Know the Differences between Laboratory and Domestic Refrigerator

,
By Kent Henry


What are differences of the domestic refrigerator and the laboratory refrigerator? It seems like people have the hard time to distinguish the various types of refrigerators. The choice basically depends on peoples personal preferences. Refrigerator is considered to be one of the most important appliances that should be present in all households. The type of refrigerator unit to have is based on your refrigeration needs. If it is for the usage inside the homes, domestic refrigerator is indeed required. For goods that need to be frozen, then, use a low-temperature freezer. While for those refrigeration need is for scientific supplies, laboratory refrigerator is all that you needed.


Laboratory refrigerators store important medical and scientific materials at specific temperatures. Some are therefore very low temperature refrigerators for items that need to be kept extremely cold. Others reduce humidity so that sensitive specimens stay safe or intact in a highly controlled environment. As you might be able to tell, it is usually people in a specific profession who use these types of refrigerators. They are not used in households. With their specific temperature regulation capabilities, laboratory refrigerators are designed with much more detail and fine-tuned requirements than a typical home refrigerator.

You can buy laboratory refrigerators in many designs, shapes and sizes. Generally speaking however, they exist in two main categories: the chest freezer and the upright freezer. These models differ mainly in the respective quantities of space that each one needs. Depending on the layout and available space in a laboratory, it is appealing to have a refrigerator that can fit conveniently under a lab counter. Small refrigeration units like these will reduce the risk of accidents because they are tucked out of the way of any traffic.

An upright refrigerator is space saving compared to chest freezer. Though it is smaller, it still can hold bigger storage capacity. This refrigerator is more effective in maintaining and trapping air to be cool. Chest refrigerator on the other hand, can easily regulate the temperature even if it was exposed to the laboratory air when the door has been opened. Upright refrigerators have more room for organization, so samples will not be mixed up and misplaced, so you can have an easy access.

We typically keep our household refrigerators around 38 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike the laboratory refrigerator, the items we store do not require quite such careful temperature regulation. Domestic refrigerators do not vary as much in the sizes and shapes that they come in. Most are a standard size with a top or bottom freezer compartment. You can store your frozen foods here, or purchase a separate sub-zero refrigerator, commonly called a freezer. While laboratory refrigerators sometimes have more than one solid or sliding glass door, domestic refrigerators open with a single, outward-pull door. They usually feature sliding drawers for produce and compartments on the door for eggs and cheese.

Domestic Refrigerator has an adjustable temperature while the laboratory refrigerators are created with an alarm system. Meaning, the alarm system will inform the lab personnel whenever there are changes in internal temperatures. From the mentioned differences, you can now distinguish on what type of refrigerator you specifically needed. The insights you have just read is for you to familiarize the laboratory and domestic refrigerators.




About the Author: