Installing laboratory refrigerators and freezers

Laboratory refrigerators and laboratory freezers are quite expensive and you need to make a big investment to procure them. People who use lab refrigerators or lab freezers need to be familiar with how they must put them in operation, and make sure that they are operated in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions. They should also have a basic idea about the maintenance procedures.

Installation

There are instructions in the manual which come with lab freezers which will guide you to unbox and set the freezer up. You must position your equipment in a way that there is enough circulation for air towards the top and the sides. You must also ensure that the freezer is elevated at least four inches from the ground. Provide a strong and reliable power supply.

·         You must note that the lab freezers and refrigerators should be directly wired with the lab’s central electrical grid. You should do this with the help of professional electricians.

·         You should be familiar with your auto defrosting cycle in your lab freezer and how you can manually defrost it without having any impact on the contents.

General Maintenance Methods

It is essential that you keep the freezer units clean. You should clean the freezer parts on a regular or frequent basis. You can use warm water with baking soda for cleaning the interior surfaces and to remove bad odor from the spilled contents. You can clean the exteriors with any commercial glass cleaner.

Trouble-Shooting Lab Freezers

In general lab freezers have a two year warranty on the various parts and a five year warranty on the compressors. There may be occasions where the different units will not function properly and you must consult the manual in these cases. Some of the malfunctions which can happen are as follows:

·         The compressor is not starting: The power supply is disconnected or damaged.

·         The compressor is working continually: The refrigerant may need replacing, the evaporator has iced or is stuck.

·         The compressor has short cycles: You should check the overload protectors, increase the spread between the different temperature settings, check if the refrigerant is undercharged and the air in your system is not circulating properly.

·         The laboratory refrigerator freezer space is too warm: Settings are too high, the refrigerant may be overcharged, there may be a dirty condenser, the evaporator coils have iced, and the air flow to the condenser and evaporator is blocked.

·         The standard temperature is freezing the product: Control settings are too low or the control points are stuck.

·         Any form of noise: Noise can come because of various reasons like the fan blade is striking one the shroud, the tubes are rattling, the fan blade is vibrating, the condenser motor is rattling, vibrations in general and fan motors getting worn out.

It is important that you provide proper care to all your lab equipment and maintain them appropriately. Lab freezers and refrigerators will provide you with years of uninterrupted services when they are well maintained. In case, you face any issues, or your freezers need repair work then you must contact the professionals to come and resolve the issue.