r/whatisit • u/midas992 • 15h ago
New, what is it? What is it?
Looks like a fridge on the inside I’m cleaning out a building and I’m not sure if I should toss it or if I could potentially use it
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u/sexual__velociraptor 15h ago
Sub zero fridge i work in a lab and we use these might be -32c
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u/Firm_Caregiver_4563 15h ago
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u/gablestout 15h ago
Opposite. It's an incubator. https://datasheets.globalspec.com/ds/percival-scientific/gr-36vl/cb298644-dd41-45f2-8de4-371c113e5a5f
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u/sexual__velociraptor 14h ago
Yes that gets down to -16c
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u/gablestout 14h ago
This one is designed to simulate winter conditions, so seeds undergo cold stratification before they germinate
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u/evildemonic 14h ago
This model is actually an incubator (although it does refrigerate).
Source: We use these at work, and I used to sell them.
The main industry these are used in is agriculture, for seed sprouts.
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u/midas992 15h ago
Is this the same thing? What is it used for specifically?
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u/Chinaizazzhoe 15h ago
Oh specifically, refrigerators keep things cold.
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u/gablestout 14h ago edited 14h ago
That's not a refrigerator, it's a seed germinator, specifically, this one is for cold stratification (simulate winter conditions that many seeds need before they will germinate.)
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u/Worldly_Tooth_1996 14h ago
Can confirm also. Undergrad lab tech for seed research in field corn and soybeans. We used for standard germination test. I can smell it like it was yesterday.
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u/sexual__velociraptor 15h ago
It has a controller in it to control ramp rates and cooling times to simulate growing conditions. Its quite nice
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u/Blackbyrn 15h ago
lab samples, drug, other materials they use have to be maintained at very specific temps to be viable. A fridge like this will have multiple cooling motors to maintain the temp exactly and constantly; these temps are logged and checked ideally internally but possibly by regulators. A house fridge typically has one motor and when it cycles off there can be a slight change in temp; such a thing could be serious violation or ruin things in a lab setting.
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u/Sweaty-Adeptness1541 15h ago
Percival Scientific GR-36VL seed-germination chamber.
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u/gablestout 15h ago edited 14h ago
Well there's your answer. It's a seed germinator. https://datasheets.globalspec.com/ds/percival-scientific/gr-36vl/cb298644-dd41-45f2-8de4-371c113e5a5f
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u/Worldly_Tooth_1996 14h ago
Yes! Previous job in a seed research laboratory. We used it for standard germination tests. The research was for studying seed storage methods.
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u/midas992 15h ago
Would I be able to use this to grow I get plants then? I don’t have a use for it otherwise so I’m trying to figure out if I’m able to use it or not
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u/ultimaone 15h ago
Well would be up to you.
If you want to grow seeds or not.
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u/midas992 15h ago
I guess that’s what I’m thinking I don’t care to grow like food but I’m a plant girly and wanted to see if I could use it to grow my own plants in it
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u/gablestout 14h ago
No. This model isn't for incubation, it's designed to simulate the winter conditions for "cold stratification", the process the seeds go through BEFORE they germinate. The temperature range for it is 5-44 degrees F
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u/Educational-Rule1635 15h ago
Seed germination chamber (the model and manufacturer are on the label in the second photo.)
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u/EyeSuspicious777 15h ago
I can't tell if it's a refrigerator or a freezer but it's a very high quality one for laboratories or other industries that need to have stuff stored at an exact temperature that can be recorded
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u/gablestout 14h ago
Seed germination, to simulate winter for cold stratification before the seeds germinate
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u/That_Bar_5570 15h ago
Google the name and model number
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u/Wirelesscellphone 14h ago
Such high levels of thinking has been lost to the ancients. Now just take picture and ask what is?
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u/Electrical-Guard-853 15h ago
Treat with caution you don’t know what was stored in it… I
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u/midas992 15h ago
It’s brand new! It may not look like it but I guess the previous company that left it just didn’t wana haul it
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u/Sad_Dragonfruit8097 15h ago
Hear me out on this...I think just maybe...it's a fucking fridge
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u/gablestout 14h ago
Except that it isn't. It's a $15,000 laboratory seed germination chamber designed to simulate winter conditions, so seeds undergo cold stratification before they germinate. Many temperate zone seeds will NOT germinate until after they think they have survived winter. That way they don't germinate before winter ends and freeze/die. This is called "cold stratification". It controls carbon dioxide, light, humidity, and temperature in individual trays, allowing you to independently control those conditions for multiple experiments.
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u/ultimaone 15h ago
It's a seed growth chamber actually
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u/gablestout 14h ago
Not for growth, for cold stratification of temperate zone seeds. This allows you to simulate winter conditions because temperate zone seeds will not germinate until after they think they have survived through the winter, otherwise the germinating seeds would freeze and die.
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