No laboratory owner can escape investing in a cold storage facility to store temperature-sensitive items. Cold storage units—refrigerators or freezers—are the lifeline of laboratories, and without which, no laboratory can function.
When it comes to investing in a cold storage unit, you need to exercise adequate care to ensure that you purchase the right unit that will function properly.
Keep in mind that if your unit malfunctions, it will call for a heavy toll. It can damage the stored items to compel you to incur monetary losses in replenishing the damaged item stock. The negative impacts do not end here; the damaged items will also cause substantial losses to the researchers by spoiling their research work for years.
So, purchasing the right cold storage unit for your laboratory is one of the most important aspects of streamlining your laboratory’s operations.
Therefore, we recommend you take into consideration of the following factors before your purchase:
What Items You Will Store?
The concept of the right cold storage unit differs from laboratory to laboratory. As different laboratories store different items, the cold storage needs of all laboratories are not the same.
The items you will store in a cold storage unit will dictate the type of cold storage unit you require for your laboratory.
The first thing to consider is the items you will store in a cold storage unit and the corresponding temperature requirements.
If you want to store drugs, viruses, bacteria, cell preparations, and tissue samples, choose a freezer with a temperature range of -45 to -86 degrees Celsius.
For storing blood products, vaccines, and biological samples, go for a freezer with a temperature range of -30 to -45 degrees Celsius. And if you want to store specialized items, like, COVID19 vaccines, choose an ultra-low temperature freezer.
A freezer with a temperature range of -20 to 30 degrees Celsius is ideal for storing enzymes and biological reagents.
What is Energy Requirement?
Check the energy consumption of the freezer you want to buy. Despite the substantial technological advancement in technology, freezers consume a lot of electricity and inflate energy bills.
So, while selecting a freezer for your laboratory, ensure that its electricity consumption falls within your energy budget.
Where You Will Keep the Freezer?
The place where you will keep your freezer in your laboratory is a critical aspect to consider before purchasing it.
You might want to place the freezer in a corner or under or above the counter in your laboratory. So, take into account these aspects before you purchase the freezer.
A horizontal or vertical freezer can be the perfect fit for your laboratory, depending on the space availability and requirements.
What Features the Freezer Should Have?
The features of your prospective freezer are something you should consider seriously. You can get to see many features in freezers, and you might not need all of them.
So, assess the features and figure out whether or not they are necessary for your laboratory. Besides, many freezers come with optional features.
But, there are a few must-have features you need to make sure your prospective freezer comes with, such as:
Remote Monitoring
Remote monitoring is an essential feature you should not miss out on in your freezer. You will get substantial advantages from a freezer that allows you to monitor its temperature remotely or wirelessly.
Alert Systems
Ensure that the freezer has audio and video alert systems to send alert signals when the freezer’s temperature goes out of the prescribed range.
External Digital Thermometer
Choose a freezer that comes with an external digital thermometer, enabling your staff to keep track of the freezer temperature.
What Are the Types Of Freezers?
The freezer market is diverse, with many units, with different features that cater to different needs.
You will find the following types of freezers in the market:
Undercounter
These freezers are a perfect fit if your laboratory has limited space. Such freezers are small so that they can fit into tight spaces within a laboratory.
Also Read: How To Handle Vaccines Safely: The Best Practices
They are more or less similar to upright freezers, and the only difference is that they utilize shelf space instead of floor space.
Upright
The upright variants are the common cold storage options for laboratories. Upright freezers are vertical and come with front doors that open upwards. They also bear many configurations and can have different compartments.
Chest
Chest freezers are large cold storage units for a laboratory. They bear cube-like appearances and give access from the top. Such freezers do not have compartments, allowing the storage of many items with a precise organization or arrangement.
Low-Temperature
Low-temperature freezers can maintain low temperatures of around -20 degrees Celsius. They are low-cost units and are ideal for laboratories that store items requiring moderately low temperatures. Besides, these freezers entail low maintenance costs and energy consumption.
Ultra-Low Temperature
These freezers are meant for storing items that require freezing temperatures. Ultra-low temperature freezers provide shallow temperatures, ranging from -45 to -86 degrees Celsius. For example, a laboratory that stores highly temperature-sensitive items, such as the COVID19 vaccine, needs an ultra-low temperature freezer.
These freezers come with the best safety features. The only downside is that freezers have high electricity consumption.
Conclusion
Purchasing a freezer for your laboratory entails a substantial investment. And what is more, it has to run properly, adhering to the prescribed temperature ranges for your laboratory to run smoothly.
Any malfunction of your freezer can bring in substantial losses for you. As such, you need to choose the unit carefully. Also, do not fall behind in assessing your affordability so that you can shortlist freezers that come within your budget.
