Lab Refrigerators

No scientific or medical laboratory can run without lab refrigerators and freezers that are safe and secure places for storing the different materials, samples, and products in a controlled temperature environment.

As many such materials are delicate and sensitive to temperature fluctuations, cold storage units are mandatory.

The Need For a Laboratory Refrigerator

  • Before understanding the different aspects of choosing a laboratory, let us first understand why you need it.
  • In a laboratory, you need to preserve materials and samples that are sensitive to temperature changes. Stuff, like vaccines, blood samples, and many pharmaceutical items, require hygienic and remarkably consistent temperature environments to retain their values and minimize the risk of complications, such as bacterial growth or developing instability.
  • With lab refrigerators and freezers, you get a reliable cold storage facility for scientific and medical laboratories. In addition to regulating temperature, such refrigerators also have an advanced temperature monitoring system that alerts laboratory workers when issues, such as sensors not working or freezer door is left open, arise. In these ways, such refrigerators prevent sensitive stored material from damages.


Types of Cold Storage Units

Such cold storage units come in a variety of options, with unique benefits for each one. And you might find yourself in a confused state while choosing a cold storage unit.

But, there is no reason to worry as we bring you the following guidelines for allaying your confusion and enabling choosing the perfect lab refrigerator or freezers:

Under-Counter Refrigerators and Freezers

If there is less space in your lab, you can choose these types of units. With a typical dimension of about two and a half or four cubic feet, the units fit perfectly under counters, into corners, and in other areas within the limited space. With a benchtop refrigerator, you can increase counter space to get a larger working area. Besides, under-counter refrigerators and freezers bear most of the larger equivalents' features, such as free-standing, glass or stable doors, etc. Also, these refrigerators are affordable, which makes them the perfect choice for small laboratories.

Upright Refrigerators and Freezers

You can consider high-performance upright refrigerators as perfect solutions for any lab. These can fit a lab of any size as they come in a variety of sizes. If your lab is large, you can consider such refrigerators with two or three-door variants that provide more storage space. Upright refrigerators come with reliable temperature control systems that allow you to adjust and maintain your vaccines and pharmaceuticals' ideal temperature environment. These refrigerators are also equipped with a microprocessor controller, digital display, and security system to alert your laboratory staff of any issues or temperature fluctuations.

Low-Temperature Freezers

If you need extremely low temperatures to store materials in your lab, choose a low-temperature freezer that can bring the temperature down to around –10 to –45 degrees Celsius. As there is no universal temperature setting for vaccines, samples, and other medical materials, you need a cold storage unit to keep the items at various temperature ranges. A standard freezer can maintain a temperature of around -25 degrees Celsius, but that temperature is not suitable for many lab materials requiring lower temperatures.

Ultra-Low Temperature Freezers

An ultra-low temperature freezer is a perfect solution if you need to store your materials at temperatures that a low-temperature freezer cannot handle. An ultra-low temperature freezer bears the capability of maintaining a temperature range of –50 to –86 degrees Celsius, providing powerful and intensive cold storage. With such robust cold storage, the need for an efficient security system becomes imperative. These refrigerators are equipped with a digital, password-protected display, apart from audible power failure, low battery alarm, and sensor failure alarms to cater to the need.

Ultra-low temperature freezers also come with a magnetically sealed door. With such a door, you get a bit of extra control and insulation. Another remarkable feature of these refrigerators is a rapid cool-down system to bring the temperature to the safe levels after the door opens and closes. It helps lower the risk of damaging or contamination of your items whenever your staff opens and closes the door.

Blood Bank Refrigerators

If you run a blood bank, you need to store blood, plasma, and other blood products. As such, a blood bank refrigerator is the right cold storage for you. You also need to follow strict regulations to store blood and the related materials safely. In addition to reliable temperature control, these refrigerators come with built-in storage compartments and a good organizational system. Your staff must differentiate blood samples in your lab, but the differentiation becomes difficult with sight alone. It is where the organizational feature of blood bank refrigerators is helpful.

Conclusion

Choosing the appropriate cold storage for your lab is a meticulous affair that calls for due diligence beforehand. We hope that this article will serve as a valuable guide when choosing the perfect cold storage for your lab.