Mistakes You Can Make With Dry Ice

Mistakes You Can Make With Dry Ice

boiling dry ice with vapor

Whether you use dry ice to make your beverages bubbly and carbonated or to for creating spooky Halloween settings, it is important that you know how to handle it safely.

Many people confuse dry ice with regular ice and, regrettably, end up making some very costly mistakes. Here are three of the top mistakes that people make when working with dry ice.

1.Touching it with unprotected skin

Dry ice has an average temperature between -78.5F -109.3F. Touching it with your unprotected skin can easily freeze your skin cells. In extreme cases, it can even cause burn injuries and blisters of almost the same magnitude as steam burns. The risk of getting deep frostbite after exposing your skin to dry ice is also extremely high.  


Always handle dry ice using tongs. Even better; always protect your hands with gloves when working with dry ice. If you are used to tasting regular ice with your tongue, you should shake off any temptations of trying that with raw dry ice. Always keep dry ice as far away from kids as possible and only allow them near it when there is a responsible adult supervising them.   


2.Storing in airtight or un-insulated container 


Instead of melting from solid to liquid state like regular ice does, dry ice sublimates quickly into Carbon Dioxide gas when left exposed for too long. And because breathing too much of this gas can lead to suffocation, you should always try to keep its rate of sublimation to a minimum.  

The best way of limiting dry ice sublimation is storing it in a thick and heavily insulated container. On top of that, ensure that the container is stored in a sufficiently ventilated room so that even if the ice sublimates, it is quickly replaced by the fresh air flowing in from the outdoors.  

When transporting dry ice, on the other hand, always ensure that your car always has a consistent flow of fresh air. It’s best if you can hire an experienced dry ice delivery service to handle the transportation part for you.   But even as you insulate the dry ice container, you should be very careful not to make it too airtight to the extent that, in case the ice sublimates, there is a buildup of excess gas pressure in the container, consequently causing it to expand and explode.  

One last thing: Storing Dry Ice in a refrigerator freezer isn’t a wise thing to do.

The ice will make the refrigerator too cold that everything in there will be frozen, prompting the thermostat to automatically turn off the freezer. With the freezer off, the ice will be used up unbelievably fast. 


3.Stocking up your Dry Ice far ahead of the time it is needed 

Naturally, dry ice sublimates for up to 10 percent of its entire volume for every 24 hours you keep it in your home.

That is to say that if you stock up 100 pounds of it today, 10 pounds will be gone by this time tomorrow. It is always advisable to contact your preferred dry ice company for ice delivery a few hours to time.  



Conclusion: 

If you’re looking for a reliable dry ice supplier this summer, our dry ice delivery service is dedicated to delivering fresh ice right to your doorstep. We will give you the best quotes in the whole of New York City. Please contact us today for all your dry ice NYC needs.