Launching With Dry Ice (CO2)?
Yes, The "Bigfoot Water Rocket Launcher System" Is The ONLY Launcher System Engineered For SAFE Dry Ice Launches
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CAUTION - Launching with Dry Ice requires proper handling and proper equipment.

The Bigfoot Water Rocket Launcher System has special features that allow you to safely explore and experiment with using dry ice. It is designed to eliminate the potential of over pressurization of the water rocket. The Bigfoot Launcher has a SECOND safety pressure release valve located between the line check valve and the water rocket. This second valve is extremely important. A pressure gauge helps to monitor the pressure in the water rocket.

There is a strange and mysterious phenomenon that happens when using dry ice. When the water and dry ice mix together, the dry ice converts directly from a solid to a gas, (without melting into a liquid), a process called sublimation. The sublimation process can be seen with the bubbles emitted from the dry ice in the water. You will also see the pressure gauge raise slowly from 0 to 50 psi in the period of 30 seconds. HOWEVER, at 50 psi, the phenomenon happens. The pressure will raise from 50 to 100 psi in 1 or 2 seconds!!!!! It happens so fast, you hardly have time to react. Without the Bigfoot Launcher, you would have an explosion instead of a launch.

I paid $6 for this special Dry Ice Chect. The walls are thicker than the typical styrofoam ice chest. This Dry Ice Chest will pay for itself the first time used. I usually purchase minimum order of 20 pounds of Dry Ice Pellets for only $12. The pellets are the perfect size for inserting inside the plastic soda bottles. With each launch consuming only 1 ounce each, that means every launch only cost only 3 cents per launch. If the dry ice would not evaporate in storage (I wish), a 20 pound bag would give 330 launches!!

Recently, I attend a school carnival and brought two launchers, dry ice, garden hoses, and 11 rockets. Within 2 hours, I launched 75 rockets. Without the dry ice, I would use an air pump. It usually takes about 25 to 30 strokes of an air pump to reach 100 psi. WOW, that would equate to about 2,100+ strokes of the air pump. Not only would I be worn out, I've have to average a marathon pace of 17 stokes per minute for two hours straight. Yes, dry ice comes to the rescue. It's the ultimate way to "launch yourself to oblivion".

At this school event, I set everything up at a baseball diamond. Both launchers were next to home plate and pointed to center field. I hooked up the water source from a close by drinking fountain. I had my audience stand and sit behind the fence behind home plate. I felt extra comfortable because my audience was safely located near, but behind a strong tall fence, which was an ideal situation. I launched the rockets at an angle to go very high, and land in very deep center field.

Always use a glove on the hand handling the dry ice. A dry glove insulates better than a wet glove, so bring extra dry gloves.

Quickly do the following: (1) open the Dry Ice Chest, (2) open the paper bag, (3) grab about 1 ounce of dry ice.....about 3 inches of pellets total, (4) insert dry ice in rocket, (5) close bag, (6) close chest, (7) put rocket on launch tube, (8) set trigger, BUT DO NOT USE SAFETY PIN, (9) lay out 20 foot trigger pull string, (10) turn on water valve in launcher and fill rocket about 1/2 full, (11) turn off water valve on launcher, (12) go to end of trigger pull string, (13) get ready to pull string when pressure gauge indicates 100 psi.
I'm setting the trigger mechanism.

It's hard to see, the dry ice is bubbling.

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