Q: How many years will a solvent recycler last before it needs replacing?
10 to 15 years or…Longer.
Do you remember your cell phone from 15 years ago?
The lifespan of a recycler should be similar to the lifespan of the other equipment in you lab. Think about how long a tissue processer, stainer or microtome lasts.
A good quality recycler should last at least 10 years and should typically still be operating after 15 years if it is well maintained.
How long a recycler lasts probably tells you something about the company that makes it. Companies that make long lasting recyclers are probably the types of companies that you’ll be happy to do business with for years to come.
Parts and consumables availability
Look for a written guarantee from the manufacturer that they will continue to make parts and consumables available for 15 years after installation. If the manufacturer hesitates to give a guarantee of parts supply for 15 years, you may want to consider a different recycler.
Service and Technical Support
You’ll also want to make sure that the manufacturer will continue to provide onsite service and technical support for the recycler for 15 years. If they don’t maintain good technical records and keep their engineering staff trained on older models, you might struggle to keep an older recycler running.
Here are some examples of customers that have had their recycler(s) for a long time.
Berkshire Medical Center
Recycling with B/R since 1991
They have been improving the environment and minimizing operating costs since 1991 when they bought their first B/R solvent recycler.
Over the last 23 years the hospital has accrued significant savings by reducing solvent purchases and hazardous waste removal by 95%.
Marin Medical Laboratories
Recycling with B/R since 1998
Marin Medical has been recycling with their B/R recycler for quite some time. Their unit has long since payed for itself, and they continue to accrue savings year after year.
Emory University Hospital
Recycling with B/R since 1999
Long before people were using buzz words like “sustainability” and “health care cost reduction” Emory University Hospital was already looking for ways to reduce costs and limit environmental impact.
They starting recycling used formalin from their histology labs in 1999 and added a second formalin recycler in 2006.
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