LabInfo/thawing

From Kimmel Lab Wiki

Back to Working Info for the Lab

The lab has shared -80C freezer space at the southwest end of Huestis. The lab has a shared upright -20C freezer and a shared -20C chest freezer in 325 Huestis. We also have 4C shared "deli case" in 325 Huestis. We have a -20C and 4C in 306 HUestis.

There is a box of implements for chipping ice and scraping frost off for maintenance of shared freezer.

Maintenance

Clean the cover to the motor every three to four months. This is usually a soft foam sheet located behind the grill on the bottom of the front of the freezer. Running water over it works ok, though not perfect.

-80: To prevent ice formation issues, scrape the frost and built up ice off of the door seals and door fronts. Frequency: once a month.

Thawing

-80 thawing of the -80 is not recommended. Scraping it in a preventative fashion is highly suggested. -80 freezers seem to be prone to start up problems and motor failure if shut off.

-20 thawing of the -20 freezers is recommended when ice builds up in a way that impedes the function of the door seal or if the ice is claiming valuable real estate. To thaw the freezer, the contents will be moved to a -80 freezer.

• Schedule the thaw with the lab as it is detrimental for some freezer items to go into a -80 environment. Also, have lab members contain all loose freezer items in a container.
• One week ahead of time, place a sign on the emergency backup -80 of your choice as a reservation(we like to use the back-up on the north-west side of the second floor). If there is someone listed on that freezer as a contact, send them an email with the date of planned use.
• Working shelf by shelf, cart items over to the backup freezer. Work in shelf order to ensure an easy transfer to the correct shelf in the original freezer.
• Once the items are transfered out of the freezer, power down the freezer using the power off switch (vs just unplugging the freezer).
• Leave the powered down freezer's doors ajar.
• Thawing freezers produce a significant amount of water, depending on the ice build up. Be prepared by removing ice when it falls off the shelves. Also, placing a plastic tub to catch drips and laying down absorbent cloths is very helpful.
• The freezer will thaw completely overnight.
• Before turning the power back on, wipe the freezer completely dry.
• Power up, and when at desired temperature, transfer the freezer items back in the correct order.