Dry Ice in My Norcold? (1 Viewer)

[Russ in California]

My Norcold is 'vintage' but works nominally. I'm wondering is if a small amount of dry ice might 'enhance' the efficiency to compensate for my models older design and specs?
Thinking about 'all day in camp' versus on the trail with engine running most of the day.
Thanks,

 

[toydude13]

It's not a good idea to put dry ice in a locked container and/or inside a vehicle.

 

[NLXTACY]

It's not a good idea to put dry ice in a locked container and/or inside a vehicle.

Dry ice is a danger if it's allowed to off gas. What Matt is saying is a two fold problem. If the dry ice is completely sealed off, and the box warms up allowing the dry ice to convert to CO2 AND enough of it builds up in the sealed container...BOOM!!!!

Now if you decide to be smart and leave open a crack to vent out or have a purge to prevent pressure build up BUT you decide to sleep in the car, even with the windows cracked up, you've just successfully committed suicide. CO2 is heavier than air.

All this being said, if you can carefully regulate the temperature inside the fridge then you can reduce the risks associated with dry ice. BUT being inside your truck, in the blazing sun, with a small fridge that cant get to 0deg F?

It's a pretty big risk.

 

[Russ in California]

OK, I hear you. Just thinking...
I appreciate the cautionary comments and will abide.
Is there a difference in using dry ice in a regular ice chest and my Norcold? They both 'seal' up don't they?
Still, don't want to kill myself. That's a definite buzz kill on the trail.
I'll just have to run the truck some during the days I'm anchored in camp.
Thanks mates,

 

[toydude13]

Sorry, just couldn't get into detail last night.... NLXTACY nailed it. It seems dry ice is still not fully understood by many. Dry ice doesn't melt, it evaporates and I believe the process is called sublimination.(my phone doesn't recognize the word so perhaps I miss spelled it). There really is no way you can keep dry ice cold enough to not evaporate and that gas has to go somewhere. If the lid is locked then unlock it. And don't sleep with it because it'll displace the oxygen.

Good luck!

 

[george_tlc]

It's sublimation...

If you need your fridge to run all day and don't have the battery capacity for it, buy an 80 - 100W solar panel and you should be good to go for quite a while without having to fire up the engine.

I have a >20yr old Engel and it works just fine and will freeze stuff in the box if left on high, even when it's hot out. I use an 85W solar panel to keep the aux battery going strong for multiple days in one spot without having to fire up the engine.

cheers,
george.

 

[greentruck]

I'd echo everyone's cautions, but leaven them with some of my own experience.

In the olden days, I have used dry ice to hold temps low in regular coolers on long trips out West. You need to "cushion" it from direct contact with the container, as it's cold enough to cause cracking of some plastics. Wrapped in an old towel works fine, as it does sublimate (spelling above for the process is correct, even if your phone is not as smart as you are ), but doesn't melt.

This should work with a fridge, too, but YMMV.

I'd question whether a typical container that is NOT latched shut would contain the gaseous CO2 enough to cause the container to go boom. Never happened with my ice chests, but they had the typical friction closure. If your container does have a latch down system, then you should not latch it.

We'd travel with the cooler in the vehicle, but never slept with it. Flow through ventilation should keep the CO2 vented well enough when moving. I doubt the quantity typically used in an ice chest (2 pounds?) and subject to slow sublimation would build up enough to be a problem, even just sitting in a vehicle. And if using CO2, it's going to be warm enough the windows will have to be cracked.

This is the voice of my experience only. YMMV. Don't try this at home and all the usual warnings...

Now, lets go back to when I was younger and...not so smart. It's the early 70s, in Europe at a hilltop installation not to be named. After graduating high school, I went to work at the commissary to earn some college bucks before the AF sent dad back to the world with us.

I was the frozen food/dairy manager, responsible for receiving trucks coming from cold storage. Oftentimes, the trucks would be loaded overnight, then be set on the line prior to the run to the destination. The warehouse would top off loads that might sit awhile with 5 lb blocks of dry ice.

We'd have a great time filling the back of the store with fog by filling the produce sinks full of hot water and dropping a couple of blocks in. That was great around Halloween

One day I decided that some fog would be a great new feature for the party room, my humble abode in the basement of our housing building that was my bedroom. Originally built after the war so that officers had a place to put the hired help, the economy had shifted so no one had maids anymore. So they were ideal for older dependents needing a little peace and quiet -- to party on. There was a blacklight, various wild posters, strobe light, foiled ceiling with "meteors" and stalactites highlighted in day-glo...the list goes on and proper decorum forbids me mentioning names, etc.

Well, the fog was a hit. Later, time to hit the sack, so boxed it up and put it under the bed. Now, the rooms were only about 10x8, so pretty tight. Don't recall if the window was cracked or not. Did wake up the next morning with what seemed like the world's worst hangover...but I did wake up.

Then I thought a little and threw the rest of the dry ice out. Suppose I could have killed myself, but didn't. Just bad advice to do what I did when I was young and stupid.

On the other hand, people do travel with dry ice all the time -- by taking proper precautions.

 

[RHINO]

older models specs? the norcold (engel) has remained virtually unchanged. only recently has the engel got some electronics and it doesnt seem to do anything for efficiency, just user controls.

 

[Russ in California]

Sounds like a milk jug with frozen water might be a better idea. It'll take up more space, might use a smaller container, but looks like I'll stay away from the dry ice.
A teachable moment no doubt.
Thanks again for the input.

 

[NLXTACY]

I know of no person that has succumbed to asphyxiation but I do know of small dogs dying from being locked up in the vehicle while camping at night time. Dog went to sleep and never woke up. No it wasn't heat.

 

[greentruck]

Another factor to consider with dry ice is whether it's the only cold stuff in the cooler or not. I always used it as a supplement to regular ice and I tend to keep the cooler full so that the cold mass helps hold temps down. The two pounds I started with could last up to 5 days, so the off-gassing was a slow process.

Where dry ice gets warm fast, it sublimates fast, leaving little time for whatever ventilation is available to clear the CO2. That's a problem for dogs or anything else confined in a small space with dry ice.

 

[WideAngleWandering]

I have used dry ice in coolers, slept with them in my car and nothing went boom or suffocated me.

Someone could do the math on volumes of gases but I doubt that a small sublimating block of dry ice would overcome the ventilation in your average expedition vehicle.