Animal research facilities go through a lot of water. From cage washing to steam sterilization, their water consumption is higher than most laboratories. And that’s not bad—as anyone who has set foot in an animal lab knows, cage washing and waste sterilization are not corners we want to cut.

The good news for animal research facilities is that research-grade steam sterilizers have come a long way. While the familiar rectangular-chambered medical-grade autoclaves continue to run up the water bill–using 150 gallons of water per cycle, and often a gallon (or more) per minute–the latest research-grade sterilizers have massively reduced water usage and waste.

Water Is Money that Animal Research Facilities Can Save, Gallon By Gallon

Today’s research-grade autoclaves can be turned on and off as needed (no warm idle sending water down the drain) and consume as little as 4 gallons of water per cycle—that’s 97% less water!  Research-grade autoclaves also take up less space (especially modern top-loaders), and often prove more reliable and cheaper to service and maintain.

Pre-Programmed Controls Make Quick Work of Routine Tasks at Animal Research Facilities

Routine tasks should be easy to automate–and Priorclave’s Tactrol Control System is designed with easy of automation front and center. For example, you can easily combine the Delayed Start and Media Warming functions to run a cycle overnight that prepares your sterile growth media so it’s ready for cultures first thing in the morning.

[Photo credit: MFer Photography, CC BY-ND 2.0]