dry ice for ice chest

[Gene Morris]

What are the pros & cons in using dry ice, rather than the wet stuff, in the ice chest on cruise? Has anyone used dry ice? Are there any restrictions with takeing the dry ice from the U. S. into Canada?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Gene

[jimmydj]

i buy a product called envirofreeze.

was invented to replace dry ice for air shipments. air requires extra charge.

a friend in fiji ships fresh fish to england from his fishing fleet.

soak in water then freeze, last up to 3-4 days when contained.


some grocery stores are supplying for long trips with fresh seafood.

not sure of can. req.
take care
jim

[Byrdman]

Watch for post from Mike on GYPSY. On our 5 day Upper Cumberland River Cruise, they had about 3-4 pounds of dry ice in the bottom of about a 50-60 quart cooler, a piece of cardboard covering it...then the normal ice chest stuff...and it stayed rock hard more like a freezer. No temp gauges on board for checking dailey temps inside, but outside it was up to mid 70s during the day...down to mid-upper 50s at night...so no real true hot stuff... but... a great 1st run and promising for things to come later in the year.

Mike and B will have to get on and share what and how the cooler was used as far as number of times opened in the day... hot/cold stuff passed thru it for cooling. I was in C-Byrd and not on board their boat other than during raft up times..

Byrdman..

[thataway]

We have used it on long ocean races before we had holding plate refigeration. One needs to seal (seal o meal) the food very well to prevent some taste from the CO2 evaporation.

Fish are shipped from Canada by the various resorts home with the fishermen, so I don't see any issues with taking it across the border--but you might check the regs--who knows now!

Bob

[BrentB]

I used dry ice to keep sundaes frozen at all-day ice cream parties. A piece of cardboard is placed on top of items and dry ice wrapped in newspaper is placed on top. Sundaes made days ahead of the event and frozen.

Dry ice is solidfied carbon dioxide and when it melts, turns into carbon dioxide(CO2) gas which is colorless and odorless. CO2 is heavier than air and the CO2 vapor will pool in cool low places. Dry ice is colder than regular ice and can cause serious burns similar to frostbite. Users should wear gloves when handling dry ice. Wear safety glasses and a face shield if you are cutting or chipping it. Keep dry ice out of the reach of children. Do not eat or swallow dry ice. Safety first and you are only as safe as your neighbor. Use it only in a well ventilated area.

I use dry ice and liquid nitrogen which is colder than dry ice at work. It can cause serious burns but I am repeating myself. A few years ago, a lab shipped some specimens positive for West Nile Virus and they improperly packaged the shipment. It was sent to a Fedex hub in Columbus, OH and exploded and the hub was shut down for a short period. This was b/c the dry ice was packed in closed container and expanded greatly as it changed in a gas , it exploded out the inner and outer container.

OTOH There are HQ dry ice storage boxes which are lockable and very durable. You can add a couple of pounds of dry ice with the specimens and will stay frozen for 1 week or longer and allows for some expansion. The boxes are expensive but great for field work, transporting specimens a long distance or equipment backup.

standing down from my soap box

[SEA3PO]

I use it in my ice chest to keep food cold for a week... Ice only seems to last about 2 days... so when I use both...I have ice for my drinkie poo's for a whole week... Ha !

One thing I learned..... for some reason it makes the shells of eggs very delicate....and they fall apart when I try to remove them from the carton...what I should have done was break the eggs and put them into a plastic container before I put them in the ice chest...

Joel
SEA3PO

[james]

where , may one procure such a lovely means of maintaining a cold cooler?

could bring a whole new meaning to the words "cold beer"

my heart is racing at the thought!


James

[lloyds]

Used to be you could find it at ice cream shops and cold storage facilities. Don't know who has it now. I have been wondering the same thing. I have a hunch if you are in a small town you might be out of luck.

[al and judy]

You can usually find dry ice in your local yellow pages under "dry ice" (believe it or not), also most ice cream suppliers will sell it retail.

[starcrafttom]

As far as the eggs go we use the fake eggs in the cartons for cooking eggs and hard boiled for snacks. works out pretty well. Just use what you need and but the carton back in the cooler

[Alyssa Jean]

In the Anacortes area you can get it at Food Pavilion on Commercial Ave.

[Wefings]

Sometimes dry ice can be found at welding gas suppliers like Airgas . Our little local Piggly Wiggly has it in Apalachicola!


Cool Trivia for the day; refrigeration was invented in Apalachicola by Dr John Gorrie. He was trying to figure out a way to cool off yellow fever victims. There is a museum dedicated to him here...............

Marc

[BrentB]

thanks Marc

John Gorrie, (October 3, 1802 – June 29, 1855) physician, scientist, inventor, and humanitarian, is considered the father of refrigeration and air conditioning. He was born on the Island of Nevis to Scottish parents on October 3, 1802, and spent time with his mom in South Carolina. He received his medical education at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Western District of New York in Fairfield, New York. In 1833, he moved to Apalachicola, Florida, a port city on the Gulf coast. As well as being resident physician at two hospitals, Gorrie was active in the community. At various times he served as a council member, Postmaster, President of the Bank of Pensacola's Apalachicola Branch, Secretary of the Masonic Lodge, and was one of the founding vestrymen of Trinity Episcopal Church.

Full story at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gorrie

[SEA3PO]

I have looked at three grocery stores here in Camarillo and they all have it...and the store in Chester does too...I think it is fairly common in grocery stores now days.... about $3 a pound... 5 pounds goes a long way...

Joel
SEA3PO

[Sarge]

Ok, my turn to play devil's advocate.

Here is an article from the CDC of a documented incident involving dry ice and the fact that it is made up of CO2:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5350a6.htm

Synopsis: If you are going to be in an enclosed area with the stuff, please be careful.

It's the old 'first responder' in me.

-Sarge/Carl