Are you one of the lab owners who keep a household refrigerator in their labs? This is a mistake. Why? Because labs require different temperatures for different samples and items, which household refrigerators cannot offer. Thus, laboratory refrigerators are manufactured with distinct specifications. There are significant differences between laboratory refrigerators and household refrigerators which you should know about being a scientific expert or lab owner.
The Key Differences
Laboratory freezers and refrigerators come with stricter regulations and controls for creating varied environments, which makes them significantly different from household refrigerators.
Temperature Monitoring
Household refrigerators only store and preserve food items that don’t require specific temperatures. But lab equipment needs to be accurate. Lab refrigerators and freezers come under strict regulations as they store various costly samples, medicines, vaccines, and others. These refrigerators have digital displays and alarm systems. You can set the ideal temperature. If it fluctuates, the alarm will inform you. Even the slightest fluctuation can render the medicines ineffective, resulting in patients receiving incorrect doses.
Storage Of Items
While household refrigerators have divided chambers, the lab refrigerators come with more refined racks and lab-specific interior design that allows for keeping different-sized items well-sorted and organized.
Security
While household refrigerators might need security from kids’ late-night snacking on ice cream, laboratory refrigerators house hazardous drugs, samples, patented chemicals, and even fresh chemical solutions. The nature of the lab samples and medicines demands high-end security, especially in large open labs where thousands of experts work on world-changing technologies.
The chemicals’ fumes and vulnerability are well-locked by the locks and security systems accompanying lab refrigerators. These freezers are also made spark-proof to eliminate the possibility of any electrical explosion or fire.
Refrigerator Lifecycle
Every lab equipment, including lab freezers, is an investment for the laboratory; thus, it needs thorough consideration of essential factors before buying one. One of them is the longevity of the refrigerator. “How long will the refrigerator last” is an important question. A household refrigerator is not designed to endure the environment of a scientific lab.
You will buy a household refrigerator that will not serve the purpose. Besides, the opening and closing of the door multiple times, as it happens in the laboratory, is not suitable for a domestic refrigerator. Thus, invest in a good laboratory refrigerator.
Temperature Uniformity
Household refrigerators don’t have uniform temperatures. The cold freezer is always the coldest, and the upper chambers are colder than the lower chambers. This means: the air circulation is poor.
But Medical refrigerators can’t allow it. They need to store every medicine and every dose at a defined temperature. Some lab refrigerators come with multiple independent chambers, which allow for setting different temperatures for different samples.
Energy Efficiency
A lab houses hundreds of refrigerators which means huge energy consumption. While domestic refrigerators are less energy efficient, lab refrigerators are especially known for their energy efficiency; otherwise, they will rule out the lab’s benefit. Therefore, check the energy efficiency of refrigerators before buying one for your lab.
Special Features
The lab freezers come with different features which are unique to them. These features include multiple ports, automatic dialers, battery backup, door jar alarms, stainless exterior, customized interiors, etc.
Also, they are equipped with extra fans to aid refrigeration. A single domestic refrigerator makes a lot of noise, but in a lab with hundreds of devices, these refrigerators are designed to make minimum noise.
Plus, these refrigerators are opened and closed hundreds of times a day and thus come with robust doors. These features make an entirely different class due to their features.
How To Choose the Right Lab Refrigerator/ Freezer?
The requirement is the major consideration for choosing the right lab refrigerator/ freezer. Answer some basic questions, such as:
- How much space do I have for the refrigerator?
- What are my refrigeration needs?
- What is my budget?
- How much power will a double-door freezer consume?
- What are the features I need in my lab refrigerator?
- What is the level of security I need?
These questions will help you shortlist the categories of refrigerators you can choose from.
Final Words
The different usages of domestic and lab refrigerators require unique features that differ significantly. Now, you can understand why a household refrigerator is not fit for a laboratory. By going over the ‘how to choose the right lab refrigerator /freezer’ section, learn what kind of refrigerator you need and invest wisely.
