How to Check Air Flow With Dry Ice

Using dry ice, whether it's in school or at home, can be a great way to check the air flow in your house or classroom. When putting warm water on dry ice in a safe environment it creates a fog of carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be blown around the house/classroom to see where a possible draft might be. You can buy dry ice from certain retailers around the city you live in, but it must be purchased from a licensed source.

• 1

  Put the dry ice into the cooler. If you bought a large amount only use half of it as a little goes a long way. Layer the dry ice evenly over the cooler to help with even distribution of the CO2 coming out the cooler.

• 2

  Place the cooler in front of the area you want to check air flow. If you're checking a draft near a door or window or air through the air vents, place the cooler about one foot away from the selected area.

• 3

  Plug in the small fan and place or hold it one foot behind the cooler, pointing it in the direction of the area you want to check air flow. You will most likely need someone to hold the two so you can complete the steps to have this process work.

• 4

  Pour two scoops of warm water over the dry ice until you get the desired effect of large amount of fog/carbon dioxide. Turn the fan on a low setting and the fan will begin blowing the visible CO2 onto the selected area where you can watch how the air moves the fog throughout the house checking for drafts or air flows.