Dumb qPCR Ice Bucket Question
So I realize this is probably a dumb question, but I am a bit paranoid and don't have anyone to ask in person at the moment (all other lab members are out of the lab for the next month and are multiple time zones away).
I am working on Trizol-based RNA extractions, and our protocol calls for using an ice bucket with dry ice at the bottom and wet ice on top to keep samples at a consistent cold temperature throughout the process. However, I keep running into the problem of the wet ice solidifying and making it extremely difficult to place the tubes back into the ice. If I push too hard, I run the risk of another tube flying out. I can place the tubes back into the original hole they came from, but then I am worried they are not fully in contact with the ice.
From what I have already read online, the best solution seems to be either to use a pre-chilled cold block, which, to the best of my knowledge, we don't have, or to just use only wet ice. I am a bit worried that just using wet ice wouldn't be enough to keep my samples cold enough though.
Does anyone have any recommendations? I am probably overthinking this, but I am already having some, albeit minor, purity issues, and don't want to lose more samples due to something silly like solidified ice. Thanks in advance!