Cell culture incubators, or carbon dioxide (CO2) incubators, are designed to mimic a cell’s natural environment with a relative humidity around 95 percent and temperature of 37°C. The CO2 concentration, about 5%, is controlled to match physiologic conditions and maintain a constant pH of 7.2 to 7.5.
Top 6 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a CO2 Incubator:
- What measures have been taken in the design to avoid contamination and what feature are included to remove (sterilize versus decon) contamination?
- How does the CO2 sensor contribute to optimal cell growth?
- How does the humidity contribute to optimal cell growth?
- Ask for the uniformity and accuracy data versus asking for a water jacket or air jacket.
- Do you need O2 control to simulate the environment for your experiment accurately?
- Calculate the total cost of ownership on the product over one year including product price, install, regular cleaning labor, material like HEPA filter, etc.
| Top ten factors/features that influence our readers when buying a CO2 incubator: | |
| Low maintenance/easy to clean | 98% |
| Stable CO2 control | 98% |
| Value for price paid | 98% |
| Performance of product | 96% |
| Warranties | 96% |
| Ease of use | 94% |
| Audible & visible temperature alarms | 93% |
| Service and support | 93% |
| Minimal temperature control | 91% |
| Safety and health features | 91% |
| Types of CO2 incubators being used in our readers’ labs: | |
| Water jacketed | 63% |
| Air jacketed | 41% |
| Stacked units | 41% |
| HEPA filtered | 38% |
| Passively humidified | 35% |
| Benchtop | 24% |
| Thermistor-controlled CO2 | 23% |
| Actively humidified | 17% |
| Infrared-controlled CO2 | 17% |
| Auto-decontaminating | 16% |
| O2 Controlled | 12% |
| Other | 15% |
| Incubator components currently being used by our respondents: | |
| High temperature disinfection | 20% |
| Infrared CO2 control | 17% |
| O2 control | 14% |
| RH control | 12% |
| Data logger | 11% |
| Other | 7% |
| Most common incubator operation issues being experienced by our readers: | |
| Presence of contamination in the unit | 23% |
| CO2 level is unstable | 21% |
| Condensation | 18% |
| Unstable temperature | 12% |
| Humidity display | 6% |
| Most common maintenance checks being performed by our respondents: | |
| CO2 tank regulator pressure gauge inspection | 72% |
| Humidity pan/pan level check | 71% |
| Temperature display check with internal thermometer | 71% |
| Interior disinfection and removable parts autoclaved | 62% |
| CO2 inspection with an independent analyzer | 52% |
| CO2 regulator and gas lines leak check | 50% |
| CO2 and temperature calibrated using factory procedures | 35% |
| Filter discoloration/replacement check | 28% |
| Power cord wear inspection | 27% |
| Proper CO2 tank switcher operation inspection | 25% |
| Air flow and fan blade rotation/discoloration inspection | 18% |
For more information on CO2 Incubators, including useful articles and a list of manufacturers, visit www.labmanager.com/incubators
