I Wasted $2,000 on a Chinese Dry Ice Car Detailing Cleaning Machine 😩😩

Last year we purchased a 'cheap' Dry Ice Cleaning / Blasting machine from China - today we fired it up to see what it was like. Dry Ice Cleaning is very popular in the car detailing world.
SPOILER ALERT - Its not very good.
We have no previous experience with using dry ice blasting machines but we are pretty sure it would perform better than this. For $2,000 we are pretty disappointed.
If anyone has any ideas how we could get better results please please please drop us a comment below!!
Anyway, happy viewing.
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[@EndlessDelusion]

The dry Ice machine where I work needs a BIG factory compressor and a big air hose so there's enough flow. The pressure is 7 bar but has a 1 1/2" hose so it get's enough flow in to the machine. You also need to make sure your quick air couplings down the air line aren't restricting your air flow- quick couplings and small bore hose (3/8") restrict the flow. The surelock type air couplings are the best to use.

[@renovateinnovate]

Thankyou for your advice, we will be having another go soon.

[@hoedemakerbart]

7 bar is not enough. 10 at least with high flow

[@rcintron123]

I noticed quite a bit of fog. You need to run a dryer before the machine to eliminate any moisture in the air line very important. Second, CFM from the compressor. If you run a 10HP piston air compressor then you won’t get sufficient air volume to be able to get the kinetic energy required.

[@renovateinnovate]

Going to film another video soon using a better air compressor.

[@ivanx8962]

@@renovateinnovate any new video with a better air compressor. I am curious about it since I want to buy one but can only afford the Chinese one

[@dryiceenergy_original]

Very nice video ;) Looking forward to hearing more from you!

[@rayleblanc7209]

I good workman never blames his tools. The fact that you where getting dry ice out the nozzle is an indicator that the machine is operational. All dry ice blaster rely on 3 factors, pellet size and constant CFM and PSI. You can spend 40,000.00 for a machine that will fail in the same way your Chinese machine did by not having the desirable aforementioned factors.

[@renovateinnovate]

Thankyou for your comments, we will be doing a follow up video where we use a compressor directly linked to the system. Although our current compressor is more than capable of running this machine it is feeding a 90,000 Sq. ft operation and the line we used is a spur of the main air ring circuit then it is also running though a hose real.

[@Ali19sun]

Thank you very much , very clear

[@Nissan370_z]

I bought dryice machine called the Autooltech hts705 from China for 1,800$ and it seems to work well. I would say it works prob 2x or 3x better then the one you are using. But I need a bigger tank. Doesn't clean well once it goes under 60psi. And that's with the 3mm pellets witch are a little to big I think for it.

[@renovateinnovate]

Thanks, that's a massive help. We are going to try get some more pressure and give it a another shot 👍

[@EscojeTusBatallas]

Was it worth the 1,800?? I am about to buy one and I can not find a video that actually shows how it peforms. The one from the KZbin page from Auto tool is not too convincing. Would love to hear more about it!

[@sobrinomixx]

I want to buy one, but I cannot find any reference video and seeing what a professional cost I doubt its potential, if you had time, you could show me some video of the functionality of the machine you use, I would appreciate it.

[@nickonick9372]

@@sobrinomixxDon’t waste your money and time they are rubbish.

[@155stw]

Another guy on KZbin had the same machine and he mentioned 35cfm @ 80 psi was the minimium! He tried it with his compressor (which looked big like a 60 gallon tank) but it wasn’t effective. His friends shop with multiple compressors hooked up together which exceeded the minimum requirement made the cleaning very effective. I looked at the price of compressors with that spec and they usually need to be supplied with 480V and they’re around $4-$6k.

[@tomthompson7400]

Great video , Im sure it will save others from the same mistake. Very honest of you to post and share the experience.

[@renovateinnovate]

Thanks, appreciate the kind words. We hope so too 👍

[@KoukiTonyy]

Glad I found this. Almost went and bought this.

[@renovateinnovate]

We are going to give it another try using a better air supply, as I am told that is what we did wrong,

[@yosiskandar4394]

With enough air supply, you can try to modify the nozzle, i think it will work better

[@3pedalpodcast]

Honestly, you just saved me 2000$ plus my time so lets call it 3000, you're a gem! liked and followed just because of this!

[@renovateinnovate]

Your Welcome

[@BlackwellsDryIceBlasting]

Nice video! Most Dry Ice Blasting machine are like a sports car with no engine. The Compressed air is where the power comes from. I'd bet with the right air compressor and drying equipment, even this machine could be useful. I was glad when you brought out the degreaser and Pressure washer. That saved you a good bit of time!

[@renovateinnovate]

Thank you for you comments, We will be having another go soon and will be sorting out the air pressure.

[@CoolCleanIndustrialCleaning]

@@renovateinnovate I think you should aim for 6-8 bars, and maybe 1-2m3/minute airflow dry compressed air for that maschine. Also no restriction in the line and minimum 1/2" piping. You can allways turn it down. Usually it is not supposed to fog like that: too much dry ice, not enough airflow or very humid ambient air.

[@RSF151]

I appreciate the review. When can we expect the follow up video using a better compressor?

[@en2oh]

I think the best analogy here is to sand blasting. More pressure, better performance. 30cfm at 80psi.... The dry ice doesn't really 'explode', it works on the same principle as any other blasting medium, except this medium sublimates leaving only the dirt/rust or what ever you have removed. Get a bigger tank with more CFM and you might be happier with your 2K investment :)

[@renovateinnovate]

Will try again soon!

[@user-ij8bb3od8r]

I've used dry ice cleaners many times and with the right set up it will remove most coatings including new powder coated parts. This machine is running at less than 4 bar!!! it will never work - plus lance bore looks very small. Order a trial from a UK based supplier and get some free cleaning and advice

[@renovateinnovate]

Good Advice

[@117johnpar]

The big catch with this process isnt the machine, now that they've come down to around the sub $5000 mark. The problem is that they're kind of marketing them as consumer grade, But for most people, you need to find and set up a deal with a supplier for dry Ice. And then the bigger deal is having a compressor thats way way bigger than any home gamer is going to ever get, bigger than most shops have even, As well as having it correctly set up to output what the machine needs, Which shops are definitely not set up with. I dont know if making one of these things with a gas motor compressor built into it would suffice for the pressure, but that would put it in line with pressure washers. And from a technical side. I dont see too much difference in the mechanical function between the two.

[@SolarSeeker45]

Looks like a good little machine to me it just needs a LOT more air or a smaller nozzle so your air compressor can keep up.

[@renovateinnovate]

Yes I agree

[@timboujos]

Without running at the correct pressure it was always going to fail 🤦‍♂️

[@renovateinnovate]

We will try the machine again soon

[@RayOpp1]

One thing that would have created a much better result for you was a bigger air compressor. Dry ice creates a separation from the surface of an item and the dirt on it, but the air pressure is what blows it off. the The dry ice machines used to clean huge factory ducting and machinery are amazing. The ones I've seen are much larger, have a wider applicator and connected but separate air blow off spout. That being said they are expensive and require large compressors.

[@renovateinnovate]

Look out for when we try again.

[@randomhk8634]

You will need a good compressor that can give you 80 or 100psi at at least 35CFM to see a result, I did use one before and it works fine

[@renovateinnovate]

Will try again soon when the weather gets better.

[@randomhk8634]

You need a good compressor that can give you 30 CFM or Higher, when you move the nozzle you need to move it slow and closer to the area you want to sandblast

[@renovateinnovate]

Thankyou for your advice

[@maxkreeft6605]

How much cfm is needed for proper cleaning and how big must the tank be?

[@briandrice]

@@maxkreeft6605 CFM is what does the work. I would not run anything less than 40 CFM with at least a 80 gallon tank.

[@maxkreeft6605]

@@briandrice would it work with a screw compressor without a tank? I have a one that meets 80cfm constantly so that would be sufficient for the dry ice cleaner right

[@briandrice]

@@maxkreeft6605 there’s a lot of variables to consider. What PSI you are running the dry ice machine at? I have used a large diesel compressor that was 150 cfm without a tank before and it was fine. If your dry ice machine is getting the work done at 50 psi with a small particle then it’s not necessary for a tank probably. But in some industrial application or if you are trying to remove old hard undercoating from a car you would need more psi and more on demand air.

[@TravisBrown42]

Glad you were brave enough to post this. Especially when using "Chinese" as your primary descriptor as opposed to the actual vendor. I think the glaring issue is that you are not operating at the correct PSI. The temperature drop from the Dry ICE is going to be commensurate with the PSI. You are not supplying enough air.

[@renovateinnovate]

Yes we are going to give it a try soon using a better air source

[@TheSocialPraxis]

Did you figure this out? I believe it may just require higher CFM.

[@renovateinnovate]

Going to try it again soon with a bigger compressor.

[@TheSocialPraxis]

@@renovateinnovate let us know how it goes 🙃

[@carloscorona6649]

What was the CFM rating you were using ? Maybe you can go higher.

[@renovateinnovate]

Thanks. The machine only has a 'minimum' and 'maximum' dial and we tried turning it up and down - didn't seem to make much difference 👎

[@carloscorona6649]

@@renovateinnovate what's the max cfm rating on your air compressor. It must need to be hight is what I meant sorry.

[@zaman-sam]

@@carloscorona6649 yes. İ think he needs stronger compressor.

[@craigvickery9283]

You need bigger compression

[@renovateinnovate]

Appreciate the help, looking the comments we're definitely going to try it on another compressor 👍

[@GWAYGWAY1]

When cleaning real shut from mechanical devices like that gearbox with 1/2” grease and dirt it needs to be steam cleaned to remove the thick goo, otherwise it will not be cost effective and a waste of the dry ice. One electrical gear etc will show its potential and also with food grade stuff as there is no muck left to contaminate the item. They use dry ice to strip paint and finishes of aircraft prior to checks and repainting it does work but only on things that are suitable, a steam cleaner is what you want ????

[@renovateinnovate]

Thanks for your feedback, we will try again soon.

[@HORECO2]

Two thousand dollars for a dry ice blaster? Good dry ice machines are at least $9,000, not industrial crap like this one.

[@renovateinnovate]

You are absolutely correct.

[@andresvalencia8472]

El compresor debe tener capacidad de 185 CFM

[@purpleduggy7680]

you need a 15HP 60CFM minimum compressor to reach a speed you'll be satisfied with.

[@renovateinnovate]

Will give it a go again with a better compressor.

[@kesman9381]

When will you upload? @@renovateinnovate

[@nightowl1on1]

You need a lot higher cfm as your compressor is too small

[@renovateinnovate]

The compressor we used should give the enough cfm but the problem in hindsight was that the air point we used was tapped of the air ring main then feed thought a hose reel.

[@Kevin_Aus]

The magical tool that does everything perfectly is a mirage. Deciding where and when to use these comes is easier if you spend a little time trying to understand what is actually happening. Removing oil, grease and grime is really easy for these. Removing anything more than very light surface rust where the 'dirt/rust/oxidation/etc..' has formed a very strong bond with what you are trying to clean is going to be very difficult. If you had a barn find antique car and wanted to clean the interior and engine bay plastics or electronics without causing damage, then the dry ice is fantastic. If you took a car offroad and then wanted to clean off the mud, clay, etc.. then this would not be the right tool. Also as you seem to have realised, it's actually quite expensive to run. Props for at least showing that it's not as easy as some others would have you believe.

[@renovateinnovate]

We will be having another try with it soon

[@martincallegari2460]

Lack of air volume and preassure.

[@renovateinnovate]

100% right

[@bertieferreira]

You need more pressure 😂😂😂

[@renovateinnovate]

Yep

[@SwapPartLLC]

The craziest part is that you paid $2000 and they could only give you one glove. 😑

[@renovateinnovate]

😂😂 so true

[@rodan2852]

Yah thats some michael jackson stuff

[@Gidenkidenk]

People ask me why I'm looking at $20-40k machines when "They're 3 grand on ebay!"

[@renovateinnovate]

You definitely get what you pay for!

[@KreiszDezone]

What? 9/10 comments are talking about your low cfm compressor and you agree with the guy who says the bad resoult is only because the low price? You would not run a 20k machine with a poor compressor either.. @@renovateinnovate

[@CalClassix]

We paid $42,000 for our PCS 60. Dry ice cleaning equipment is indeed very expensive.

[@renovateinnovate]

I bet yours works very good at that price

[@briandrice]

@@renovateinnovate we tested the greenice LP 20/40 which is an entry level machine against my PCS60 on a 57 cfm compressor and while the PCS60 is a little quicker doing the same job, they both achieved the same end result. watching the video of this machine you are using, it seems you do not have enough CFM and not enough reserve tank to keep the pressure up.

[@ronyardley3833]

Seems a slow process, I'll bet the comments in here may help

[@renovateinnovate]

Will be trying it again soon using a better air source.

[@luiscontreras1906]

Is a requirement to be stupid to use it?just asking

[@renovateinnovate]

Yes it is!

[@tste6759]

You needed more air.....

[@renovateinnovate]

Yes we do!

[@adrianfuchs6379]

I think you sound inexperienced and untrained

[@renovateinnovate]

That is correct

[@fioranojim]

I think the vid is excellent, Mr Renovate certainly doesn't claim to be experienced or trained - the seller of the unit plainly didn't expect him to be either, I'm sure it sold as intuitive and plug n play, hence the lack of any manual/instructions. It's plainly just another item of mis-sold crap. Thanks for the warning and solid northern advice. Happy Christmas. @@renovateinnovate

[@philgordon6671]

Why buy Cheap Chinese crap.

[@ZBrink11]

Oh I dunno maybe people don't have $50k to drop? 🤡