Thread: Anyone used dry ice?

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Has anyone used dry ice before? I'm thinking of putting a block in the spa at the end of the pool for a foggy effect that will creep over into the pool and pirate ship decor. Does anyone know how long a big chunk will last and how to use it best-warm or cool water, large or smaller pieces?

That sounds interesting! What's the approximate dimensions of the pool/spa? For maximum "hang time" you'll need to keep the spa warm (~90 °F) and the pool cool. The cooler water will help keep the fog near the surface and slow down the dissipation. Now for the bad news - if you're planning on having this effect run for a few hours, you're gonna need a LOT of dry ice. A 20 lb. block is only about 8"X 8"X12" and won't last very long. Wind is also a problem, any small breeze will blow the fog out of the pool quickly. If you have a cheap dry ice source, I say go for it. A 20 lb. block would cost me about $25. You may be better off using a 700 watt fogger and a chiller. The chilled fog would stay close to the pool surface - cold fog likes a damp environment.

I got dry ice once....wasn't too impressed. I used it mainly as a fog chiller but not so much to create the fog. Mine was only available in pellets (I can't complain because we got 50lbs for free!)

The water we used to try it was straight out of the garden hose. The dry ice is waaay below freezing so it doesn't even matter if you put it on top of a block of ice, it will still work.

Is this a spa, like a big round one? that's a little nuts in my eyes...

but I think like 5-6 pellets lasted for 20 minutes or so...

hope that helps!

Go with a fog chiller and use the dry ice in it. Agree with above have used dry ice in the past and was not impressed.

The spa is about 6 feet in diameter, built up from the pool. The spa can be warmed up if needed, and the pool cooled down. It is a courtyard pool, so all sides are enclosed, so there should be no breeze. We were plannning on a fog machine spewing fog out of one of the ship's portholes anyway, but started thinking about this last night when something came packed in dry ice and we played with it awhile. I don't know how much dry ice goes for here. Maybe we are crazy, that's what I need you guys to tell me!

If it was me I would use a sonic fog machine. I bought a large one a few years ago that is made for ponds and I love it. Its about 10 inches across and puts out a lot of fog. The best part is it keeps making fog as long as there is water unlike a fog machine that has to keep heating up. I use it in a 10gal cauldron and it last all nite.

The sonic fog machine sounds interesting, where do you get something like that?

Just Google "pond fogger", there's a lot of them out there. I couldn't find any info on how much surface area a given unit will cover, but from what I saw of the prices you may be better off with a fogger/chiller system.

Thanks for the info. I'm googling it now and getting prices and info. May be better to use that money for booze, after awhile it all will look foggy anyway.

If you go on E-bay you can find a 9 or 10 disc fogger for around $100. Just type in pond fogger. It is well worth the money. No more ice or fog juice to buy which in a couple years can be over a $100. I have had mine for three years with no problems. Plus the led lights on it make a nice effect.