Dry Ice?

[Brother Fuzzy]

Anybody using Dry Ice instead of Block or cubes in their coolers?  If so, what are the pros/cons, tips/advice?  Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

You just reminded me of a promise I need to keep, an former LI'er keeps haunting me for some Ralph's Italian Ice,....and I need some dry ice to transport it to PA.... I assume it would last longer than regular ice, but the shop I just called said that "you can only use it with frozen foods , not fresh"

 

[Les H]

I think availability may be an issue, ive only seen it for sale at 1 walmart, in Ft Payne, Alabama.

 

[Brother Fuzzy]

Availabilty is not an issue.  I don't travel far and the local W-M has it.  Bob's posting on his blog about using a litter pan in the cooler to collect the melted H2O got me thinking that maybe Dry Ice may be neater and possibly last longer.  I have not checked on the cost.

 

[Guest]

When I was a courier in Idaho, I was able to buy dry ice in most supermarkets in the Boise area.....it is usually in a small, locked chest freezer in the front of the store. It is also sold in any ice plant where ice is available. Your best bet would be to call whoever is contracted to pick up lab samples at doctors offices....they have to use it to ship them to a central lab. Another possibility is to go to the local air freight office in any airport..that is where the samples are sent through.....FedEx is a good bet. At least they will know...it is more commonly used then you may know.<br /><br />I don't think it is a good choice for refrigeration but you can easily google it and find out....<br />Bri

 

[Rollin]

That's&nbsp;funny you should mention&nbsp;Boise&nbsp;Bri&nbsp;because&nbsp;that's&nbsp;the only place I have&nbsp;purchased&nbsp;it. We used to use it for camping and I loved that there was no mess with it. Kind of&nbsp;spendy&nbsp;if I remember correctly.&nbsp;

 

[Guest]

Hi Rollin, that is interesting....did you find that it worked well for you and lasted a long time? here is something I found on another forum <br />"<div id="post_message_95619">Cube ice will not last, so just forget about it unless you absolutely want it. Anything next to dry ice will be frozen solid, so tough to cook a frozen block of meat. Here is what I used to do when I camped out in CB for a summer with just a run of the mill type of cooler. I would use a combination of dry ice and block ice to keep my food for a week at a time before I would hit Gunnison up for supplies. I would have the dry ice next to a block on the sides, with the food I was planning to use quickly in the middle. I would put stuff I was not planning to use immediately with the dry ice. The dry ice would keep the block ice from melting for a few days and also keep the stuff next to it frozen. By the time I ate through the supplies in the middle, the dry ice would be gone and I would start on the stuff that had previously been frozen. It takes some experimenting to get the right setup, so you will have to improvise on the go."&nbsp;<br /><br /><br />I know I have seen it in other places and when I go the local stores next I will look (providing I remember...LOL)<br /><br />I may be totally wrong about it being not good for refrigeration....these guys do it.<br />You are right about cost...it is about $2 a pound...<br />Bri<br /><br /></div>__________________

 

[Rollin]

Bri... Yes, I thought it worked great. It would last the weekend which was what we needed. Never had the problem of it completely freezing everything, like in the&nbsp;article&nbsp;you provided. I honestly don't remember how much (weight wise) we bought. About the size of a large mans hand I would say.&nbsp;<br /><br /><br />

 

[Guest]

Rollin, I think that is about a pound...that is what I bought for shipping blood samples...If I remember right I would put in about a half pound in each small cooler...styrofoam container big enough to hold about a sixpack of soda or beer.<br /><br />Good to know....I know it is called hielo seco in Mexico but I wonder how easily it would be to find there...wondering for myself here. I have set up for icebox again in my van....<br /><br />Something I just picked up is to use a compacter bag for your block ice in a cooler....great idea....<br />Bri<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

 

[Rollin]

Yeah, The whole problem with regular ice is keeping everything&nbsp;separated. Your cooler can get nasty in a hurry! That seems to be the advantage of dry ice. I did a&nbsp;Google Maps&nbsp;search on dry ice and&nbsp;there's&nbsp;not a whole lot&nbsp;around&nbsp;here&nbsp;at least.<br /><br />Keeping your block/cubed ice contained in a compactor bag sound&nbsp;promising&nbsp;though. Is this a trash compactor bag?&nbsp;<br /><br />

 

[Guest]

Yes, a trash compactor bag...<br /><br />I have a Goldwing engine that is waiting for a rebuild and it sits on a pallet outside. I have it in a compactor bag and it is holding up well...here the sun is brutal on everything and literally eats things up...this is a good solution...I'm happy!<br />Bri

 

[Rollin]

OK&nbsp;gotcha. I know I read&nbsp;somewhere&nbsp;on here about someone using a small bucket inside there&nbsp;cooler&nbsp;to keep it&nbsp;separated guess a bag would work well as long as it&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;leak, good idea.&nbsp;<br /><br />One of the other advantages I remember about dry ice, I forgot to mention, was that the cooler seemed to stay a lot dryer on the inside.&nbsp;There&nbsp;was very little&nbsp;condensation if any&nbsp;compared&nbsp;to regular ice.

 

[Guest]

Interesting.....I have used just about every way to protect food from the ice melt. It's tough. I think that this time I will use it for very little food and mostly water and I drink seltzer water as a soft drink so will keep some of that in there. Maybe use for cheese, veggies and that's about it...<br /><br />Anyway....the dry ice may be a possibility for me....since i am not fulltiming it is pretty easy to deal with....I found I can do without ice just fine but it helps to have something cold to drink in the heat and most cheese&nbsp; in this country and Mexico is soft and does not do well when warm. <br />bri<br /><br />

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

I called and ice cream distributor and they sell it in full, half and quarter blocks, 11.00 for a 1/4 block, plus the extra money in gas getting there and back, easier for me to put milk jugs in the freezer and use them. If I didn't have to go out of the way to get it I would give it a go.&nbsp;

 

[ZOFCHAK]

You need to be careful using dry ice in a small enclosed area.&nbsp; It gives off CO2 gas and in an area that is not well ventilated CO2 will settle and pose a serious health hazard (As in you may not wake up the next morning <img src="/images/boards/smilies/eek.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />).

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

zofchak, thanks for the heads up on that one!

 

[Rollin]

Good info ZOFCHAK, I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;know that about it. When I used it, it was kept in a cooler in the bed of my truck, so no risk there. Sounds to risky for the Vandweller. Nice catch!

 

[Guest]

Yes, thanks for the heads up on that Zofchak.....I wondered if there might be a problem with that...especially for folks with animals that lay on the floor!!!

 

[Dogman]

Found this chart on Google on dry ice and how long it lasts at:<br /><a href="http://www.icecoldice.com/Info/how_long_dry_ice_lasts.htm">http://www.icecoldice.com/Info/how_long_dry_ice_lasts.htm<br /><br />D</a>ogman

 

[Rollin]

Nice chart Dogman. Although I never had a need to keep anything "frozen" just cool. So if all you are looking to do is to keep some cool drinks or some meat cool&nbsp;a lot&nbsp;less is required.