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NU-ICE vs. real Ice


C-Los

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I have recently started using Cooler Shock in my 45 qt. RTIC cooler. It is inexpensive and does a great job. I use two reusable frozen Cooler Shock bags with one bag of ice. It will last for two or three days with drinks or lunch in the cooler. https://www.amazon.com/Lg-Zero°F-Cooler-Freeze-Packs/dp/B00V9ITMYC/ref=pd_bxgy_86_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YMRNCCTJG28D8BHGVM03

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All of these "ice replacements" use the same polyacrylic salt based gel mixture inside that is used in any standard freezer pack.  The "Cooler Shock" series is similar to some product we sell at our company.  It ships to you without the water added to the gel chemical mix yet.  That cuts down on shipping cost getting it to you.  You just add the right amount of clean water to the chemical inside and it forms the gel.  The rest is just a heavy duty poly bag.

All the product descriptions are very cryptic about how the product is "activated" or "charged". 

It's really not that complicated. It's called "freezing".  Really.

Any standard residential freezer will maintain temperatures at or slightly below 0 degrees F.  Anything you leave in a freezer long enough will reach that temperature.  A zero degree gel pack acts like a sponge and *** the heat energy out of whatever is close by as soon as it's out of the freezer.  The difference between wet ice and the gel mixture, is that the gel absorbs heat over a longer period of time once it is out of the freezer.  Yes, it will keep a cooler colder longer than wet ice, or ice in a plastic jug.

It is best to completely cover the top of the cooler contents with the gel packs, then cover the gel packs with a towel.  That's the best practice with wet ice as well.  Of course, start with the payload and cooler pre-chilled for the best results.  If you need to get that warm case of soda or beer chilled down fast, dump a bag of wet ice in first, then cover with gel packs and a towel on top. 

Downside to using just gel packs ?  You can't drop a towel into freezing cold cooler water and drape it over your head or face when you need "freshening up".....Or toss it on your buddy's neck and watch him jump. 

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Interesting comments.

The higher the saline the lower the freeze point.

The most BTU/energy are a product of change of state from solid to liquid. Melting ice/solution produces the most energy. Getting water/solution to the freeze point is one thing. Getting it to become a solid piece of ice is another.

 

You will not freeze solid a high saline/glycerol solution at zero degrees. The high saline products require minus 10 or better to become rock hard. Some energy there but most still comes from the change of state from solid to liquid. The high saline products change state at a lower temp and it really equates to mass of the product and the energy it took to freeze said solution to begin with.

 

There is no such thing as hot ice or wet ice. It is just ice that it's energy and effective use from exposure to heat has been diminished.  You can not get a beer colder than 32 degrees in any bucket of fresh water ice.

 

If your ice does not melt it is doing very little more than coming in contact of it's freeze point. That is the reason fresh fish are best in contact with shaved or crushed ice and not frozen 10 lb blocks that last for days. Those blocks don't melt due to very little exposure to the things your trying to cool.

 

There really is just so much energy in any gallon of a frozen liquid. The temps at which that liquid changes state can vary and some non latent energy can be obtained. Kinda of like dry ice. Liquid nitrogen at around minus 56 degrees. It melts and evaporates just like ice but leaves nothing behind but smoke due to it's evaporation temps.

 

Most of what I just typed may be wrong. Just trying to rely on an old brain with lots of miles.

 

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11 hours ago, Capt. Troy said:

There is no such thing as hot ice or wet ice. It is just ice that it's energy and effective use from exposure to heat has been diminished.  You can not get a beer colder than 32 degrees in any bucket of fresh water ice.

 

Ice forms @ 32 degrees, but it can be much colder. Ice carvers will let a block set out for a period of time to "warm up, or soften up" before carving. Maybe that's what is referred as "hot or wet ice".

You are correct that beer will not get below 32 like that.

Nothing in my opinion works better to preserve your catch than slush. I prefer to "cold kill" my fish. There is much less blood when cleaning and are held better. I might use Nu-ice to keep my food cold and dry, but my fish like ice. 

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I use Nu Ice for the drink and food coolers. Switched a couple of years ago and will not go back. So easy to use everyday as long as your throw it in the freezer over night. I never put it on the fish. They go in the live well and they are still flapping when I filet them.

A great investment if you are on the water everyday.

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13 hours ago, Fishtails said:

Ice forms @ 32 degrees, but it can be much colder. Ice carvers will let a block set out for a period of time to "warm up, or soften up" before carving. Maybe that's what is referred as "hot or wet ice".

You are correct that beer will not get below 32 like that.

Nothing in my opinion works better to preserve your catch than slush. I prefer to "cold kill" my fish. There is much less blood when cleaning and are held better. I might use Nu-ice to keep my food cold and dry, but my fish like ice. 

This^^^^^^

It is ideal to have slush kill box and then once the heat is gone from the fish bury them in ice. Do not let them sit in slush to long as that will make them soft.

If I'm gonna kill fish they will be taken care of to the highest level. The food quality of all fish depends on how they are cared for the minute they come out of the water. It takes a lot of ice to do it. A summer 20 lb mahi hits the cooler hotter than a 86 degree case of beer and will burn the ice at the same rate.

 

Fish will go skunk much quicker than your beer.

 

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6 hours ago, Capt. Troy said:

This^^^^^^

It is ideal to have slush kill box and then once the heat is gone from the fish bury them in ice. Do not let them sit in slush to long as that will make them soft.

If I'm gonna kill fish they will be taken care of to the highest level. The food quality of all fish depends on how they are cared for the minute they come out of the water. It takes a lot of ice to do it. A summer 20 lb mahi hits the cooler hotter than a 86 degree case of beer and will burn the ice at the same rate.

 

Fish will go skunk much quicker than your beer.

 

When I was a hard core Mahi fisherman on my 23 Dusky....I used to see all the weekend idiots returning to the docks with "turning" schoolies...

They spend $100 on fuel, $30 on food, $50 on bait, $20 on ramp, etc. etc. and then they load of their "120 quart Igloo" with 3 bags of Ice....and return with 10-15 schoolies.  By the time they hit the fish and return, the skin has turned grey green and the filets are half rancid having been on the water "all day".  Little ice left as they pull them from the cooler...you see it in Miami all day long at the ramps.

I learned from Bouncer Smith, one of the top guides in Miami....1-2 lb of ice for every lb of fish during the hot summer day....if you have  6-8  10lb schoolies, you should have at least 80 -100 lbs of ice to hold them for the day.....

Same for yellowtail...the commercial tailing guy next to my buddy's house in the keys slushes his tails in a salt water and ice brine.....then guts them and sells the wholesale.

 

dc

 

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