Dry Ice

[Steve Sayian]

Planning on our 2-week cruise to Martha's Vineyard and wondering if anyone has ever used dry ice in the cooler?  The fridge unit is kaput and not worth spending money on getting it fixed (managed for the last 30 years to get by without one, so no need to start now).  A friend of mine has used dry ice for cooling when he has gone on 4-5 week cruises.
Just wondering if anyone has had any experience w/it and if so, how do you pack the ice box?
Thanks,
Steve

[Ron Hill]

Steve : It should work, just don't open the lid so much - or - you'll release more CO2 into the ionesphere!!  (smile)

[Stu Jackson]

No response from a search either here or on the Knowledgebase.  I also tried www.catalinaowners.com, came up dry ( )!

I recall some discussion eyars ago on the old email list, but nothing less than 5 years old.  Just be careful handling the material.  And make sure you bring some popsicles so it'll be just like the old Good Humor ice cream trucks.

[Larry Robertie]

I have not tried this, but seem to remember a thread on the C27 list about dry ice.  The big thing was to make sure the cooler was vented, as the CO2 greatly expands as it goes straight from solid to gas.

[sdaly66]

Larry is right.  It expands tremendously.  The vapors will sink to the floor if it is venting into the cabin. But you probably can't put enough in the ice box to create a health hazard from CO2 gas - don't quote me on that though.

But here's the thing, it will only last about 48 hours.  Better than straight ice, but you'll still have to restock every couple of days.

Don't try to use it in beverages the way you might use ice cubes - foaming, bubbling, al fun but can be messy if it overflows.

One more point.  It will take your ice box down to a much lower temperature than regular ice.  Be prepared for eggs and drinks frozen solid.

[Joe Kern]

On my C270 we used to use it for our Bahamas trips by putting a piece in the very bottom of the ice box and then use bags of ice on top.  It kept the regular ice from melting as quickly but still did not last as long as you might think.  For what it is worth one of the 5 day Igloo or West coolers with some dry ice and regular ice might be a better option.  We keep one under the cockpit table and it really does keep ice for 3 + days even in the hot Florida sun.

Joe

[Steve Sayian]

Thanks Guys for all the input!

Yup, know about the expansion, the venting and the handling.  As far as using it in drinks, don't think so (may look like something from The Munsters!).

I would have thought it would have lasted longer than a couple days though.  The ice box seems pretty well insulated and the dry ice being down low would keep the cold lower resulting on slower evaporation.

I like the idea of using the extra cooler for keeping it in.  We put one in the middle of the walk-through for ice and drinks anyway so this might be a good place.

As far as the Ionosphere Ron, it still works for AM skip on radios so no problem there...


Steve

[Craig Illman]

Steve - I've heard of, but not tried, using the dry ice to help maintain the normal ice longer by putting the dry ice in the bottom and covering with crushed ice. I worked around the issue by installing refrigeration and the requisite electrical upgrades.

Craig

[Michael]

Steve - We used two blocks of dry ice (total of about 40-50 pounds) in a defunct refrigerator on a week-long cruise in Desolation Sound in a hot (for British Columbia) mid-summer.  If I recall correctly, it was all gone by sometime on about the third day...something of a disappointment as it was not cheap.  The secret is never to open the refrigerator door...in which case the dry ice can be dispensed with.  Good luck.

[Steve Sayian]

Sounds like the best thing to do is '86' the dry ice idea.  No advantage for cold longevity vs cost seems to be gained.

Can buy a lot of block ice for the same price (and I can make drinks w/it that don't look like volcanoes...).

Thanks for the feedback!

Steve

[DougP]

Freeze a bunch of bottled water. They hold well and you can drink them as they thaw.

Of course, I have to say the 'fridge is the best part of my boat. Cold drinks & ice anytime I stop by after work...