Chilling incubators are popular scientific items for labs that study colonies. If you need one to help with your operations, then taking this advice into consideration is the best way to come away with the right equipment that you can rely on all year-round.
Assess Interior Capacity
You'll find a pretty big difference in interior capacity from incubator to incubator. Some can hold up to 100 liter of contents and then others are much smaller, only capable of holding 27 liters. The interior capacity is a very relevant factor that can determine just how well this purchase works for your lab and its operations.
The bigger the interior space, the more samples you'll be able to store. That also means more costs to account for. Review your colony analysis operations and figure out how many samples you typically work with on average. This figure can ensure the interior capacity you go with suits your needs.
Consider Programmable Design
You may at some point have operations where you need to see samples go through different temperature changes for a period of time. If your operations warrant this, then you can comply by getting a chilling incubator that has a programmable design.
You'll be able to set specific temperature ranges throughout different periods, depending on what your operations entail. Once the temperature ranges are set, the incubator will respond accordingly. You can adjust the programmable settings any time too if you need to make adjustments.
Make Sure Vibrations Are Minimal
When it comes to sensitive samples -- be it bacteria or fungi -- you want to disturb them as little as possible. You'll then be able to effectively analyze them and look forward to results that provide meaning. You won't disturb the samples inside at all if you ensure the incubator produces minimal vibrations or none at all.
This is a feature that you probably want to see in action before you go with a particular incubator model. You can talk to the supplier and see if they'll send you a test unit to try out its performance. Or, you may have to analyze reviews and see what vibration qualities other consumers have experienced.
Studying things like bacterial samples is much easier to do when you have a high-quality chilling incubator. You'll find these machines online and if you're particular about which one you go with, that's a recipe for a great purchase.