Dry Ice

[bootyinblue]

After not being able to search the threads for any info on this and seeing as I dont recall the topic being done for a few months I thought I would throw up a few questions.

I have never used dry ice before, but am looking at ordering some for trips away. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of using it and tips and tricks. All I have been told so far is that 'it freezes everything and is useless'. Does it only freeze what it comes into contact with and cool the remainder of the esky down, or does it drop the whole temperature so everything housed in the esky freezes?

Over to you.....

[shortie]

Need to be wrapped in heaps of Newspaper. wrapp and rewrap.

It becomes very bulky and takes up to much room in the esky.

Not a cheap exercise either.

I hate the stuff.

[Dinodadog]

I have one tip for you don.t put carton milk in a esky with dry ice, the milk is ok in coffee but no good on cereal or to drink.

[AZZA]

Many moons ago I put a big esky on the back of the ute for a trip to Moreton first time out with dry ice , followed the advice and put two 4 day blocks in oppisite corners put all the meat and beer in like normal .B)Next day Barge trip to moreton was the same as always too long after setting up camp went to get a nice cold beer and the whole esky was one big frozen lump Had to use my divers knife to chip stubies out then sit them in the sun to thaw them out took about 4 days to get the meat out:blush:

[shortie]

http://www.australianfishing.com.au/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=237&func=view&id=46650&catid=33#46650

[Feral]

1. Dont add it to drinks, unless you want to take the enamel off your teeth (acidic)

2. Put it in bottom of "storage" esky, with a couple of towels over it. Keeps stuff frozen.

3. Move stuff into normal esky to defrost it overnight (just like using your home freezer)

4. If you want to use it to keep drinks cold, or keep a normal esky going for a few days, keep techni ice or ice packs in with the dry ice, and move to beer / normal esky (swap them round daily between dry ice and normal esky).

5. Try to only open dry ice esky once a day.

6. Dry ice in a normal esky will freeze through to the outside, so expect it to "make water" from the air, IE dont put it with your swag!

[Shrimpo]

Unless your doing about a week away at a time i wouldnt bother, I had it for a 3day trip and it cost $45 and was still frozen when i came back, Everything was frozen in the esky so had to thaw out but the stuff on the top was close to freezing, In future i will just use 4litre and 2litre icecream containers with salted water as they will last the 3days for week trips i can see it being useful, I got a tip to use the dry ice to keep ure normal ice cool, So have the dry ice on the bottom then have a bag of ice ontop of the dry ice. Takes up a shitload of room in the esky tho.

[Feral]

Shrimpo - 3 litre milk bottles are the way to go. More water tight.

When I take dry ice away, nothing but frozen stuff and ice packs etc go in the dry ice esky. My good esky is right for 3 or 4 days with a couple of frozen 3 litre milk bottles in it.

[bootyinblue]

Thanks for all that info. I was thinking it would work by having a block in the bottom of the esky with a milk crate over it to keep food away (yep, its a big esky) and then pack food and drinks in the esky and have it all sitting on about 2 degrees. But obviously it just acts like a deep freeze so I might be back to 3L milk bottles with salty water.

[Shrimpo]

How long u planning on going away for?

[bootyinblue]

No plans for the next trip as only came back yesterday from doing 3500km in 7 days around the southern area of the State.

Will have the esky out for 3 dsys this weekend at Wivenhoe for a sailing marathon thouugh.

[Shrimpo]

Yeh unless ure going for say over 5days i wouldnt bother with dry ice.

[brisbane_boy]

just a warning, dont put dry ice into bottol put lid on shake and leave!!

mate got a fine for that lol.

[polyphonic]

Dry Ice is caborn dioxide in a solid state so be careful.

If you leave an esky in the car overnight or even while your driving make sure the windows are down as it will suck all the oxygen out of the car. Pull up and jump in the swag for the night then get in the car the next moring and wonder why your having trouble breathing. This is also the reason you don't add it to drinks like Feral was saying. Also when added to a liqued it turns the dry ice back to a gass so as you swig your drink your taking in mouthfulls of carbon dioxide. This is also the reason that if you add the dry ice to liqued in a bottle and do the lid up the bottle will explode, due to the increase in pressure from the gass with enough pressure to take off a digit or evan a hand.:ohmy:

Dry ice either comes in pallet form (small pallets about the size of chicken sh*t) or in block form. best bet will be to buy blocks and wrap in paper then cover with a layer of party ice and just use that esky for frozen goods. Transfer the frozens into another esky to defrost and use.

[Mack_attack]

polyphonic: i think the reason why feral said don't put into your drinks is because CO2 with water creates carbonic acid and hence the reason why it takes the enamel off your teeth.