Many people find it difficult to really know the difference between refrigerator types. Finding the right model and brand of refrigerator to buy depends entirely on your own personal refrigeration needs. You might require a basic domestic fridge for in-house use, a low-temperature freezer for frozen goods, or a laboratory refrigerator for scientific supplies. As an appliance, a refrigerator is somewhat of an investment. That means that you'll want to make sure you've done all you can to pick the best one.

Laboratory Refrigerators

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 takes up a smaller amount of space in the lab than the chest freezer, but still has a comparable storage capacity. They are more effective at maintaining and trapping cool air than the upright model as well. Chest refrigerators can bounce back quickly to their regulated temperatures even when the door has been opened, exposing them to the laboratory air. Upright refrigerators are less efficient and take up more space, but they have more room for organization. This way, important samples are not misplaced or mixed up, and they can be accessed easily.

Domestic Refrigerators

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.

You can adjust the temperature of your domestic refrigerator with a dial at your own leisure, whereas most laboratory refrigerators are equipped with an alarm system. As soon as the internal temperature undergoes any sort of change, the alarm will go off to notify lab personnel. Now that you know the difference between refrigerator types, you can see how the refrigerator's intended use largely defines the model you will choose to buy. Most people only require a domestic refrigerator, but now you are familiar with the higher-tech functions of laboratory models as well.

Many people think that a lab refrigerator is just a larger version of the domestic refrigerator. But there is more to a lab freezer than what a novice knows. Lab refrigerators are specifically designed to store critical materials over extended periods of time. The temperatures of these refrigerators is maintained and kept constant at all times so that the many specimens and samples that are kept in it can be preserved in a stable environment.

There are mainly two types of lab refrigerators. One is called the chest freezer and the other called the upright freezer. The main difference between the two is the footprint space that they take. The upright refrigerator, in comparison to the chest refrigerators, has a far smaller footprint without having to compromise on the storage capacity.

Chest refrigerators are also more effective in cooling and maintaining the temperatures by retaining the cool air in a more efficient manner than the upright refrigerator. These chest refrigerators also have the capacity of recovering and going back to the original regulated temperature even when the door of the freezer is kept open for longer durations. However, the biggest advantage that upright refrigerators have over chest refrigerators is that the samples kept in them are much easier to locate.

Laboratory refrigerators work most efficiently when the temperature of the room in which they are kept is also regulated and maintained. Very high temperatures hamper the performance of the refrigerator, and therefore it is best to keep them in rooms which have a temperature going up to a maximum of 45 degrees C. However, in high room temperatures the pressure on the freezer compressor is higher. Allowing proper air circulation is very important so that the refrigerators keep functioning well.

Cramming the room with too many refrigerators will increase the heat emission from the refrigerators and increase the overall temperature of the room thereby putting pressure on the compressor. Lab refrigerators cannot be auto defrosted because this cycle normally destroys the biological samples as this method thaws and then re freezes the samples.

Laboratory refrigerators are designed bearing in mind that a number of volatile or flammable objects will be stored in them. At times specially designed refrigerators are used just for the purpose of storing these samples. Such refrigerators are CFC free, have compressors that are thematically sealed and have an insulation that is foamed in place. The design of these refrigerators also allows them to tolerate explosions.

Another very important aspect of the lab fridge is the alarm system. Most laboratory refrigerator manufacturing companies install an alarm in the refrigerator that is programmed to go off the moment there is a change in the temperature or if the door to the freezer has been left open. A number of refrigerators are also being manufactured with alarm systems, password protection and temperature graphs that allow 24X7 monitoring. Since the advent of the computer fridges can be specially designed keeping in mind its functionality and requirements, making life in the lab a whole lot easier.