The COVID‐19 pandemic has increased demand for ventilators. Anaesthetic machines offer an alternative, but these are not designed to run continuously. Our department uses Dräger Primus anaesthetic machines which require daily checks. Dräger company representatives have indicated that checks can be deferred for up to 72 h 1, but this might increase the risk of malfunctions. Checks take several minutes, so an alternative means of ventilation is required to cover this period, necessitating two circuit disconnections per patient. Each disconnection potentially generates an infectious aerosol, and risks tracheal tube displacement and lung derecruitment, even with precautions such as tracheal tube clamping. We concluded that multiple circuit disconnections were unsatisfactory and devised a process for daily checks with a single disconnection per patient. We call this process ‘domino switching’.The process requires one extra anaesthetic machine and depends on the breathing circuit of each machine being able to reach patients on either side of the device. It works most efficiently when beds are arranged in long rows but can work with other bed configurations if extended breathing circuits are used. Once a day, trained anaesthetic assistants in teams of two perform the switches, starting with the spare machine at the end of the row. Ventilator settings for the first patient are copied to the clean machine and the patient switched over to this new device. The machine that was previously connected can now be switched off, cleaned, and have preventative maintenance conducted. We inspect the water traps, change the circuit and heat and moisture exchange (HME) filters and replace the carbon dioxide absorber daily during the switch. The system is then powered up, checked and brought back into service. We have created ‘action cards’ to guide practitioners through the steps in a standardised manner. The freshly cleaned and checked machine now functions as the new ventilator for the next patient. The process repeats along the row, ending again with a clean, unconnected machine. The next day the process begins here and proceeds along the row in the opposite direction.We recommend that an anaesthetist familiar with the machine is immediately available in case of difficulties but need not supervise directly once teams are experienced. The process takes 10–15 min per patient, and we have been using it successfully for 3 weeks. We have had no anaesthetic machine failures or critical incidents, nor any problems with carbon dioxide build‐up. The teams have been positive regarding the process and the action cards which guide them. Regular checks of systems and circuits with programmed HME filter changes offer an important opportunity for safety inspections during this period of off‐label equipment use.