Yes, Bordynuik made it clear that the machine has to be in "pristine condition" to run properly.
Unfortunately, running it renders it less-than-pristine in short order due to the build up of crud. He even showed a photo of the problem. After years of tinkering and tweaking this problem has not been solved in a way that allows for continuous operation.
Remember when "continuous operation" and "steady state" were part of the JBI mantra? Ahh... the good old days!