SolmeteX Filter Issues

Today I spoke with Al Dubé, the local rep for SolmeteX amalgam separators. I had two questions for him.

The first was regarding some offices that had reported a smell from their vacuum pumps after the addition of an amalgam separator. — Any vacuum system that is not sealed or exhausted to the outside is susceptible to the odor of biologicals that are trapped in the amalgam cartridges. Most enzymatic cleaners do little to help with this smell. Al suggested that the introduction of a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to the evacuator will go a long way towards eliminating that odor.

The second was the problem that we have when large amounts of prophy paste quickly fill amalgam traps. — Amalgam separators are designed to trap even the smallest pieces of debris. Anything that makes it back to the vacuum pump is caught by these filters. So, unless the hygiene operatories are plumbed to specifically bypass the amalgam separator, the prophy paste will end up in the trap. Al said that plumbing all hygiene evacuators so that they bypass the separator is the only way to effectively minimize how quickly the canisters fill.

We highly recommend SolmeteX Amalgam separators for use in all of our dental offices.