Technical Knowledge Hub
Fault-finding guides, maintenance explanations and record-keeping advice for practice teams. Each guide cites its sources, shows when it was last updated and says when to stop and call an engineer.
Guidance here is general. It does not replace the manufacturer's instructions for your specific equipment, and it is not a substitute for an engineer looking at the machine.
Equipment buying and lifecycle planning · 6 min read
Repair while the fault is isolated, parts are available and the chair is structurally sound; plan replacement when faults repeat, parts are scarce or the unit no longer suits the surgery. A factor-by-factor framework to make the call on evidence.
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Practice records and compliance · 6 min read
Inspectors want evidence that equipment is suitable, maintained and safe, not a certificate on the wall. The records that answer Regulation 15, the difference between a service report and an examination report, and a simple way to keep them together.
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Suction systems · 6 min read
Poor suction in one surgery points to the chair; poor suction everywhere points to the pump, filter, separator or main line. How to tell which, what staff can safely clean, and where to stop and call.
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Practice records and compliance · 6 min read
A routine compressor service and a statutory examination under PSSR 2000 are different things with different people, documents and purposes. This guide explains the written scheme of examination, the periodic examination and where a service report fits.
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Compressors and compressed air · 6 min read
A compressor should run in cycles, not all day. Continuous running means air is escaping, demand exceeds capacity or a control has failed, and left alone it shortens the life of the machine and pushes moisture into the surgery lines.
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Compressors and compressed air · 7 min read
A compressor that stays silent, trips out or cannot hold pressure usually has a power, control, valve or leak problem. This guide separates the safe checks from the ones that belong to an engineer, and explains what the gauge is telling you.
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Chairs and treatment units · 6 min read
An operating light that is dead, flickering, dim or drifting has a short list of usual causes, and which ones you can safely check depends on whether it is a halogen or LED head. A practical guide to lights on dental chairs and ceiling mounts.
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Fault identification · 7 min read
When handpieces will not run or the three-in-one gives nothing, the fault sits at one of four points: the plant, the room supply, the unit or the instrument. Working through them in order tells you whether this is a chair problem or a compressor problem.
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Chairs and treatment units · 6 min read
Water under a chair, around the cuspidor or from the delivery unit usually traces to a handful of parts: bowl drains, cup fillers, bottle seals, couplings and water blocks. How to locate the leak, contain it safely and describe it to an engineer.
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Fault identification · 6 min read
A dental chair that will not rise, lower or recline is often stopped by power, a safety switch, the foot control or a locked-out program rather than a failed motor. A short, safe checking order before you report it.
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