With the holidays and colder months approaching, we’re all excited to spend time with family and friends. At WETLAB, we understand how important it is to manage your sample submissions efficiently during this busy time. To help make the process as seamless and stress-free as possible, we recommend reviewing your permits alongside our holiday schedule to ensure timely and accurate submissions. Below, we’ve outlined key holiday closure details and some helpful tips for cold-weather sampling to help you avoid any issues and ensure your samples remain in compliance.

A Few Tips for Cold Weather Sampling

As the cold weather approaches, we want to help you stay in compliance and avoid any issues with your samples. Freezing temperatures increase the risk of samples arriving frozen, which can be a problem—especially for organic and microbiological tests. Common analyses like synthetic organic compounds (SOCs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), and bacteria must remain unfrozen to meet compliance standards. To help avoid any complications, we recommend collecting samples as early as possible and steering clear of below-freezing conditions. We understand that it can be challenging in freezing temperatures when samples collected for organic analysis are required to be submitted on ice, but we’re here to help you navigate these tricky situations! Here are some good practices for transporting lab samples in freezing temperatures. Firstly, avoid sampling during hard freeze temperatures (28°F or colder), and utilize a sturdy, well insulated secondary container. Then, wrap samples in a protective material to prevent direct access to ice, utilizing frozen ice packs around the samples to maintain cold temperatures but avoiding direct contact with sample containers. Lastly, fill dead space with bulk material to provide additional insulation and keep samples centered in the cooler to avoid the colder sides. These practices should be considered when transporting samples yourself or via UPS, FedEx, etc. As always, we’re here to help. Please contact your local WETLAB location or 775-355-0202 with any questions you have prior to sample collection and transport.

Our Holiday Closure

We all need time to recharge, and this year, we’re doing something new to support our team’s work-life balance. WETLAB will be taking a winter break from December 23rd to December 27th. Don’t worry—if you need us during that time, we’ll be available by appointment. As part of our preparation, our Client Services Team will reach out to help you prepare for your sample collection and submissions. If you have any questions in the meantime, you may contact your local Client Services team.

To ensure a smooth experience, we encourage you to collect and submit your samples as early as possible.

Here’s a quick look at our holiday hours:

Thanksgiving Holiday Hours:

• Wednesday, November 27th: All offices CLOSED at 12:00 pm
• Thursday, November 28th – Friday, November 29th: All offices CLOSED.

Winter Break Closure:

• Monday, December 23rd – Friday, December 27th: All offices CLOSED, available by appointment 

New Year’s Holiday Hours:

• Wednesday, January 1st, 2025: All offices CLOSED