What builds up, and why it matters
On this kind of work the problem is carbonized product, fat, starch, sugar residue and burnt-on build-up. Dry ice leaves no chemical residue on a food contact surface, and no water in a place where standing water is a sanitation problem. That is the whole reason it is used in food production.
Cleaning is usually scheduled around sanitation and production windows. The people who call us about commercial oven are usually sanitation and plant managers, and the thing they are actually worried about is a chemical residue finding its way onto product.
The method
Why dry ice and not the alternatives
- Non-abrasive
Paint, plating and polished faces come through with the grime gone and the finish still on. We still check a hidden spot first to be sure.
- Low moisture
Nothing gets wet, so nothing has to sit and dry. The time saved goes straight back into running the equipment.
- No secondary waste
No secondary waste stream. Nothing is left from the blasting itself, and the contaminant that comes off gets contained and cleaned up by us.
- Often no teardown
No water and no grit means nothing has to be protected by taking it out first. Most parts stay installed while we work.
More food work
Related jobs we get called for
Questions we get asked first
Will it damage the surface underneath?
On metal, painted parts and most finishes, it does not. The process is non-abrasive. Where we are less sure, an old coating or a soft alloy for example, we try it somewhere hidden and look before going further.
Do you have to take the equipment apart for commercial oven?
Minimal disassembly is one of the main reasons people call us. Most work is done in place, and the occasional panel we do remove is usually a quick job.
How much mess does it make?
Far less than the alternatives, because the blasting media disappears. What is left is the contaminant itself, which we contain and clean up.
Do you come to us?
That is the only way we do it. A mobile rig means plants, shops, driveways and docks are all fair game across South Florida, up to roughly a hundred miles out from Miami.
What does a job cost?
We price every job on its own, because a greasy engine bay and a carbon-caked oven are different work. Guessing over the phone helps nobody. Send the details and one of the owners comes back with a figure we will stand behind.
How soon can you look at it?
That depends mostly on your calendar. If a line is coming down for maintenance, give us the date and the window, and we will tell you right away whether the rig can be there for it.
The comparison
How this compares to the usual methods
- Pressure washing
Forces water where water should not go, looms, bearings, seams, and then the job stops while it dries.
- Solvent and degreaser
Good at softening, bad at leaving. There is always a residue and always a drum to get rid of.
- Hand scraping
Slow enough to be uneconomic on a machine, and the tool always leaves a trace.
- Media blasting
Grit removes material to do its job, so a machined face or a plated part pays for the cleaning.
- Dry ice
The pellet is soft and the mechanism is temperature, not abrasion. It turns to gas on impact, so the only thing left to sweep up is what came off.
What comes off
What comes off, and why
If it is bonded to the surface rather than part of it, there is a good chance this takes it off. The list below covers most of what we are called out for.
- Carbon and soot
Heat-hardened deposit on manifolds, grills and weld cells. A rapid temperature drop is what this kind of bond handles worst.
- Adhesive and sealant
Whatever the last repair left stuck to the mating face: gasket, sealant, deadener or adhesive.
- Resin and mold release
Texture and polish on a mold surface carry straight into the part. Dry ice clears the residue and leaves that finish alone.
- Paint and coatings
Selective removal, layer by layer, on parts where media blasting would cut into the substrate.
- Salt and corrosion product
A constant in South Florida. Removing it without stripping the protective finish is the whole trick.
- Ink and printing residue
Dried ink on precision roller faces, cleaned without altering the cell structure that does the work.
- Food residue
Carbonized product, fat, starch and sugar build-up on processing equipment, cleaned without chemicals touching a food contact surface.
How a job runs
Nothing about this should be a surprise
Nobody should have to guess what they booked. This is every stage of a job in the order it happens.
- We look at access and containment
Access drives the plan: reach, siting, masking, and the route the removed material takes off the job. It is the part customers think about least and we think about most.
- We test a small area
Aluminum, chrome and painted steel each have their own limits. We find each one’s limit on a corner out of sight, then work the visible areas inside it.
- We blast, then clean up
The ice is gone the moment it does its work. What stays behind is the grease or carbon that came off, and collecting that is part of the job, not an extra.
- You look before we pack up
The job is not finished because we say so. It is finished when you have looked at it.
- You describe the job
Tell us what you are looking at the way you would tell a friend. The machine and what has built up on it, plus where it is. A couple of photos help more than a long description. If we think dry ice is the wrong call, you hear it right then, with no invoice attached.
What to expect on site
Expect noise. Everybody inside the working area wears hearing protection, us included.
There is no wet surface to dry and no residue to wipe, only cold metal. Give it a little time, and any condensation goes as the part warms.
Bring us to the equipment and we handle the rest. The air supply is ours and it travels with us.
Anything nearby that should not be touched gets masked before we start. That is quicker than explaining it afterward.
Send us the job.
We only need the basics to get started: what it is and where. Add a photo if you have one. You will be talking to Giancarlo or Kenny.