DRY ICE - Pea Soup

[tomy364]

Hy does anybody have experience with PEA SOUP dry ice machine??? (output, time of duratin fog on floor)

Does output comparable to Freeze fog converter with G300 smoke machines?

 

Thnx

[rossmck]

In my experience true dry ice (e.g. a PeaSouper) will always be higher output and lie for longer than using any cooler based converter

[GridGirl]

The FreezeFog machine is pretty good as smoke chillers go, but I agree with rossmck that real, proper dry ice is a better effect; eventually the FreezeFog smoke will warm up and rise, whereas dry ice will stay on the ground until it disperses (or falls into the orchestra pit!).

[Ynot]

Hy does anybody have experience with PEA SOUP dry ice machine???

Yes - lots of us will have.

(output, time of duratin fog on floor)

All of the above depend on how hot the water is, how much CO2 you put in the basket, whether you use pellets, or a solid block, or a block chopped into shavings and then how far intoi the water you lower the basket.

You can get a LOT of ice fog for a relatively short time, or a smaller output but for longer.

Does output comparable to Freeze fog converter with G300 smoke machines?

I personally don't have a great deal of time for smoke chillers - in our venue the ambient temperature tends to be quite high, so the smoke warms up far too quickly and you both lose the effect of the rolling fog, and also fill the stage/auditorium with smoke. faster dissipating fluids are available but I've yet to find one that will do for us.

 

Which is why when the effect is needed I'll always go with the dry ice option.

[Wingwalker]

Here's the geeky answer but hopefully useful.

 

The Pea Souper holds 16 litres of water and takes 20 minutes to heat up to sufficient temperature for use. A 10kg box of pellets (not blocks) will last approximately 5 minutes when used on maximum output i.e. with enough dry ice upto your average knee height. Dry Ice gives undoubtedly the best effect but can have four main drawbacks.

 

1) As the vapour is carried along a ducting tube, water can travel too and you often find a puddle at the end of the ducting although if you are able to slightly raise the end then you have enough force for the ice to come out without the mess.

 

2) Dry Ice uses Carbon Dioxide which is heavier than air and can be deadly when used incorrectly. Due care and attention MUST be observed when using it to avoid seepage into the pit or for anyone low on the ground.

 

3) The temperature of the ice pellets is -78.6 degrees Centigrade (or Celsius depending on your preference) and as such can cause instant skin burns in its raw state so make sure you wear a pair of thick gloves when handling - even outside the box that the pellets come in.

 

4) As in normal ice, it melts. You can slow the melting process down in a variety of different ways and I really would be a geek if I told them all on here :blink: but one option is not to put your boxes of pellets in the freezer as they actually melt a hell of a lot quicker than with other methods.

 

Personally, despite the above I'd still rather use Dry Ice over lowsmoke anyday, although the Jem Glaciators are pretty good for large venues and the Antari Zice units are good for the small ones. The only other downside with using a Pea Souper is that the rubber seal at the top can become damaged and fall apart after relativly short usage, coupled with the four individual locking pins to hold the lid in place can become a bit tricky and you find yourself needing about four pairs of hands to do the job well. Therefore you may wish to consider using the Cumulus dry Ice unit instead (designed by the original Pea Souper bloke...***Geek alert***). This unit holds three times the water but also takes three times the length to heat up although the rubber seal is much thicker and the quick lock / release mechanism is much better.

 

Hope that helps.

 

David.

[Ynot]

4)..... not to put your boxes of pellets in the freezer as they actually melt a hell of a lot quicker than with other methods....

Actually, as we've covered here in the past, using a domestic freezer to store CO2 will in fact cause irreparable damage to said freezer because it won't be able to cope with the extra low temperature involved.

However, using an old (unpowered) freezer box as insulated storage (filling all unoccupied space with insulating material) IS a reasonable option.

[Seano]

4) As in normal ice, it melts.

More geeky still: no it doesn't - it sublimes. :blink:

 

Pedantry aside, its an important difference because while melting ice may break a sealed container, subliming dry ice could cause it to explode. Any improvised dry ice storage needs to be able to safely release CO2 gas without pressure building up, and any space where such a container is stored needs to be well ventilated.

(Of course I know you know that - just stating the bleedin obvious on the off-chance that anyone doesn't.)