Cold Storage Survey 2014 Results
Freezers and refrigerators are an integral part of any laboratory that requires temperature controlled storage.
by
Trevor Henderson, PhD
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Trevor Henderson BSc (HK), MSc, PhD (c), is the creative services director at Lab Manager. He has more than two decades of experience in the fields of scientific...
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Maintaining samples at an optimal temperature while in storage is vital for many lab professionals and this makes choosing the right freezer or refrigerator a crucial task. While the average kitchen freezer operates at about -20°C, laboratory variants have a much wider range of options depending on the storage conditions needed.
Top 5 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a 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 used by survey respondents
| Blood bank and plasma | 6% |
| Explosion-proof | 7% |
| Flammable materials storage | 6% |
| Upright general purpose lab freezers | 26% |
| Under-counter general purpose lab freezers | 10% |
| Low temperature chest lab freezers | 6% |
| Low temperature upright lab freezers | 14% |
| Upright ultra-low temperature freezers | 17% |
| Chest ultra-low temperature freezers | 5% |
| Other | 3% |
For service and repair, survey respondents report using the following:
| In-house service department | 28% |
| Third-party contract | 19% |
| Third-party time/material | 16% |
| Instrument manufacturer time/material | 16% |
| Instrument manufacturer service contract | 8% |
| Multi-vendor service provider | 6% |
| Don't know | 6% |
| Our department | 5% |
| Other | 1% |
Nearly 44% of respondents plan on purchasing cold storage equipment in the next year. The budget ranges for these purchases are as follows:
 | Less than $5,000 |  |
 | $5,000-$15,000 | |
 | $15,000-$30,000 | |
 | $30,000 |
Top 10 features/factors respondents look for when purchasing cold storage equipment
| Reliability of product | 79% |
| Durability | 70% |
| Price | 66% |
| Sensitivity and Accuracy of Temperature Controls | 55% |
| Warranties | 48% |
| Energy Efficient | 43% |
| Reputation of Vendor | 39% |
| Service and Support | 39% |
| Audible and Visual Hi/Lo Alarm for Each Controller | 36% |
| Quiet operation | 35% |
Completed Surveys: 340
For more information on cold storage equipment, including useful articles and a list of manufacturers, visit www.labmanager.com/fridges-freezers