Dry Ice Blasting

We specialise in using a low pressure sand jetting system that has been used nationwide for various cleaning tasks. The system, in our trained hands, causes minimal damage to an underlying surface and is flexible enough to tackle most property restoration cleaning tasks. The low pressure sand jet can clean surfaces without injecting large quantities of water into the surface, and with minimal surface damage, at the same time, the 'wet' system also captures dirt and abrasive, preventing the health and safety risks associated with dry blasting.

However, there are times when alternative methods are called for, one of which is Dry Ice blasting. Here a surface to be cleaned is blasted with CO2 particles, and the surface is cleaned through thermal shock, and some abrasion of the surface contaminant. A video of the process (cleaning soot from stone) is available here, and an alternative (soot from brick) here, and a datasheet of property cleaning with dry ice here

The advantage of this system is that the 'abrasive' evaporates on impact, so the only 'debris' is the material being removed. It is nearly 'dustless' - about as dustless as it is possible to get for an open blast system - however it will still blow cobwebs, birds nests, paint debris etc fairly liberally!

Disadvantages are the costs compared to alternative systems, in particular the raw ingredient dry ice evaporates when it is not used, so needs to be used rapidly. On a daily basis, dry ice will cost 50% more than sand jet cleaning, but for the first day of a job, i.e. the mobilisation cost, is about 100% more. The other issue with the evaporation is that we have to gauge how much CO2 we will need the day before the job, unlike sand blasting where we just take plenty of sand - and if we don't use it, it goes back on the pallet.

It is used widely in the printing industry to clean print rollers, and for mould and weld cleaning.

This is the result of fire damage to a Listed Grade II church in Lincolnshire - cleaned in the summer of 2011. And these photos are the result of cleaning the sandstone arch into the nave.

This next photo is a before and after of the limewashed stonework elsewhere in the tower - and the intention was to, where possible, leave the original limewash intact - this would have been a considerable challenge for sand blasting.

 

Brickwork can be cleaned in the same manner

Removal of soot from a limewashed brick wall - Summer 2011.

Sorry for the wobbly photos - but it was the photographer doing the blasting!

Cleaning the soot from around the windows - the CO2 has nothing but a cleaning effect on glass.

 

Key Benefits

• A very 'clean' cleaning system. Cleaning chemicals / abrasives do not contaminate the work surfaces.
• It is not a chemical process so no noxious or harmful slurries or fumes are generated.
• The system is regularly used indoors, but good ventilation is required as the room fills with CO2
• Considerably less mess than other systems.