OTHER USES HOME MADE ROOT BEER

To make one gallon of root beer: One pound sugar One gallon water Two ounces root beer extract Add 1 to 2 pounds of Food Grade Dry Ice to carbonate. Tip for carbonation: put in a triple size plastic container (1/3 liquid and 2/3 air) and put the lid on tight. The pressure will dissolve more into the mix and make it fizzier. Otherwise have Club soda to add for carbonation. If you let the root beer fog too much you will loose the carbonation. Bring several pounds extra dry ice and put in as you are serving in order to let the kids see the fog affect. You must keep the root beer from freezing. Dry ice is -109.3°F and it will freeze the liquid. Add extra water if freezing starts. Do not ladle Dry Ice into cups. Put regular ice directly into cups for additional cooling. For different ideas add dry ice to grape juice and pineapple juice for a goolish witches brew. CARBONATE LIQUIDS

When CO 2 is added to plain water it will make sparkling mineral water. CO 2 is extensively used throughout the world in the beverage industry for making soda pop. DENTS & HAIL DAMAGE

Dry Ice will condense metal and thereby shrink small dents on your car. Place the Dry Ice on the inside of the dent if possible. Use heavy gloves and press flat sheet against dent. If it is not possible to get on the inside concave part of the dent, then using heavy gloves hold the Dry Ice so a corner can fit into the bottom lowest part of the cratered dent. Hold the Dry Ice until the metal is frosted at least 2 inches beyond the dent. Let the metal warm up (in the sun is the best) and repeat the procedure. Sometimes the dent will pop out perfectly. More often it will not be possible to get a flat smooth finish, but the dent will be reduced noticeably. Creased metal will still show the crease line but the dent will be far less pronounced. I have not seen any paint damage, but I'm sure if the paint is not strongly adhered, it could peel away. FOOD STORAGE

Placing Dry Ice in the bottom of a dry food storage container is a very economical way to fumigate and store dry goods for an extended amount of time. Make sure the Dry Ice is not frost covered, as that will add moisture. Put one quarter pound of Dry Ice per five-gallon storage container in the bottom and then pour in the dry food. As the Dry Ice sublimates it replaces the oxygen in the container with CO 2 . Leave the lid on but not tightly sealed until the Dry Ice completely sublimates. (About 5-6 hours) Then snap the lid tight. Without oxygen, neither bugs nor bacteria can grow. This process is good for seeds, grains, legumes, flower, powdered milk, etc. An excellent site for further information can be found at http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/html/FDNS-E-34-1.html REMOVE FLOOR TILE

Dry Ice will loosen floor tile by freezing and slightly shrinking them allowing easier removal. The cold temperature of the Dry Ice will break the bond of the adhesive. Place the Dry Ice sheets centered on the tile to be removed and wait until it is completely frosted. If it has not popped off, slight tapping with a hammer or prying with a screwdriver will allow it to be lifted off easily. It is too time consuming to remove a whole floor, but is ideal for removing a few tiles that need replacing. This may not be the way a Home Advisor flooring expert would remove old tiles but it works fine for small jobs. The Home Advisor site has reviews and info on Home Advisor approved flooring companies. GOPHER ERADICATION

Dry Ice is heavier than air so it will find its way to the bottom of gopher dwellings. Place 1 to 2 inch pieces as deep into each hole as can be reached and fill the front of the hole with dirt. If you miss some holes the process may have to be repeated. Jerry Yamamoto of Hayward, California reports that he successfully used Dry Ice to eradicate regular Argentine ants from his front yard. Perhaps this could work on fire ants too. PROTECT SPORT FISH AND GAME

Pack your trophy animal or fish in Dry Ice to minimize spoilage while transporting or shipping it home. Do not let the Dry Ice touch the game directly as it may cause superficial damage. Dry Ice can be added to regular ice to extend its cooling. For best results use an insulated container. BRANDING

Dry Ice is used to super cool alcohol for branding horses, cattle, and hunting dogs. The alcohol must be 90% pure - not rubbing alcohol. Methyl alcohol is most commonly used. Liquid Nitrogen is too cold to work properly. This is now the second most common way to brand according to Tony Clark of Bassett, Nebraska. MEDICAL

Doctors, to freeze skin for wart removal, use Dry Ice or liquid nitrogen. Many medical offices ship biological specimens in Dry Ice for laboratory testing or further processing. Dry Ice is also used to keep bone morrow frozen when it is shipped. TRANSPORTING PLANTS

Dry Ice will keep flowers cool and delay blooming. Maintaining ready to flower plants at 34°F will retard blooming. Do not allow Dry Ice to get too close and freeze plants. PLANT GROWTH

A small additional amount of Carbon Dioxide will increase the rate of plant growth. CHEMICAL RETARDANT

Its low temperature slows or stops some chemical reactions. It is used to store and ship special adhesives It is also a neutralizing agent for alkalis. PRESSURIZING AGENT

When Dry Ice changes from a solid to a gas it absorbs heat and expands to over 800 times its original volume. INERTING MEDIUM

Dry Ice will replace oxygen in a container preventing or putting out fires. It is used to safely remove underground gas storage tanks. SHRINK FITTINGS

Dry Ice will shrink metal to slide on sleeves, bushings or bearings. Add Dry Ice to a 90% pure alcohol bath to create a cold liquid near -109.3°F. that can be used like liquid nitrogen. DEFLASHING MOLDED PLASTICS AND RUBBER

Dry Ice will cool and shrink whatever it touches. Rubber parts are tumbled in a barrel with Dry Ice, making them brittle for easy flash removal. It is used in cold grinding of Plexiglas, PVC resins and vinyl's. FRESH MEAT PROCESSING

Dry Ice will keep the temperature cold and reduce spoilage while processing meat. This is used in industrial processing of ground meats and sausages. MOSQUITOES

CO 2 may attract mosquitoes away from animals and people. Place pieces of Dry Ice away from areas where people are congregating. The theory is that mosquitoes find animals and people by their CO 2 exhaled during breathing. Melissa Palm reports that dry ice does attract mosquitoes. "I use dry ice in some of my mosquito traps as bait and find that it works rather well." The Clarke Family of Companies of Roselle IL., sells a mosquito trap designed for using Dry Ice. WELLS

Dry Ice combined with detergent, or alone, will improve porosity in irrigation wells. Bill Hayoz of Reliant Dry Ice in New Mexico, explains that dry ice is used regularly by the ranchers to improve water flow. He used about 60 pounds of dry ice in his windmill well, capped it off, and waited several days before the water came back with a greater flow. The city of Mosquero used 800 pounds of dry ice for their city wells. Most well men will use dry ice before drilling deeper. OIL INDUSTRY

Dex Welch reports "Dry Ice has been used in the oil fields for years to clean tank bottoms. When paraffin, sludge, etc build up, a chemical is added along with Dry Ice to roll (stir up) the tank bottom. This breaks out the liquids & separates water from oil in paraffin mixtures so that water can be removed & the oil saved." Liquid CO2 is also used to crack and increase oil flow in wells. BAKING INDUSTRY

Dry Ice is used in mixing ingredients and retarding yeast growth until the proper time. FREEZE FRESH STRAWBERRIES PERFECTLY

Karyn Gilbert writes: "I use Dry Ice to freeze my strawberries - fresh, washed ones, once a year: Wash fresh strawberries

Place directly on top of dry ice in cooler for about 20-30 minutes

Close cooler

Remove when solid

Place in freezer safe plastic bag, mark with date

Place in freezer - to thaw take out and set on plate at room temp (use within a year to be sure freshness)

They will thaw almost like fresh - without being soggy like usual frozen strawberries are. I suppose this might work for other fruits and veggies because of the quick freeze time, not allowing them to get soggy... " AIR QUALITY TESTING

Used for United States EPA (40 CFR 60 App.A Meth.25) Method 25 emissions testing. "Determination of Total Gaseous Non-methane Organic Emissions as Carbon". The dry ice is encased around a sample "trap" during each one hour run. The trap is preserved on dry ice until it reaches the laboratory for analysis. It is not uncommon to purchase at least 200 lbs of dry ice for a 3 run test series performed on a 1200 F incinerator exhaust stack on a hot August day in Florida. This is why so many stack testers use dryiceDirectory.com . Many are on the road and need a reference source to dry ice vendors all over the U.S. For a professionally illustrated schematic of Method 25 and other USEPA emissions test methods visit: www.activeset.org/methods/index.htm.

FUMIGATION - Powder-Post Beetles in Furniture

Jim Lockhart of Littleton Colorado writes: "After allowing the infected cabinet to spend 18 hours in the closed freezer with 30 lbs of dry ice at -25 deg F, I went ahead and removed the dry ice, saving what was left of it in a small ice chest. I closed the freezer up again and allowed the cabinet inside to slowly warm up to room temperature (another 12 hours) then took it out. I checked for signs of life with a stethoscope in the places where the powder post beetles could be heard and – not a sound. I checked again for signs of life 24 hours later – still nothing. It would appear that the insects either froze, suffocated or both. Of course I have no way to tell whether or not the freezing or lack of oxygen also killed any eggs – only time will tell. I am confident enough at this point that this worked and would recommend it to anyone in a similar situation. Feel free to include any and/or all the info I’ve given you on your website. This is a much less toxic way of killing insects than the use of chemical sprays and fumigants." Jim writes one year later to update there is no sign of any beetle activity and "I’ve been telling fellow woodworkers about the idea and they, too have met with success without doing any damage to the wood or it’s finish." Where to find Dry Ice in your area? GO TO: Sell dry ice to the public? This informative site is supported by the manufacturers and sellers of Dry Ice. Thank you for supporting them. Have you used Dry Ice in some other way? Let us know at:





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