I do not use it and never thought about add it.

 

I guess it all depends on what your business is geared towards. I do a wide variety if work so it fits well into my business.

 

What is the equipment cost? what is the market for DIB?

 

Well, you require a compressor (185cfm) which cost new 13g and a typical blaster with nozzles etc cost about 17-20g. Expensive start up cost but the types of work you do can charge a premium so it balances out.

Market :
All Manufacturing - anywhere you don't want mess, water, sand, potential damage to equipment, no chemicals, want to use on electrical
Historical Restoration
Fire/Mould Restoration

 

any pics of your setup?

 

I do have a few picks of blasting and my equipment etc. However, I got an error saying I can't post pics until I get over a certain amount of posts? odd?

 

send to me, i'll post it

 

Hey plazaman, I sent some pics to your business address...Thanks!
They're not great but hopefully they'll do.

 

They use dry ice blasting sometimes to clean up the statues over at the Gettysburg Battlefield.

 

Dry Ice pics

 

Thanks sir!

The building you see is the first pharmacy of my home town built in 1890 (give or take a year). The metal pilar(s) I'm blasting had been painted about 1000 times over the 100 plus years. I eventually had them all stripped - I go back a week later and they're painted once again! lol...

 

Questions,

How does the equipment work? I know with sand/soda blasting you shoot abrasives.

The 2nd pic looks like an aftercooler. Is that unit a aftercooler itself or does it have anyother filters/traps on it? Does dry ice blasting require cool dry air like soda blasting?

If i wanted to add dry ice blasting to my setup, what would i need? I already have the aftercooler and compressor, 210. ?

What markets is dry ice blasting preffered over soda/sand? I know senstive equipment/electronics cleaning.

 

oh, about my set up.
I have a Coldjet Power PTX (pictured to the right), all pneumonic machine - this can be a pain in the arse because if any moisture gets into the some of those air driven parts they can freeze up. Coldjet has since made some major advances with their machines.
The unit to the right is an aftercooler, it cleans and dry the air before entering my blaster.

 

Basically all you'll need is a blaster/hoses/applicator and nozzles (depending on types of jobs).

exactly it, preferred over sand/soda when sensitive equipment is in play as well as indoors. I clean a lot of Food Processing plants and plastics plants - safe on machinery and no mess.
BUT my main money maker is Mould - mould remediation work, being sub contracted out by local disaster restoration companies. Works amazing on mould, cleaning up framing and killing mould in the process. Also do some Fire resto as well for them.

 

210 cfm is fine with Coldjets newer units...sorry forgot to mention that.

 

so where does it make the ice?

 

The unit(s) doesn't make dry ice - that process is different and separate all together. You can get portable pelletizer units that make ice on the spot - however they are expensive. I believe a portable unit cost aprox $20,000 and a recovery unit is about the same cost. The recovery unit collects/recovers unused CO2 in the process of making dry ice
I get my dry ice pellets from a supplier - Praxair/Medigas.

 

CO2solutions, how did you get started? Did you work for someone doing this and then learned the trade and started out on your own? Also, do you have marketing materials that you give to food processing plants? If so, what does it consist of. I would like to get into this, but the cost of startup is keeping me away right now. How did you get into Mold remediation? Do you do the "negative pressure" quarantine stuff? If so, how is that done, what equipment do you need for that? Thanks for the response. You said "the equipment is expensive, but the work you get you can charge a premium..." can you give me an idea of what you mean by that? How do you price mold jobs? By the square foot? Thanks for your response!!

 

It was something I just fell into - no experience, so it's been a learning 'experience' for sure. I have general marketing (a 2 page double sided phamphlet), but another only specific to Mold Remediation. To get into mold remediation is much more than just purchasing the equipment. Training is required, and on depending on which state you are in, you are probably required to be certified (most likely by the IICRC) to perform mold remediation. Yes, depending on the job - if the remediation is being completed in a 'living space' then yes neg air is required.
Because of the advantages of dry ice (no mess, cleanup, non conductive, eco-friendly etc.)and what it can do it demands a premium rate. I price a few different ways depending on job and who I'm working for and scope of job.

 

Do you own all of your own equipment or do you rent it from ColdJet? Do you own/rent the negative air pressure equipment? What exactly do you need for that? It sounds like good money, but there is SO much startup cost is sounds like. Any ideas for someone who is looking at getting started?

 

Yes, I own all my Dry Ice Blasting equipment and some MR equipment - depending on size of job sometimes I'm required to rent/borrow extra air scrubbers/air movers etc. When you get into MR you need the training/certification (as mentioned earlier) and the th equipment needed to complete jobs i.e. Air Scrubber(s), Dehumidifier(s), Hepa Vacuum(s), Containment (you can build on your own, I use PVC piping), all the tools nessessary for a regula contractor as you usually are pulling out drywall etc.
Yes, start up is big - I've gotten into it gradually, used Dry Ice Blasting for other types of work and stayed subbed out by other disaster restoration companies. Just moving into MR full time now. You may want to look at other disaster resto companies around you and see if they 'do' mold and how they 'do' it as you will be competing with them. If no one is using DIB then you have a leg up on them. One thing I learned from experienced contractors that use DIB is they say "Mold is Gold" - it's great money if you can get the work.

Just do your research in your area, contractors? Disaster resto co's? types of manufacturing plants? anyone using DIB? franchises? do you want you get dirty? struggle for a while?

Let me know if your interested in getting a DIB machine from Coldjet, I'll put you in contact - they're great, equipment is the best, have the most accessories. Whereabouts are you located?

mike

 

South Central PA

 

Oh, if you want I cant a guy to call you - pick their brain. I was hoping you were in Canada, have a good relationship with CJ here.

 

I figured they wouldn't want bothered until I was ready to buy or at least able to. Hook me up with the number. Sweet rig you go there. I did have another question for you. I hope you don't mind all these questions. When you setup inside a building say to blast a food processing machines, how do you get the air in there. I would imagine they wouldn't let you drag your compressor inside and have it running while you do that. What if you're in the middle of a huge plant at least 500 feet away from your equipment. What do you do?

 

no worries, I like talking about it.
Almost all processing plants have 'plant air' - usually all processing equipment relies on air at some point. Only once have I had to run a line into a plant, it was a plastics plant. Maximum length of hose is about 200ft total, after that you lose a lot of pressure. I usually max out at about 170ft total, that includes air and blasting hose.

coldjet - 1800 337 9423