dry ice for ice chest

G

Gene Morris

New member
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
 
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
 
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..
 
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
 
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
 
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
 
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
 
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.
 
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. :D
 
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
 
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
 
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
 
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
 
Whose job is it to protect those without common sense and a little basic knowledge from themselves?

"In September 2004, in anticipation of a power outage during the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, a man aged 34 years in Mobile, Alabama, purchased a 100-lb block of dry ice from a local ice house. The block of dry ice was divided into four equal parts and packaged in brown paper bags, which were placed in the front seat of the man's pickup truck. The windows were closed, and the air conditioner was set to recirculate air inside the cab of the truck. Etc, etc., ..........."

Anybody got a match so as I can light it up down my gas filler tube and see how much is left in the tank?

(Sorry if this sounds harsh, but Darwin's Law may be at work here.)

Joe.
 
I thought you'd jump on the fact that it was 100 pounds of dry ice...not likely what someone would have on his/her boat, but none-the-less I thought it was worth mentioning if only to make others aware.

-Sarge/Carl
 
Sarge":1rgr9ua9 said:
I thought you'd jump on the fact that it was 100 pounds of dry ice...not likely what someone would have on his/her boat, but none-the-less I thought it was worth mentioning if only to make others aware.

-Sarge/Carl
Click to expand...

Sarge-

Yes, that too, as it's included in the quote. Must have cost him quite a bit in $$$ as well almost his life.

We use all kinds of dangerous things all the time. Gasoline, propane, outboard motors, cars, backing up trailers, electricity, cleaning solvents and solutions, medicines, insecticides, fertilizers, stoves, pedestrian zones, etc.

Life is full of everyday dangers. I'm just surprised he wasn't aware of the hazards from his schooling or at least from the supplier of the dry ice.

Here in California, dry ice sales are accompanied by literature handouts and, I believe, wrapping tape on the packages that explain the dangers.

Good thing they don't sell liquid nitrogen to the public!

Thanks for your heads up!

Joe.
 
Ice in the Mobile area during hurricane events is a deal in itself. It gets nasty.. particuarly when folks can often have their "years keep" of shrimp iced down for sales... Some near disater events guarding ice trucks when they arrived in town when the current has been off with no idea of when it will be back on. Some folks did/do think ahead and take the chances on "blowing" $200-$500 on dry ice when they have a large harvest iced. Thankfully, the prices of "safer" generators have come down, and most see them as a way of life....if...they then have the capacity to haul/store the gas for them to run for about a week. And, our utility companies have gotten much better at repowering after events too. It takes everybody working together.

Joe is correct in that we are often around dangers, and even informed intelligent folks can easily get preoccupied by events around them and simply have a mental slip for a second or two...which can/could be deadly. How many of us have crossed battery terminals with a wrench working in tight places on a boat. Battery blowing up beside your head is not good.

We just all gotta keep our eyes out for each other...

Good stuff here on the dry ice. It is very useful on long trips without gen sets or means to replentish the ice supply....but has to be cared for properly...or....that cold beer won't do ya any good. :beer
 
I have my ice chest outside...did away with that useless ice box that came with the boat...made it into a nice set of drawers...West Marine sells a improved model of ice chest that they say will hold ice a week...I don't believe it, but it does seem to hold ice better. ( if the outside is 40 degrees)

I wonder if the overboard vent of the installed ice chest would be enough to carry the gas away from the interior of the boat.... I think the lip seal on that worthless ice box sealed fairly well... just a thought. The manufacturers of that useless thing must have thought someone would use Dry Ice.

Joel
SEA3PO
 
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