FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The right size vaccine fridge depends on your stock volume, available space and how much extra capacity you need during peak periods such as influenza season. The fridge should be large enough to hold your vaccines and medicines without overcrowding, so air can circulate properly and temperatures remain stable.

For many clinics, pharmacies and practices, the main choice is between an under bench vaccine fridge and an upright vaccine fridge. Under bench models are usually similar in size to a dishwasher and suit lower stock volumes or limited floor space. Upright models, often in the 300 to 400 litre range, provide more capacity and easier stock organisation.

Mid sized vaccine fridges are also available where you need more space than an under bench model but do not need a large upright fridge. For very high volume sites, larger two door and three door vaccine fridges are typically used in hospitals, busy pharmacies, high throughput medical centres and laboratories.

Blood and blood products that require refrigerated storage must be held between 2°C and 6°C. Frozen plasma and plasma products must be stored at -25°C or lower.

In Australia, blood storage refrigeration equipment is covered by Australian Standard AS 3864, Medical refrigeration equipment — For the storage of blood and blood products. AS 3864.1-2012 covers the manufacture and performance requirements for the equipment, while AS 3864.2-2012 covers the ongoing care, maintenance, performance verification and calibration needed after installation.

For this reason, blood should only be stored in purpose-built medical refrigeration equipment designed for blood storage — not in a domestic, pharmacy, vaccine or general-purpose laboratory fridge. A compliant blood fridge must maintain the required temperature range, provide temperature monitoring and alarms, and generate the records needed to support safe storage and compliance.

A compliant plasma freezer should be able to maintain the required storage temperature under the conditions it is designed to operate in, while also providing reliable temperature recording and alarms. This is important because plasma products may later be used for transfusion, and storage outside the required range can compromise product suitability.

In Australia, plasma freezers used for frozen blood product storage must comply with Australian Standard AS 3864, Medical refrigeration equipment — For the storage of blood and blood products, Parts 1 and 2. The freezer should also be checked, verified and maintained so that it continues to hold the required temperature after installation.

A vaccine fridge should maintain vaccines between 2°C and 8°C. In Australia, this range is set out in the National Vaccine Storage Guidelines, known as Strive for 5, because vaccine providers are encouraged to aim for 5°C, the midpoint between 2°C and 8°C.

The lower end of the temperature range is especially important. Vaccines can be damaged by freezing, and this damage may not be visible. Any reading below 2°C should be treated seriously and managed according to cold chain procedures.

A brief rise above 8°C can occur during normal use, such as restocking, checking stock or opening the fridge door. Under Strive for 5, a temperature deviation up to 12°C for 15 minutes or less does not usually require reporting as a cold chain breach, provided the temperature does not fall below 2°C. Any temperature below 2°C, above 8°C for longer than 15 minutes, or above 12°C should be managed according to cold chain procedures.

Good temperature performance is not just about the set point. Vaccines need adequate space around the contents so cold air can circulate properly. Purpose built vaccine fridges are designed to promote consistent airflow throughout the cabinet, using features such as fan assisted circulation and wire shelving to help maintain a more uniform temperature. Overfilling the fridge or packing products tightly against the cabinet walls can reduce airflow and temperature stability.

Quality vaccine fridges typically include barriers, guards or shelving designs with additional wire supports to help prevent stored contents from coming into direct contact with the rear cooling surface. This matters because the rear of the fridge can be colder than other areas, depending on the model.

ENLAKE can help you choose a vaccine fridge with the right capacity, airflow design, shelving, temperature monitoring and alarm features for your medical centre, pharmacy, hospital, veterinary clinic or laboratory.

Platelet bags are stored at controlled room temperature, 20°C to 24°C, with continuous gentle agitation. The Thermoline TMLR-200 refrigerated incubator is factory set at 22°C and is designed to operate between 20°C and 24°C when ambient temperature is up to 30°C.
The Thermoline TPS-18 platelet bag shaker is designed to fit inside the Thermoline TMLR-200 refrigerated incubator. The TPS-18 operates at a fixed speed of 60 strokes per minute and has been specifically designed to hold platelet bags.
ENLAKE has specialised in medical and laboratory refrigeration since 2009. We work with medical centres, pharmacies, universities, public and private hospitals, research institutes, veterinary clinics and laboratories across Australia. The benefit of buying from ENLAKE is choice backed by detailed product and industry knowledge. Vaccine fridge requirements vary depending on stock volume, available space, room temperature, clearance, door swing, monitoring requirements and budget. ENLAKE can help you compare the options and avoid choosing a fridge that is poorly suited to your site. Because ENLAKE has one of Australia’s largest ranges of vaccine fridges, we can compare different manufacturers, models, sizes and feature sets across under bench, upright, glass door, solid door and large capacity vaccine fridges. All vaccine fridges sold by ENLAKE are compliant with Strive for 5 vaccine storage requirements and are designed to maintain vaccines between 2°C and 8°C. ENLAKE can also help with related cold chain equipment, including vaccine fridge data loggers, wireless monitoring systems, min/max thermometers, UPS systems and vaccine fridge accessories.
Blood fridges require a higher level of monitoring because they are used to store blood and blood products that may later be transfused into patients. If the fridge temperature moves outside the required range and the issue is not detected quickly, the stored blood products may no longer be safe or suitable for use. A compliant blood fridge should have an alarm system that is separate from the temperature control system. The control system manages the fridge temperature, while the alarm system independently monitors for temperature faults or other issues. This separation is important because a fault in the control system should not also disable the alarm function. If the fridge fails to maintain the correct temperature, staff need a reliable warning so they can respond before blood product safety is compromised. This is one of the key differences between a blood fridge and a standard medical or vaccine fridge.