Guide to Buying a Water Bath
A line item in your laboratory budget might convince you that price is the most important factor in your water bath purchase decision. However, an inferior piece of equipment will end up costing you more over the life of the machine.
So it’s worth taking a few minutes to consider the features that a state-of-the-art water bath brings to your lab and how they affect your total cost of ownership.
Common Problem – My Water Bath Ran Dry
Next to the universal oven, the water bath is one of the most common pieces of equipment in the laboratory. Its operation is straight-forward. It’s easy to use. With that in mind, it’s surprising how many questions appear on forums and in discussion groups about what to do with a water bath that has been allowed to run dry.
Wouldn’t it be easier to have a reliable way to prevent that than to try to figure out if the equipment is safe to use after the fact?
Worth The Extra Cost
In one of its many online safety documents, the Desert Research Institute says this, “When filling a water bath, do not turn on the water and leave the area unless your bath has an automatic water shut-off device.” That would seem to be obvious, but the question we would ask is, “Why buy a water bath without an automatic shut-off device in the first place?”
In addition to switching the heating permanently when a set temperature is exceeded, these are the Memmert water bath features that are worth every penny of the extra cost of the equipment.
- Multiple overtemperature protection with both visual and acoustic signals. On overtemperature and low water level, there is an audible signal and a visual alarm. These fail-safe features give Memmert water baths their well-known reputation for safety.
- Dual-use heating design. The heating elements are not in the water tank itself which keeps them free of corrosion and lime deposits. Heating from three sides of the water bath allows for more uniform temperature distribution and more precise control. Your temperature is accurately reached and maintained.
- Water level control. The water bath can be connected to the main water system when a constant water level is required, almost eliminating the need for human observation.
- Modern control technology. The Memmert interface is the definition of user-friendly, with touch and go programming. When combined with the water baths' sophisticated safety features, you can literally set it and forget it.
- Peltier cooling unit. This unit allows you to work with samples below room temperature. It’s compact, easy to install, and perfectly precise.
Memmert equipment has the most sophisticated technology among thermostatic laboratory equipment. Furthermore, their water baths offer an outstanding price to performance ratio. A $500 piece of equipment that lasts 2 years is more expensive than a $1,000 piece of equipment that lasts 10 years. This doesn’t take into account other factors such as maintenance costs, and the higher quality of research that’s possible with precisely controlled temperatures.
Memmert water baths are made by professionals for professionals. Shouldn’t your highly educated scientists have the best equipment available? Give us a call to talk about your specialized needs. (262) 594-3941