CoolMed CMS29 Solid Door Pharmacy Fridge

CoolMed CMS29 Solid Door Pharmacy Refrigerator, 29 Litres, Benchtop

The CoolMed CMS29 is a 29 litre benchtop pharmacy refrigerator for vaccines and temperature sensitive medicines, holding a controlled range of 2 to 8 degrees C. It is the smallest cabinet in the CoolMed range and suits a treatment room, a branch pharmacy, a dental practice or any setting holding a modest quantity of cold chain stock rather than a whole practice supply.

A domestic fridge keeps food cold on average. It cycles below 2 degrees C at the back and climbs above 8 after the door opens, and it records neither. Vaccines lose potency at both ends of that swing, and a frozen vaccine is a discarded one. A pharmacy fridge is built the other way round: fan circulated air to hold the whole interior inside a narrow band, a controller watching the temperature that matters, and a log that proves what happened overnight and at the weekend. When a batch is questioned months later, that log is the evidence.

The CMS29 uses the iCool built-in probe, which is the detail worth understanding. Rather than reading the air temperature inside the cabinet, the probe is designed to reflect the temperature of the medication itself, so the compressor is driven by what the stock is actually experiencing instead of by air that reacts instantly every time the door opens. The external digital controller displays that reading, holds minimum and maximum values, and keeps a 24 hour a day automatic log with battery back-up so a power failure does not create a gap in the record.

The solid door is a deliberate choice over glass. It gives better insulation and keeps light off photosensitive stock, and it screens high value or controlled medicines from view. The trade-off is that stock cannot be checked without opening the door, which is why the key lock, the door open alarm and the min and max display all matter more on a solid door cabinet than on a glass one.

References

Features

• iCool built-in temperature probe, reflecting the temperature of the stored medication rather than cabinet air, so the cooling responds to what the stock experiences instead of to every door opening.
• External digital controller and display with battery back-up, so the reading and the record survive a power interruption rather than resuming blind.
• Automatic temperature logging, 24 hours a day, with minimum and maximum recording and display, which is what a daily temperature check has to record.
• Audible and visual alarms for temperature deviation, power failure and door left open, covering the three failures that spoil stock unnoticed.
• Fan circulated cooling with automatic defrost, evening out temperature between shelves and removing the manual defrost downtime.
• Solid lockable door with two keys, giving both insulation and controlled access to stored medicines.
• Adjustable plastic coated wire shelves, repositioned to suit the stock held and easy to wipe down.
• LED interior lighting, low energy and low heat compared with a filament lamp inside a cold cabinet.
• R600a refrigerant, a low global warming potential hydrocarbon rather than an older fluorinated gas.
• Rear brackets for wall mounting, so the cabinet can be lifted off the worktop where bench space is short.
• Adjustable feet and a 2 m power cord, so the cabinet levels on an uneven floor and reaches a socket without an extension lead.

Important notice

Verify performance before any stock is loaded. Position the cabinet, allow it to stand upright before switching on after transport, then run it empty until the temperature is stable. Check the displayed reading against an independent calibrated thermometer before medicines are placed inside, and confirm the alarms operate. Accuracy of the readings used for cold chain records rests with the operating organisation, and no calibration certificate accompanies this cabinet unless this listing states otherwise. Leave the clearance the manufacturer instructions require around the cabinet so the condenser can shed heat.

Cold chain responsibilities. This refrigerator is a tool for maintaining a cold chain, not a substitute for the policy that governs it. The receiving organisation records current, minimum and maximum temperatures at the frequency its own medicines policy requires, resets the min and max after each reading, retains the records, and has a written plan for what happens to stock after a temperature excursion or a power failure. Vaccines exposed outside 2 to 8 degrees C are quarantined and assessed rather than assumed to be fine. Where a documented and calibrated record is required, a separate data logger is used alongside the cabinet.

Installation, handling and electrical safety. The cabinet weighs around 26 to 28 kg, which is a two person lift onto a worktop. Where it is wall mounted using the rear brackets, mounting is carried out by a competent person onto a structure able to carry the loaded weight, with fixings selected for the wall construction. Electrical safety testing is carried out on receipt for any pre-owned mains powered equipment, and ongoing maintenance sits under PUWER 1998 with the organisation operating the cabinet. Do not store flammable or volatile substances in a refrigerator not rated for them.

Information on this page is provided for guidance and does not replace advice from a qualified clinician. Always read the manufacturer's instructions before use, and check that a device is suitable for the patient and the prescribed therapy.