Shipping.....with House Insulation?

[SaltySchmidt]

Good Morning, ,
My brother and I are both avid reefers, and have been talking about swapping for some time. We both have a fair amount of stuff we want to swap. I live in Michigan, he lives in New Jersey.

Its cold in both places, and now reading that heat packs don't really do much, I've been trying to figure out a way to keep the corals warm.

What about House Insulation? We are both shipping A LOT to each other. We are shipping Mini Colonies of Acros back and forth to each other. I'm using pop bottle height sized rubbermaid containers, then taping the tops so they don't open.

What if I packed all around the box with Blown Insulation, like what you use in a house? Not the Pink stuff on a roll, Loose Insulation? Has anyone ever tried this?

A - I don't think it would hurt, everything will be covered in plastic rubbermaids, then taped shut, and B, it COULD possibly help to keep the water temp from dropping as fast?

Not a heating source, BUT, a potential way to slow the water from chilling?

Thoughts??????????

 

[dutch27]

Not sure who says heat packs don't do much. I've had corals shipped to me in NY with styrofoam lining the box and heat packs without issue. I shipped the same way from NY to WA in the winter without issue. IMO the ideal thing would be styrofoam lining, heat packs, and use FedEx with a hold for pick up at the facility, so the box stays in climate control until its picked up.

 

[mfinn]

Good Morning, ,
My brother and I are both avid reefers, and have been talking about swapping for some time. We both have a fair amount of stuff we want to swap. I live in Michigan, he lives in New Jersey.

Its cold in both places, and now reading that heat packs don't really do much, I've been trying to figure out a way to keep the corals warm.

What about House Insulation? We are both shipping A LOT to each other. We are shipping Mini Colonies of Acros back and forth to each other. I'm using pop bottle height sized rubbermaid containers, then taping the tops so they don't open.

What if I packed all around the box with Blown Insulation, like what you use in a house? Not the Pink stuff on a roll, Loose Insulation? Has anyone ever tried this?

A - I don't think it would hurt, everything will be covered in plastic rubbermaids, then taped shut, and B, it COULD possibly help to keep the water temp from dropping as fast?

Not a heating source, BUT, a potential way to slow the water from chilling?

Thoughts??????????

I've seen a few strange ways to insulate frags so I'm not going to say you're crazy, but,,,, lol
It might work, but I wanted to make a comment on the heat packs.
Heat packs do work, as long as they continue to get oxygen.
If they are sealed up in a small box, the O2 in the box gets used up and they go out.
I've had many packages that are totally sealed with packing tape show up with a dead heat.
I've also had more than a few show up with a air hole through the cardboard and through the insulation next to the heat pack, with the heat pack still warm.

 

[CC13]

Good Morning, ,
My brother and I are both avid reefers, and have been talking about swapping for some time. We both have a fair amount of stuff we want to swap. I live in Michigan, he lives in New Jersey.

Its cold in both places, and now reading that heat packs don't really do much, I've been trying to figure out a way to keep the corals warm.

What about House Insulation? We are both shipping A LOT to each other. We are shipping Mini Colonies of Acros back and forth to each other. I'm using pop bottle height sized rubbermaid containers, then taping the tops so they don't open.

What if I packed all around the box with Blown Insulation, like what you use in a house? Not the Pink stuff on a roll, Loose Insulation? Has anyone ever tried this?

A - I don't think it would hurt, everything will be covered in plastic rubbermaids, then taped shut, and B, it COULD possibly help to keep the water temp from dropping as fast?

Not a heating source, BUT, a potential way to slow the water from chilling?

Thoughts??????????

I mean in theory you are correct, it would insulate and help maintain the water temperature of the shipped corals, but if you have ever worked with blown insulation it is incredibly toxic if you breath it in, and it is extremely hard to keep from getting on your skin and clothing or airborne; which is less than ideal.

I have family in the construction trade that won't even be in the same structure working on the days when they are blowing insulation or foam. TBH if you guys are shipping back and forth that much, invest in maybe a cooler which you guys can re-use. They are pretty cheap, can be fitted with more foam if needed, and is far safer than blown insulation.


https://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com...etail/Chest-Coolers/prod99999050202/cat100874

I would highly advise against using any sort of blown insulation, you can buy foam from Home Dept and cut them to fit your shipping container that would give you the same results, and is FAR safer.