[Nhcoll-l] Compactors in collections

[Adam Rountrey]

I echo Doug's comments about going over compactor plans in excruciating
detail and double checking measurements.  We had similar problems with
handles that would have gone through a wall if the initial drawings had
been followed.   Another thing to note when comparing different systems is
the gap/pit space around each floor rail.  These gaps can cause impacts or
vibrations when rolling carts, lifts, and ladders over them, and some
wheels are small enough to fall into the gaps in our main collection rooms
(1-inch gap on each side).

Of course, compactors and/or multi-tier stacking are often the only ways to
gain needed storage space.  If I were starting from a single-tier,
no-compactor condition and had adequate ceiling height, I might consider
double stacking before putting things on compactors.

-Adam

Adam N. Rountrey, Ph.D.
Research Museum Collection Manager and 3D Specialist
University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology
T: +1 734 936 1385
3D Online Repository (UMORF) <https://umorf.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/wp/>




On Tue, Dec 14, 2021 at 1:16 PM Douglas Yanega <dyanega at gmail.com> wrote:

> On 12/14/21 7:58 AM, Ann Bogaerts wrote:
>
> Hello everybody,
>
> We wish to renovate our herbarium with 4 milj. specimens and we want to
> get some feedback from other institutions who already renovated or renewed
> their collection buildings.
>
> One of our main questions is the use of compactors yes or no? So what is
> your opinion about this? How much space do you save using a compactor and
> how is it working with this kind of system? For which collections do you
> use it?
>
> We are really interested in the do's and don'ts and it would also be nice
> if you could send us a picture of the compactors you use.
>
> Briefly: our insect collection went from regular static insect cabinets to
> a compactor system in 2002. It almost doubled our storage capacity (instead
> of 7 aisles and 8 rows of cabinets, we now have 2 aisles and 13 rows of
> cabinets). That bought us a few decades' worth of expansion.
>
> Liquid storage cabinets are in the static units to either side, and and
> microscope slides are in a narrow shelving unit in the middle; the 11
> movable compactor units are only for cabinets of pinned specimens, and
> operated manually. In 18 years we have not needed any repairs, which is a
> far better track record than electric-powered compactor systems. Insects on
> pins are fragile but not as bad as people might think; we routinely ship
> specimens using postal delivery and only rarely experience significant
> damage.
>
> The MAJOR caveat for compactors has to do with design and execution: we
> had to literally breathe down the necks of the people from the compactor
> company because they kept screwing up the blueprints and specs for the
> hardware dimensions in very minor ways, and there were also issues with
> pouring a layer of concrete on top of an existing floor. To illustrate how
> subtle but devastating a mistake can be, one of the things they didn't
> account for was that both sides of each moving unit had a knob that could
> be pulled out to engage the brake on that side. Those knobs stuck out an
> inch when fully retracted. We have two aisles, and each was calculated on
> the blueprints to be about 36 inches wide, and there are 6 moving compactor
> units on one side and 5 on the other. They failed to realize that their
> calculations had *excluded the knobs*, which subtracted 2 inches of space
> per unit. Had they proceeded with the installation as planned, the aisle on
> one side would have been only 24 inches, and only 26 inches on the other,
> which isn't even enough space to open the cabinet doors. I caught this
> mistake and had them machine the knobs an inch shorter so they retract
> almost flush with the side, instead of projecting; they are a little tricky
> to pull out, but at least we can work in the aisles. They similarly failed
> to account for the three inches in height that were added by the wheels of
> the undercarriage on the compactor units, but I didn't catch that mistake,
> so the tops of some cabinets would have run into some low-hanging ceiling
> ductwork that we had expected to be clear. We had to rebuild the ductwork
> before all the cabinets could be installed.
>
> I advise anyone planning compactors to stay very actively engaged during
> the design process, and don't trust the contractors to get every little
> detail right. Be very wary in particular about the precision of dimensions,
> and maybe plan a few extra inches here and there if you can.
>
> Peace,
>
> --
> Doug Yanega      Dept. of Entomology       Entomology Research Museum
> Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314     skype: dyanega
> phone: (951) 827-4315 (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
>              https://faculty.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html
>   "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
>         is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82
>
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