How do I prevent ice build-up in my bath tank on a hot summer day?

Summer heat and humidity can make it difficult for you to reach and maintain low temperatures in an open-bath system. If you have a refrigerated circulator or ultra-low chiller with a typical bath tank lid, you may notice ice and condensation forming in your bath tank. This is because most bath tank lids allow some hot, humid moisture from the atmosphere to seep into the bath tank, even when properly sealed. This heat and condensation can cause you to lose cooling capacity, making it harder to cool your application. The heat can also disrupt pump operations, putting your application in jeopardy. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution. 

A lid incorporating a condensation trap absorbs humidity and prevents condensation and ice build-up, even on a hot summer day. The condensation trap protects your application, allowing you to reach and maintain a sub-ambient target temperature.

High Heat & Humidity Makes Cooling Your Application More Difficult

When warm, moist air gets into your bath tank, it can cause several problems, including:

• Ice formation & condensation
• Loss of cooling power and cooling capacity (which could slow down your time-to-temperature and prevent you from reaching and maintaining low temperatures)
• Pump disruptions
• Excess energy consumption

Cool without Condensation or Power Loss, Even in a Hot & Humid Environment

Adding a condensation trap to your setup can be as easy as switching out your current bath lid for one with a built-in condensation trap. Condensation traps prevent atmospheric moisture from entering the bath and disrupting pump operations and cooling capacities. All you need is the proper condensation trap for your unit and a little positive pressure of nitrogen to form a protective blanket between the top of the bath tank lid and your bath fluid. In this video, Mark Diener, our Senior Product Manager, shows you how it works. 

Find a Condensation Trap for Your JULABO

We offer a variety of condensation traps for our ultra-low refrigerated circulators and many of our benchtop cooling circulators, including many of the MAGIO, CORIO, and DYNEO DD models.

Condensation Trap for MAGIO, DYNEO & CORIO Circulators

CD-600F, CP-600F, DD-600F, MS-600F; CD-601F, CP-601F, DD-601F, MS-601F; CD-1000F, CP-1000F, DD-1000F, MS-1000F units >> Shop Now 

Condensation Trap for Ultralow Circulators and Chillers

FP52, FPW52 FP55, FPW55, FP90, FP90, FPW 90 or FPW91 units >> Shop Now 

FP50 & FP51 units >> Shop Now 

FP89 >> Shop Now 

Conclusion & Next Steps

Don’t let the dog days of summer interfere with your laboratory cooling. Condensation traps are a great way to maintain your cooling capacity, protect your JULABO unit, and prevent condensation and ice build-up when cooling at sub-ambient temperatures. Contact us for help finding the appropriate condensation trap for your JULABO. You can also discuss your cooling application and any issues you may be having directly with our team. Mark Diener, our senior product manager and application scientist, holds weekly office hours to answer your questions. Contact Mark for any questions you may have about your cooling application.