I often use dry ice at work (I work in a lab) & I wouldn't want to use it for camping! It's a bu&&er to work with - burns and sticks to your skin very easily as it's at ~-80C and in my opinion doesn't last very long. I have tried storing left over dry ice in a tightly shut -80C freezer and by the next morning it's all gone.
Remember it should never be used in an enclosed space as it will deplete oxygen ftom the air very quickly and can cause suffocation.
Dry ice!!!! I would have thought it would last about 2 minutes, having ruined your food before subliming back to a gas (sublime means change from solid state to a gas without passing through an obvious liquid state)! When we got the opportunity to play with it (I mean, use it in experiments!!) in A Level Physics, we used to have great fun watching it 'hover' on the little cushion of CO2 it produced as it sublimed so quickly at room temperature!!
Maybe what the Auzzies actually use is large blocks of ordinary water ice, deep-frozen? Large blocks melt slower than cubes and when made in industrial freezers (somewhat colder than domestic freezers), it feels 'dry' and actually sticks to the skin (can cause burns) as there is no layer of liquid water on its surface.
That sounds more likely - he said they were big blocks and he was reminiscing back to his childhood - said his dad always 'sorted it' so he didn't know where they got it.
Quick question - are freezer packs colder than frozen water or not? and is frozen salty water colder than ordinary tap? I have also heard that milk stays frozen longer than water? is this possible? or are people spotting that I am gullible???
I use dry ice at work too, in a foundry where we have it delivered in huge cool box style containers. It will last ages if it is kept covered but allowed to breath.
The problems are that if you put some things like fizzy drinks in to cool and forget them, they explode violently and it should never be stored in enclosed areas it can starve the oxygen out. Often when getting the dry ice out the bottom of the containers it causes shortness of breathe and dizziness so I would never use it for camping.
I have just thought about this and have a vision of xtinexoop rolling up the tent flap in the morning and opening the cool box ready to prepares breakfast , the next thing you know is there is an eerie ground hugging fog creeping across the campsite like something out of a science fiction movie
After donning heavy insulted gloves and using tongs to remove the contents of the box we hear a cry of the sausages are frozen down to minus 78 degrees so they should be ready some time next week kids
just for info dry ice is used lots in usa. my friend lives in the middle of know were and she orders meats over the internet liek beef pork etc and it arrives in boxes filled with dry ice.
Water freezes at a lower temperature in a vacuum. I believe water boils at 23 degrees in a vacuum too. If you want super cold beer, pour it into a hoover bag and stick the hoover (still running, with hose blocked) in the freezer.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Dry ice?
