Freezers and refrigerators are an integral part of any laboratory that requires temperature controlled storage.
Top 5 Questions You Should Ask When Buying Cold Storage Equipment
- How is the product manufactured? Ask about the quality of the materials used and the product life.
- What is the warranty? What does it include and for how long? Will anything void the warranty?
- How green is the product? Ask the company to provide details on energy efficiency and have them relate it to your return on investment (e.g. in four years will you save enough money in energy costs to pay for your freezer/fridge?).
- How much sample capacity are you getting for your space?
- What are the optimal voltage/wiring conditions for running the fridge/ freezer? If the building is older, will low voltage or voltage fluctuations affect the performance of the freezer/fridge?
Types of cold storage equipment used by survey respondents:
| Upright general-purpose lab freezers | 75% |
| Upright ultra-low temperature freezers | 58% |
| Low temperature upright lab freezers | 51% |
| Under-counter general purpose lab freezers | 39% |
| Chest ultra-low temperature freezers | 20% |
| Flammable materials storage | 19% |
| Low temperature chest lab freezers | 18% |
| Blood bank and plasma | 17% |
| Explosion-proof | 12% |
| Other | 10% |
Service and repair methods for cold storage equipment as reported by survey respondents:
| In-house service department | 46% |
| Instrument manufacturer time/material | 29% |
| Third-party contract | 26% |
| Instrument manufacturer service contract | 18% |
| Third-party time/material | 14% |
| Our department | 9% |
| Multi-vendor service provider | 7% |
| Other | 1% |
| Don't know | 9% |
Nearly 62% of respondents are engaged in purchasing new cold storage equipment. The reasons for these purchases are as follows:
 | Upgrading existing cold storage equipment | 17% |  |
 | Replacing obsolete equipment | 45% | |
 | Addition to existing systems, increase capacity | 28% | |
 | Setting up a new lab | 4% | |
 | Other | 6% |
Top 10 Features/Factors Respondents Look for When Purchasing Cold Storage Equipment:
| Reliability of product | 83% |
| Durability of product | 75% |
| Price | 68% |
| Sensitivity and accuracy of temperature controls | 67% |
| Warranties | 60% |
| Audible and visual hi/lo alarm for each controller | 51% |
| Service and support | 50% |
| Energy efficient | 47% |
| Reputation of vendor | 43% |
| Ergonomics and safety controls | 42% |
For more information on cold storage equipment, including useful articles and a list of manufacturers, visit www.labmanager.com/cold-storage
