Things you didn't know about a Dry ice pack 1. What is a Dry ice pack? It’s a flexible sheet which is usually of dimension 29 x20 cm, 2 mm thick and weighs about 40 grams. Once activated they are about 900 grams in weight and they shrink to 25 x 20 cms and go about 3cms thick. The dry ice pack is a synthetic dehydrated gel pack which has 2 outer layers of perforated plastic and 2 inner layers of non woven textile which encapsulate a post treated sodium Polyacrylate co polymer. These ice packs can be activated when required and used. These dry ice packs can be cut to size, flexible when frozen and last up to 7 times longer than ice. 2. How is a dry ice pack used and how is it Hydrated / Activated ? The dry ice packs are delivered to you in the dehydrated form . They only need to be soaked under water so the cells can be activated and become an ice pack. It only needs to be soaked under water for the first time. Once the ice sheet is fully hydrated, it can be used over and over again like any other ice pack. Hence reused by repeat freezing or heating. In order to hydrate these dry ice packs please see our instructions on how to hydrate the dry ice pack. In short, they are just completely immersed in a tub of warm water and gently scrunched and allowed to soak for a 15 minutes. You will notice the cells start to hydrate, once the cells are full and can’t expand anymore, they are ready for use. 3. When is the dry ice pack ready to freeze | how much to hydrate a dry ice pack The dry ice packs need to be hydrated completely to ensure you get the best performance. Each cell can hydrate to a maximum thickness of 3cms. Below is a reference image which shows a semi hydrated ice pack and a fully hydrated ice pack. 4 how does the water enter the ice pack ? Does the icepack need to be cut before it is soaked in water ? The dry ice pack has been designed to work on perforation technology. They absorb water through the minute holes in the dry ice pack and react with the polymer and once the polymer is hydrated they grow to a size greater than the holes in the textile and the plastic and hence its contained within each cell. Hence the ice pack doesn’t need to be cut to be soaked in water.
5 Does the sheet size change once after hydration. Yes once the icepack is fully hydrated the sheet does reduce in length and breadth because the sheet gains almost 3 cms in thickness. The sheet reduces by almost 3 cm on the length and 3 cm on the breadth depending on how well the sheets are hydrated. 6. Will the cells continue to expand even after hydration is complete? In short no, the cells wouldn’t continue to expand after hydration but if the ice packs are soaked in water for too long it makes the cells get tend to be prone to punctures. The pack is fully hydrated when you can leave a small indent on the cell with your thumb. It is natural for things to expand when frozen, hence allowing just a little bit of the indent in the pack will let the ice pack expand when frozen. Although these ice packs are made using the special plastic that can expand and contract . 7. Will the dry ice pack ever go flat again ? After prolonged storage or if the ice packs are used as a heat pack , they tend to lose water due to dehydration when heated in a microwave , so after every 4 to 5 uses , we recommend that you simply put the sheets back in water for a few minutes or simply rinse them under water . 8. How are Dry ice sheets best frozen or heated: As cold pack : Once the ice packs is ready to use , if you intend to use it for cryotherapy, we recommend that you place them in the freezer for about 3 to 4 hours. This half frozen icepack will keep the icepack in a plasma state which makes them feel like a semi solid and are more comfortable when pressed on your body. If the ice pack is fully frozen, we suggest you place a hand towel between the ice pack and the body to avoid a freeze burn. The cryotherapy or cold therapy should only used in intervals of 20 minutes . To transport things cold in an ice box: We recommend that you freeze the hydrated sheet for a minimum of 24 hours. The freezer must be set at lowest temperature because the colder you can freeze this ice pack, they longer they last. For tips on how to pack an icebox, please see this link . Boiling water the dry ice sheet can be used as hot pack and can be heated up to temperatures of 70°Celsius. To use it hot, you can either immerse them in a pot containing boiling water. But remember to remove the pot from the stove before immersing the dry ice pack for about 10 minutes. Wrap the ice pack which is now a heat pack in a towel and shake off any water on the surface and now
ready to be used as a heat pack. Steamer the ice pack can also be placed in a steamer and heated in steam. This is a preferable method to boiling water since it’s much safer and can also reduce the risk of over hydrating the dry ice pack. Microwave The heat pack can also be placed in a microwave. It’s best to lay the sheet flat in the microwave and heat for up to 40 seconds and if you find the ice pack is not hot enough, we suggest that you go with increments of 10 seconds. The heating time would depend on the power of the microwave. 9. How safe is this dry ice pack to use: Cryolux dry ice packs are made with fda approved materials in our iso certified factory and the gel is completely non-toxic and non-hazardous. It is safe to be in contact with skin and food, thanks to its food grade laminate. 10. How Is a Cryolux dry ice pack better than ice: These dry ice packs are a perfect replacement of ice because its a lot easier to handle and when it thaws out it doesn’t leave a mess behind like ice. These ice packs are flexible even when frozen and can last up to 7 times longer than ice. The best of all, you save water and its reusable. Best of all, this dry ice pack doubles as a heat pack. 11. How long Cryolux sheet will stay cool or hot: Hot and cold therapy If these dry ice packs are used for treating pain or injury using cold or hot therapy, any single use would last a few hours when its in direct contact with your body. This extended chill times makes it perfect for muscle recovery for sports and gym junkies. Likewise, for hot therapy, it lasts long enough for one to two session of therapy. If you would like to know when to use heat therapy and cold therapy please see this link Cryolux dry ice packs have major application as a refrigerant to keep perishable items cool like fruit and vegetables, seafood, drinks, medicines etc. Items that are temperature sensitive require to be stored and transported under 5-degree c and are usually transported in a well-insulated ice box along with the sufficient volume of dry ice packs. The chill times can be extended with use extra dry ice packs and a larger ice box. Freezing the sheets in deep freezers or even blast freezers can increase the cold cycle.
12. How are these dry ice packs used as a hot and cold pack for therapy: Cold or hot therapy has always been the most effective treatment pain relief and inflammation. These ice packs are perfect for sports injury, minor bumps and bruises, muscular sprain, strain or spasm, joint pains, cramps, haemorrhage and even work perfectly to reduce the swelling after a dental extraction. These dry ice packs are most commonly used for post surgery rehabilitation treatments. 13. What are advantages of a Dry ice pack compared to blue gel packs in the market? The blue gel packs normally have a higher freezing point usually around -4 to -5 degree c, however the Cryolux formulation have dropped the freezing point on these icepacks to -21 degree c. The blue ice packs aren’t flexible when frozen thus making it hard to wrap around a product or even your body. The dry icepacks are flexible when frozen and can be used in tight spots in your icebox or even wrapped around the body. If the blue ice pack has a puncture, they go straight to the bin however if the dry ice pack has a puncture, you can simply cut that cell out and continue to use the ice pack. 15. What is the life span of a Dry ice sheet: The reusable 4 ply dry ice pack usually have a shelf life of a few years as long as they are stored in the original packaging that was supplied at the time of purchase. The only problem could be that the polymer in the ice pack can be affected by the moisture and it’s best to use warm water when you are hydrating a really old ice pack. If the sheet can be cared for well by avoiding any punctures, the ice pack can last for many years. 14. Do these dry ice packs ever leak? The plastic and the fabric layers of the cell are permeable and the transparent gel don’t really leak however there are some rare occasions where you may feel a thin film of the gel on the surface of the sheet. This may be a slippery or sticky feel, particularly when the cells are pressed or heated in a microwave or when the sheets have not been used for a long period. All the materials used in making this ice pack are food grade and FDA approved and hence its not something to worry about but just giving the sheet a rinse under tap water will solve the problem. 15. How should the Dry ice sheets be stored when not in use: Ideally it’s best that these sheets are stored in the freezer. This helps in maintaining the temperature within your freezer thus saving money on power consumed. If you are out of storage space, its best to pack them away in a well-aired container to avoid any mould or fungus
due to the moisture. We recommend that the sheet are washed before use. 16. Can I mix Cryolux dry ice sheet and crushed bag ice together: The dry ice packs can certainly be mixed with ice however if you would like to enhance the performance of the dry ice pack we suggest that you mix them with dry ice or even dry ice pellets which ever is easily available. However if you do mix them with water ice or bag ice that you buy from the super market, please remember that the water ice is going to be at a warmer temperature because the dry ice pack is at -21 c and the water ice is usually at around -4-degree c. Hence we recommend that you pack the bags of ice on the bottom of the ice box and pack your food and drinks above it and create a blanket of dry ice packs on the sides and walls and right on top for the top most layer we suggest that you have 2 layers of dry ice packs because that is where most of your heat penetrates your icebox. This way every time you open and close your icebox , you will find that the blanket of dry ice packs are protecting your chillness and they will be the first to thaw out. If you are using dry ice, we recommend the same arrangement where you lay the dry ice brick on the bottom and have a few sheets of dry ice pack directly above the dry ice and follow the same by creating a dry ice packs blanket. 17. What’s the best way to cut a Cryolux dry ice pack: The Cryolux dry ice sheet can be cut along the seams to the desired shape as long as you don’t puncture or cut too close to the cells which contain the gel. The best way to cut the ice pack is to first activate them and once they are fully hydrated, they can be cut easily. Welcome to Cryolux Australia - The Source for Innovative Cold Chain Products like Dry Ice packs, Ice packs, Reusable Dry ice packs, Bubble Back Ice Packs, Tuna Gullet Gel packs, PCM gel packs, Iceboxes, Esky, and Cold chain shippers to name a few.