knowledgeable, factory trained individuals can instill almost tangible levels of comprehension in operators, users, and supporters of laboratory and process equipment.

Field services, in the form of start-up, calibration, repair, or regular maintenance of instruments and equipment are also provided by many technical sales firms. Again, bringing to bear broad experience and factory level training, technical representatives can function as an efficient outsource or reference for essential tasks that may require special skills or knowledge. Repair, whether in-house or facilitated through the factory, is another way in which technical representatives leverage their experience and knowledge into offerings that bring value to their customer base.

Face it, if all that was needed was quick delivery of lab equipment, Amazon.com would be your primary supplier. These are sophisticated instruments, apparatus, and equipment, requiring skill, knowledge, and experience to assure proper selection, installation and operation. A good technical rep firm knows that its customers need more than a product in a box or crate. It's results that count, and Atlantic Technology Group is committed to assisting customers wherever ATG's expertise can help leverage positive outcomes for their customers.

Modular Wall Systems as Barrier Wall in Wash Area

Laboratory animal cage wash area, clean side.
Image courtesy Avant Garde Scientific

There are many instances in laboratory facilities and other industrial processing sites of a need for isolation between one phase of a process and another. In laboratory animal care facilities, there is a pronounced need for isolation of the entry side of cage, rack, and ware cleaning from the exit side.

The entry side is commonly called the dirty side, since items entering that area are destined to be cleaned. The exit side is known as the clean side. It is good practice to not only install a physical barrier between the two sides, but also to establish procedures to assure that personnel, carts, or other equipment does not transit from dirty to clean side without first being properly treated.

Barrier walls are architectural building features, but almost an integral part of the equipment installed in the cage washing area. The walls and machines must be properly mated to provide an impenetrable seal that disallows passage of fluids, even air and vapor, from the dirty side to the clean side. Accomplishing this requires a considerable degree of care in the coordination of cage washing or sterilizing equipment configuration and building features at the installation site. The role of the barrier wall is essentially to fill in all the gaps between the machinery and the building features, providing the positive seal and barrier that is needed.

Materials of construction for the barrier wall should accommodate the type of service and operation anticipated for the cage wash area. Gaskets, fasteners and surface materials need to withstand repeated exposure to cleaning and sanitizing agents that may be employed in the area. The surface of the wall, often stainless steel, as well as the supporting structure, needs to be of sufficient thickness and strength to withstand the inevitable impact of heavy wheeled carts or other potentially damaging items.

Cage wash areas, once completed, will be depended upon to provide continuous service for many years. The barrier wall should be specified, designed and installed with that timeline in mind. Share your laboratory animal cage washing challenges with process specialists, combining your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop an effective solution.

Impact of Water Temperature on Efficacy of Animal Cage Washing

White mice in laboratory animal cages

The processing of laboratory animal cages, to ready them for reuse, involves a number of logistical steps that include a proper washing and disinfection to remove contaminants and organic residue from the cage. The goal is prevent contamination carryover from previous use to a new occupant.

Traditionally, high temperature (+180°F) wash and rinse water was used to inactivate or remove infectious agents. Animal cage washing equipment is comparatively energy intensive, using large amounts of facility steam to continuously heat and maintain wash or rinse water. Susan R. Compton and James D. Macy, both of Yale University performed a study to determine if an alternative to the energy intensive +180°F might be equally effective. Their postulate...

"...if the volume and force of the wash water, combined with detergents, consistently diluted or removed infectious agents to below the level necessary for the transmission of infection, then washtemperatures high enough to inactivate the agents would be unnecessary."

Their published results, from Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, is provided below and delivers some encouraging results. In essence, the study compares the efficacy of cage washing at +180°F and +110°F, with a detailed examination of contaminant carryover and analysis of potential cost savings related to energy consumption.

The study provides useful insight for those involved in animal cage washing at any level. Share your animal cage washing challenges with wash process experts, combining your lab animal facility knowledge with their equipment application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Effect of Cage-Wash Temperature on the Removal of Infectious Agents from Atlantic Technology Group, Inc.