I use a lot of those liquid filled, plastic, reusable ice packs during the summer for transporting food and beverages for the boat. They take up a fair amount of space in my freezer, and I'm wondering if there would be any harm in storing them on a shelf in the basement for the winter. Do they tend to breed organisms within if left at room temperature for long periods?
Not a problem. They are sealed, so that there can't be any cross-contamination to foods or beverages. Shelf storage is ok.
That's what I would LIKE to think, but when they are not frozen and you squeeze them, you can hear a hissing sound. There seems to be some sort of venting.
You shouldn't hear any sound when they're squeezed; they should be sealed. To be sure, stick them in a filled sink and squeeze to visualize the location of any bubbles.
Yeah, I've had leakers, too. Gotta remember, at the price point these things sell at, QC is not a major concern. Mine leaked at the fill plug. I let them stabilize at room temp, squeezed out as much air as I could, and potted the plug with a glue gun and some of the 'universal' clear glue sticks, the kind that stay a tad rubbery. That was years ago, and they still work fine.
aem sends...
Thanks. That's a good tip!
On Sat, 10 Nov 2007 15:55:33 -0500, snipped-for-privacy@dog.com wrote Re Ice Packs:
I wouldn't do it. Who knows what they can pick up and start breeding.
As long as they're sealed, it's not an issue since the inside gel is never in contact with food. At the beginning of the season the outside can be washed with a 5% bleach solution and they're good to go.
The new ones are on the store shelf at room temperature.
Yeah, but they haven't been subjected to freeze thaw cycles in the presence of cooler melt water with food particles in it!
I think I'm going to thaw them all and check to see which ones leak and discard them. New ones aren't very expensive.
Ralph bet me to it. The new ones are stored on the shelf for years. While I doubt if the product will support growth, it would not matter as it is sealed.
And that's a bad thing? Wouldn't you just have MORE ice packs?
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