You will have a wide range of choices and options when it comes to finding a desiccator for your laboratory. There are cabinets of varying sizes, which are stackable in some cases. There are pots of varying size, as well. You will also need to determine whether you want to have vacuum or nonvacuum options, as well as just how many of the desiccators you might need to have on hand.
The size of the units can vary, but this is something you will want to consider. You need to know how much space they are going to take up, as well as their internal size to understand the number and size of items that you can use with it.
When you are renting or leasing the desiccator, you will also want to be sure that you have plenty of the desiccant on hand. This could be something such as silica gel, for example. There is even color changing desiccant available, which will let you know when you need to change out the desiccant.
In addition to the typical desiccators that are available, there are also vacuum desiccators. These will have a stopcock that is build into them, and that will allow the air that is inside the desiccator to be removed, which creates the vacuum and provides the lower levels of humidity in the device.
Using the desiccator is very simple whether you are working with a cabinet or a pot. They will have a door or a lid, which can be opened or removed to insert objects that you will need to keep in dry and moisture free. There is typically a removable platform in the unit, as well, and it is below that platform where you will place the desiccant.
It is important to remember to change out the desiccant when it needs it, or else moisture can start to accumulate.
A desiccator used in the laboratory is typically a cabinet or a pot that is used as a means to remove and absorb water vapors from hygroscopic chemical reagents. This allows you to place items into the chamber of the desiccator with the drying agents, and that object is going to remain dry. Sometimes, you will hear these items called desiccant dryers.
Companies that are manufacturing desiccators today include Lab Safety Supply, Control Company, SP Scienceware, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Cole-Parmer.