It’s possible to over-prepare for a storm.
Want an example? If you buy dry ice too far before the power goes out, it will evaporate and be useless when you really need it.
That’s the word from Braeden Redfearn of All Service Corporation, a dry ice supplier in Wilmington.
Dry ice, a solid form of carbon dioxide, is commonly to keep food cold in refrigerators during power outages.
“The ideal situation is to pick it up at the last minute,” Redfearn said, but waiting too long brings the risk of suppliers being sold out. Dry ice keeps for 24 to 36 hours, and sometimes longer if it’s stored in a cooler before being used. The less air that gets to it, the longer it lasts, he said.
About 10 pounds of dry ice would be needed to cool an average size refrigerator for a couple of days, he said.
Dry ice pricing is a function of supply and demand. With a hurricane on the way, demand is up and so are prices — at $3 a pound Friday afternoon instead of the normal $1.50 to $2, Redfearn said.
Redfearn said the only time he sells dry ice is when a storm brings widespread power outages. All Services Corporation’s primary operation is an online food distribution business, meatandseafood.com, that uses dry ice to ship its orders nationwide, he said.
The business will deliver dry ice 24/7—unless it runs out, he said. The phone number is 302-656-2899.