800.992.9302
Occasionally, you will have equipment, machinery or even part of your facility that needs cleaning outside the traditional methods. The maintenance may require a specialized approach to cleaning due to water or contamination risks to sensitive ingredients, components, finished products, etc. That’s where dry ice cleaning comes in.
Dry ice cleaning is a specialized organic approach to facility hygienics that uses pressured air to blast frozen CO2 to remove debris from soiled surfaces.
It differs from traditional cleaning methods because it doesn’t use chemicals and leaves no byproduct or waste. As such, it is necessary in situations where an alternative to water is needed.
Standard components cleaned with dry ice include:
Other natural and organic materials used if frozen CO2 is not the best solution include:
Corn husks
Walnut shells
Sand
Dry ice cleaning – also known as dry ice blasting – uses specialized equipment to blow small, rice-sized crystals of frozen CO2 through pressurized air.
The intensity of these small projectiles is so strong that it blasts off contaminants or residue on industrial equipment and surfaces. Since CO2 is frozen gas and doesn’t manifest as a liquid, the byproduct dissipates into the air and leaves nothing behind on the cleaned surfaces.
Dry ice cleaning is a multi-purpose solution for a variety of surfaces, including:
The blasting of particles quickly and easily removes flaking and brittle materials off of surfaces.
While dry ice cleaning is excellent for sensitive surfaces, it has limits.
Dry ice blasting doesn’t work well on soft or pliable surfaces. The CO2 crystals will clean effectively when impacting a hard surface. Softer surfaces absorb the impact, which lessens the cleaning efficacy.
Additionally, dry ice blasting struggles to clean up grease and oils, which usually require chemical removal.
In terms of frequency, this will depend on the surface needing to be cleaned. Some projects are just one-off applications of dry ice blasting, such as removing paint from a surface. Other jobs require more frequency. For example, heat exchangers need to be serviced two-to-four times a year, depending on use.
To determine the frequency your equipment needs servicing, you can contact the manufacturer or an industrial hygienics specialist for support.
Several factors go into determining the cost of getting dry ice cleaning done.
Are you planning on renting or buying a machine? How strong of a machine do you need for cleaning? How much dry ice will you use?
Depending on your needs, the answers to these questions will vary.
Dry ice blasters can run from a few thousand USD for limited applications and up to over thirty-thousand USD for more robust machines used in a heavy industrial setting.
Since most factories only need dry ice cleaning occasionally, buying equipment is usually not economically viable.
Also, improper or untrained use of dry ice-blasting equipment can cause severe damage to your machinery, costing you far more than the price of the machine itself. Cleaning with CO2 can also be dangerous in confined spaces, due to excessive carbon dioxide and a lack of oxygen in the air. As such, it’s best to rely on trained professionals using their equipment for dry ice cleaning.
The cost of having your machinery cleaned through dry ice blasting will, like the purchase of the machine itself, vary on the size and scope of your cleaning job.
You will need a professional crew to come out for at least half or up to a whole day for standard industrial equipment maintenance. This service will cost, on average, $2,000 - $4,000. But since each job is different, the price will vary.
If you’re ready to have your industrial equipment cleaned with a responsible and licensed team of experts, look no further than Service-Tech.
We specialize in industrial cleaning of all applications, including dry ice blasting. We’ll work with you to ensure cleaning services don’t interfere with peak operating hours and get you on a schedule so you never have to worry about dirty equipment slowing down or shutting down your factory.
Let us know what machinery needs cleaning, and we will provide you with a quick estimate. We look forward to working with you.
Minimize machine downtime and maintain a clean and safe environment for your employees with an HVAC system cleaning partner backed by a history built on hard work, integrity and a commitment to excellent service. Let’s talk about a cleaner, healthier environment.
