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Practical guides for getting the most out of your Steriflo: how airflow helps, when to upgrade from a still-air box, setup, filter changes and voltage.

Gloved hands inoculating jars on a steel bench in front of a Steriflo flow hood

How airflow helps against contamination

Room air carries mould spores, bacteria and dust, and it is always moving. When you open a plate, jar or grain bag, some of those particles can land on it. You usually find out weeks later, when a jar turns green.

Still-air box: calm air inside a clear tub, but particles drift and are stirred up by arm movement Flow hood: room air passes through a prefilter and H13 HEPA filter, then flows across the work surface and carries particles away

A flow hood lowers the risk from airborne particles. It does not remove every source of contamination: your technique, your materials, your sterilisation and your room all still matter.

Still-air box or flow hood: which do you need?

Both work. The question is which one suits where you are now. Most growers start with a still-air box, and many reach its limits when they start agar work, scale up, or keep losing batches they can't explain.

Keep using a still-air box if you inoculate a few jars or bags a month, are still building your technique, or do simple grain inoculation Consider a flow hood if two or more apply: you lose batches despite good technique, you do agar or liquid culture work, you are scaling up, or box sessions feel like a gamble

If none of these apply yet, keep using the box. It is a good tool for where you are.

A grower preparing agar plates at her bench in front of a Steriflo flow hood

How to set up your Steriflo

Before first use

Unboxing a Steriflo at home

  1. Check the filters. Press the spring latch, open the filter assembly and look at the prefilter and the H13 HEPA filter behind it. Look for a bent frame, torn filter media or gaps between the filter and the housing. If anything looks wrong, email photos to hello@gro-myco.com within 48 hours of delivery, before using the unit.
  2. Check the latch. It should snap firmly closed and hold the filter assembly tight against the housing.
  3. Place the unit on a stable, flat surface, with clear space in front of the filter for your work and space behind it for air intake.
  4. Run it on low for 5–10 minutes before your first session to clear any dust that settled during shipping.

During use

Do this: open plates and jars sit closest to the filter, with your hands behind them downstream, so clean air reaches your work first Avoid this: reaching between the filter and an open plate, so the plate gets air that has passed over your glove
  • Switch Steriflo on 5–10 minutes before you start work.
  • Keep open plates and jars closest to the filter, with your hands behind them. Never reach between the filter and open work.
  • Keep about 12 inches (30 cm) in front of the filter clear, and don't stack items in front of it.
  • Move slowly. Fast arm movements disturb the airflow.
  • Low or medium speed suits most work. Use high speed for the most sensitive tasks or a dusty room.

After each session

Wipe the outside of the housing with a cloth dampened with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Don't spray liquid near the filter face. Keep the prefilter clean: a clogged prefilter reduces airflow and puts extra load on the HEPA filter behind it.

How to replace the Steriflo filter

Close-up of the Steriflo prefilter with steel-mesh reinforcement Holding a replacement HEPA filter
Room air passes through the steel-mesh prefilter, which catches dust and larger particles, then the H13 HEPA filter, which catches fine airborne particles Replace the prefilter every 3 to 6 months, or sooner if grey or clogged. Replace the H13 HEPA filter every 12 to 18 months, or when airflow drops

Filter changes are tool-free and take about two minutes.

Steps 1 to 4: switch off, press the latch, swing the filter assembly open, remove the prefilter Steps 5 to 8: inspect the HEPA filter, replace whichever filter needs it, close the latch until it seats, run on low for 2 minutes

For replacement prefilters or H13 HEPA filters, email hello@gro-myco.com and we'll help you get the right one.

Voltage guide: using Steriflo in the US

Steriflo on a US outlet: 110V motor on a 110V outlet runs as designed, no adapter needed A 220V hood with a US plug on a 110V outlet runs slowly and weakly and is expensive to return overseas

Steriflo runs on 110V, standard US household voltage, and works straight out of the box. Some flow hoods sold through online marketplaces are built for 220V but come with a US plug and no clear voltage label. Before buying any flow hood, check the voltage on the label or spec sheet.

Questions about your setup? Email hello@gro-myco.com.