Relocating HPC storage freezers (LN2)

[mhc]

We are planning to move into a new laboratory in the near future and will need to move 7 large LN2 (vapor) freezers that are full of HPC products. It's in a different building, but the move can be accomplished through underground pedestrian tunnels- about a 7 minute walk. We would like to move the freezers without emptying them of the products since we do not have adequate swing space to move the products to. Has anyone done this and can you suggest a way to secure the products so that they dont get jostled during the move? Any advice would be appreciated.

[aking]

I moved my lab a couple of years ago to an attached building but different floor. I only had one freezer to move, but it was a nail biter nonetheless. There really wasn't a good way to secure things inside the freezer, aside from it being closely packed already. We had some cells in the freezer that were not going to be used, so I used them as my 'test samples' and checked the condition of them prior to the move (make sure they were not cracked or anything). I made sure they were distributed in different areas of the freezer in case one area of the freezer might be jolted more so than other areas. We checked the temp before the move, then slowly moved the freezer to it's new location. Every bump we hit, well, we tried to make it a gentle bump at best. Going on the elevator was fun, since I could envision the wheels settling into the gap between the floor and the elevator floor. This fortunately did not happen. We recorded the amount of time it took to move the freezer, and the temperature once it was in its new home. I then checked on the condition of the test cells, and all made it without incident. We wrote this up as a validation of sorts.

Best of luck with the move!

Ann

[Sarah Dickerson]

Dear MHC,

You may want to check with the NYBC. They just presented at the cord blood licensure meeting in MD. They did some very elaborate pre and post move studies. I do not have a contact there. The speaker's name was Michael Zdanowski.