Research and clinical laboratories depend on ultra-low freezers to maintain the integrity of precious patient samples and other biological products. In the event of freezer warm-ups or the failure of a compressor, often laboratories must utilize a service company to diagnose the issue and repair a troubled unit, incurring expenses for labor, travel, and parts.
Unfortunately, freezer warm-ups and compressor failures are not uncommon events. Helmer Scientific wanted to better understand the direct financial impact of an ultra-low compressor failure. We gathered all the various expenses a facility would incur in this situation, including troubleshooting, transporting the unit to and from a service company, the cost of the replacement compressor itself, billable hours for labor, and several miscellaneous charges. These add up to a substantial figure.
Of course, preventing service issues such as compressor failure and freezer warm-ups from occurring in the first place is the best solution. Thoughtfully developed products that are intentionally designed to address problems like this can help laboratories save money by limiting costly service calls, therefore lowering the total cost of ownership. For ultra-low freezers, it is especially important to minimize the risks of occurrence for these types of events. The failure of an ultra-low temperature freezer can not only result in a substantial financial loss, but can also mean losing years of researchers’ time and effort. This means that clinicians and investigators need to take great care in selecting brands and equipment critical to protecting research or enabling the delivery of patient care.
To learn more about the financial impact of compressor failure and warm-up events, download our article “Ultra-Low Freezer Design – Reducing the Risks of Service Costs.”
