Friday, 3 October 2008

Heavy Duty Lab & Pharmacy Refrigerators

Heavy Duty Lab & Pharmacy Refrigerators
By Arpita Chaudhary

The refrigeration requirement for laboratories and pharmacies is higher than household requirements. Therefore, a Lab & Pharmacy Refrigerator becomes a necessary addition for such setups. These refrigerators are heavy-duty units that are capable of maintaining very low temperatures.

The Laboratory and Pharmacy refrigerators can be classified into four different types namely the Standard Laboratory & Pharmacy Refrigerators, Chromatography Refrigerators, Pass-Thru Refrigerators and Laboratory & Pharmacy Refrigerators with Drawers.

These refrigerators are all U.L. listed units. They vary in size from a small 24 cubic feet unit to large 85 cubic feet units. The small units are single door units and the large ones have two or three doors. These are suitable for maintaining temperatures form -1 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees Celsius or -2 degrees Celsius to10 degrees Celsius.

Some important things to kept in mind before buying a suitable refrigerator include:

  • Decide what the unit is going to be used for and the size required

  • If the contents inside the refrigerator need to be on display, select a glass door unit. Otherwise, but one that ha a solid door

  • Some standard features to look for in a Lab & Pharmacy Refrigerator include, forced air cooling, automatic defrost, digital temperature control, quiet operation and door locks

  • A unit with an in-built alarm system is effective. If the door of the refrigerator is left open accidentally, the alarm goes off

  • Always buy the refrigerator that has a good, reliable brand name. This ensures quality and after sales service
  • Once the lab medicines and other important medical items are kept inside the refrigerator and the unit has been put to use, certain guidelines should be followed to ensure effective functioning. For example:

  • Record maximum/minimum temperature twice a day to keep a check on performance

  • Unplug or switch off the unit only for cleaning

  • Leave space between the stock stored for good circulation of air

  • Do not keep the refrigerator door open for long

  • Do not store drinks and food in pharmacy refrigerator

  • Keep the door of the unit locked so that only the authorized people can open the refrigerator
  • The Lab & Pharmacy Refrigerators are a must for medical setups. They keep the reagents, enzymes and vaccines well preserved.


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