Lab refrigerator - (Oct/23/2012 )
I need to pruchase a large refrigerator that will only be used for storing ELISA assay kits. Any tips on things to look for or avoid when purchasing units?
You should make sure that the fridge is one that doesn't have a freeze/thaw cycle built into the system - usually known as a frost- free freezer - they warm up the area to keep it free of ice so the temperature is much less stable than in a normal freezer. It isn't so important for fridges, but many fridges still have the function built in to ensure that areas around the cooling equipment remain free of ice.
You probably want to maximize the number of shelves and avoid butter warmers and vege bins.
Another thing to add is that you might want to look for one that has all of the circuitry etc at the back enclosed rather than exposed. I'm pretty sure this is a safety requirement in chemistry labs, but don't know about biology labs. You might want to check with your institute's safety officer to see what the rules and risks are.
leelee on Wed Oct 24 01:55:28 2012 said:
Another thing to add is that you might want to look for one that has all of the circuitry etc at the back enclosed rather than exposed. I'm pretty sure this is a safety requirement in chemistry labs, but don't know about biology labs. You might want to check with your institute's safety officer to see what the rules and risks are.
aka "explosion proof"
if all you are going to store in the fridge are elisa kits then this won't be necessary.
do you require only ~4C or will you also require -20C?
if you don't need a freezer then you won't have to look for a "non-frost free" (manual defrost) unit.
here are some examples:
pc richard
best buy
Not worried about it being explosion proof, I'm not putting anything in there where that is a risk (only Elisa kits). Only need ~4C, definitely planning on a refrigerator only unit, I have more then enough freezer space already.