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Clean the door gaskets
The function of a freezer gasket is to form a tight seal
around the edge of a door, preventing warm air from
entering the chamber or cold air from leaving. All ul-
tralow freezers are tted with an outer door gasket as
standard, however many manufacturers also gasket
the inner doors to help maintain a uniform tempera-
ture within the internal compartments of the freezer. “I
regularly check the door gaskets for leaks,” says Adam
Hudson, Scientist at LGC Limited, “which can easily be
spotted by an accumulation of ice at any weak points.
I also wipe them down with a soft cloth occasional-
ly, to remove any dust or dirt that could compromise
their performance.”
Store materials appropriately
Ultralow freezers perform best when the airow with-
in them is uninterrupted, and the use of a racking
system not only maximizes storage space but also en-
sures that the correct airow is maintained. “We use a
freezer racking system to allow us to easily locate our
samples,” explains Giovanna Cacciola, Senior Scientist
at Innova Biosciences. “This permits us to stack box-
es and containers neatly, and means that the amount
of time for which the door remains open is kept to
a minimum.” It is also important that materials are
not stored on top of the freezer, since these can trap
warm air and cause the compressor to operate more
frequently to maintain temperature; not only will this
raise energy costs, it will also reduce the lifetime of
the compressor.
Don’t ignore freezer alarms
Ultralow freezers are tted with alarms to indicate
high temperature, low temperature, power failure,
prolonged door opening, system monitoring failure,
and more. Although these can usually be muted, it
is essential that they are not ignored. “The ultralow
freezers which I use are all equipped with an alarm
test button,” notes Hudson. “The alarm is checked rou-
tinely within the cleaning and maintenance schedule,
and each freezer is clearly labeled with the details of a
point of contact.”
Ultralow freezers contain irreplaceable samples, cost-
ly reagents, and often years of research. By treating
them with the respect they deserve and performing
simple preventive maintenance, these vital pieces of
laboratory equipment will provide many years of re-
liable service.
Blizzard Ultralow Freezers feature insulated inner doors and
a multi-point gasket system to create a tight seal to minimize
frost build-up.
