Easter (April 21) just might be the most colorful holiday of the year – definitely a day to let your springtime spirit out and celebrate the festive renewal of the season. When it comes to decorating for festive renewal, nothing does the job better than helium balloons.

Rent a helium tank from Irish Carbonic this Easter and you can bring a riot of color to your holiday celebration! Whether you choose to decorate your space with brightly colored balloon arches and giant balloon bunnies (who doesn’t love a giant balloon bunny?) or use balloons to bring delight to your younger easter egg hunters, you’ll make a instant impression with dozens or even hundreds of those floating pink, blue and yellow floating globes.

Filling balloons from your own helium tank will always cost less than buying pre-filled balloons. In fact, if you are into celebrations, you consider buying your own tank and simply refilling it with us.

Our helium rental tanks come in several sizes (see below) and are easy to operate and transport. Helium is perfectly safe, too, since it’s a non-toxic and inert gas that will never explode. Just follow a few simple instructions and you’ll be good to go!

How big a helium tank will I need?

Ready to pour on the lighter-than-air color? Here’s what you will need to make your balloon fantasy a reality:

Tank Size	Number of balloons
	9″	10″	11″	12″	14″
50 cu. ft.	170	150	100	85	50
80 cu. ft.	280	150	130	95	80
120 cu. ft.	390	370	240	225	120
195cu. ft.	721	650	390	375	195
213cu. ft.	788	710	426	409	213
242cu. ft.	895	806	484	465	242
285cu. ft.	1,054	995	570	548	285

We rent helium tank accessories, too

Need more than just a helium tank? No problem! We also rent mylar balloon regulators, helium tank protective covers, and other helium tank accessories. Contact us for details.

Celebrate Easter with helium balloons, filled from a tank you rent from Irish Carbonic! Contact us today for anything you need in helium tank rental within our Buffalo or Rochester service areas.

Spring has officially arrived here in Buffalo and Rochester – time to break out your propane grill and start thinking about all the warm weather activities you have patiently waited for during our winter hibernation period.

But spring can also bring some wicked weather and power outages our way – outages that can easily spoil several hundred dollars worth of food if we’re not properly prepared.

The good news is that if you act quickly, you can keep your food fresh for as long as possible. Here are 10 pointers courtesy of Food Safety News that will help you keep your food safe to eat during a springtime power outage:

1. Keep thermometers in both the refrigerator and the freezer to ensure that temperatures remain food safe during a power outage (40 degrees F or lower in the refrigerator, 0 degrees F or lower in the freezer).
2. Freeze water in one-quart plastic storage bags or small containers prior to a storm. Use them to fit in around the food in the refrigerator and freezer to help keep food cold.
3. Freeze leftovers, milk and fresh meat and poultry that you may not need immediately — this helps keep them at a safe temperature longer.
4. Purchase dry ice – at -109 degrees F, dry ice can temporarily replace the cooling power of a refrigerator or freezer. During a power outage, place dry ice on the top shelf of the freezer and the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Fifty pounds of dry ice should keep a fully stocked 18-cubic-feet freezer cold for two days. Always follow dry ice safe handling practices!
5. Have coolers on hand to keep refrigerated food cold if the power will be out for more than four hours (dry ice can be used here, too – just keep in mind that your food will remain frozen).
6. Group foods together in the freezer to help the food stay cold longer.
7. Avoid putting food outside in ice or snow; it will attract animals and pests.
8. Keep ready-to-eat foods on hand that do not require cooking or cooling.
9. Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. A refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if the door is kept closed. A full freezer will hold its temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if half-full).
10. Place meat and poultry to one side of the freezer or on a tray to prevent cross-contamination of thawing juices.

To learn more about emergency food safety, visit the United States Department of Agriculture website.

Be prepared for a spring power outage with dry ice from Irish Carbonic – available as blocks, rice, or pellets. We have plenty on hand to keep your food fresh for days – contact us today to learn more.

If you’re a bar or restaurant owner, you know how busy March can get, with March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day, and the start of spring all contributing to a breakout month on the bar scene.

The problem is you could be pouring a significant portion of your March profits down the drain if you use a conventional tap system. Over-pours, spillage, theft, and giveaways combine to cost you about half an ounce of beer or liquor for every liter your servers dispense – which doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider the thousands of pours they make during the course of a year.

The good news is you can eliminate most of that waste and get perfect pours and mixes every time with every server when you install state-of-the-art Berg Liquor Control System.

Choose a Berg Liquor Control System and you will enjoy these benefits and more:

• More profitability – When it comes to dispensing liquor, less (waste) is more (profitable).
• Better portion control – Consistent pours mean increased customer satisfaction and repeat customers.
• Greater access control – in a Berg system, liquor is secured in a locked room, and all beer is dispensed through a controlled faucet attached to a locked cooler.
• More accountability – With a Berg system, every poured drink is recorded, which eliminates giveaways and prevents unauthorized pouring.

Irish Carbonic: Your source for expert Berg Liquor Control System installations

Irish Carbonic features, installs, and maintains the full line of Berg Liquor Control Systems, including:

• Berg All-Bottle Brand ID
• Berg All-Bottle ID Cocktailing
• Berg Dispenser Network™ and Berg Dispenser Manager™ Software
• Berg Laser Touch
• Merlin Wireless

If you’re ready for a 21st century tap upgrade for your bar or restaurant, Berg’s the way to go.

Want to make informed inventory decisions, control costs, and improve profitability at your Rochester- or Buffalo-area restaurant or bar this spring? Install a Berg Liquor Control System. Call the pros at Irish Carbonic to get a FREE, no obligation estimate on one today!

March is a big month for beer drinkers – and bar owners. Are your beer lines and taps up to the challenge of pumping out consistently crisp cold ones through the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, and championship game – or for the long day and night of St. Patty’s Day celebrations (be ready: it’s on a Friday this year!)?

Make sure they are with expert beer line cleaning from Irish Carbonic.

Our 10-point beer line cleaning system will virtually eliminate microorganism buildup and mineral deposits. The result? Clean, crisp, delicious tap pours every time, with just the right amount of CO2 fizz.

Our Beer Division Experts will:

• Flush your beer lines with biodegradable cleaning solution
• Rinse your beer lines with fresh water
• Clean each tap faucet and its surrounding area
• Check all connections and fittings
• Check your walk-in cooler temperature
• Check your glycol temperature and level
• Check all pressure settings
• Clean your glycol chiller condensers
• Ensure that your beer is pouring correctly
• Provide 24/7/365 service and assistance

Blended gas also available

Stouts are huge on St. Patricks’ Day – and you will need the perfect blend of CO2 and nitrogen to get the perfect pour (don’t worry, we’ll make it happen for you). If you serve nitro beers, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered there, too, with mixed gas cylinders and onsite gas blending solutions for your beverage-serving business.

Keep the crowds cheering with perfect pours from clean beer lines – courtesy of the beer line pros at Irish Carbonic. Contact us today for details.

February is a month of many faces when it comes to festivities: believe it or not, it is officially recognized as having nearly sixty events worthy of observation, including celebrations to honor everything from adopting rabbits to boosting self esteem to appreciating grapefruits.

But most of us associate February with Valentine’s Day, and Valentine’s Day is all about love – as in the love we have for you, our loyal Irish Carbonic Customers.

Or the love you have for buying local.

It’s something we hear time and time again from customers at our Irish Carbonic locations, and on location at the many restaurants and bars that we service: “It is so nice to deal with real people, and not some huge, impersonal corporation.”

That’s what happens when you choose Irish – your local choice for CO2 products and services.

For us, business is personal: whether you need a reliable supplier of bulk industrial or beverage grade CO2, an expert to plan, install, service or clean your beer lines, a friendly place to order dry ice for personal or commercial use, or anything else from us, you will get it with a smile from professionals committed to giving you the help and attention you need.

Expert service with a personal touch from a local, family run, women-owned business – just a few reasons to choose Irish for all your CO2 needs. Want even more reasons to love us? Become an Irish Carbonic customer today and let’s count the ways together.

Feeling the love for all things local this Valentine’s Day? Make the switch to Irish Carbonic today! Serving the Buffalo and Rochester, NY areas with comprehensive installation and maintenance services for your restaurant or bar, with bulk CO2 deliveries also available to Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron, and Dayton, Ohio.

Sure, roses are nice. Diamonds, too. But if you really want to make your love feel like a kid again, nothing does it better than room full of balloons – and nothing will make that happen faster than a helium tank rental from Irish Carbonic.

Rent a helium tank from us and you can bring the festive joy of balloons to your private rendezvous or Valentine’s Day shindig (or your anti-Valentine’s Day party, for the tainted among you). Imagine the impression you will make with a dozens or even hundreds of those floating red and silver expressions of love!

Filling balloons with helium yourself will always cost less – usually a lot less – than buying pre-filled balloons. In fact, if you are into celebrations, you might even invest in your own refillable helium tank (we do helium tank refills, too).

Our helium rental tanks come in several sizes (see below) and are easy to operate and transport. Helium is perfectly safe, too, since it’s a non-toxic and inert gas that will never, ever explode. Just follow a few simple instructions and you’ll always stay safe!

How big a helium tank will I need?

Ready to party down with Cupid? Here’s what you will need to make your balloon fantasy a reality:

Tank Size	Number of balloons
	9″	10″	11″	12″	14″
50 cu. ft.	170	150	100	85	50
80 cu. ft.	280	150	130	95	80
120 cu. ft.	390	370	240	225	120
195cu. ft.	721	650	390	375	195
213cu. ft.	788	710	426	409	213
242cu. ft.	895	806	484	465	242
285cu. ft.	1,054	995	570	548	285

We rent helium tank accessories, too

Need more than just a helium tank? No problem! We also rent mylar balloon regulators, helium tank protective covers, and other helium tank accessories. Contact us for details.

Spread the love with helium balloons this Valentine’s Day! Contact us today for anything you need in helium tank rental within our Buffalo or Rochester service areas.

Industrial cleaning is a dirty job – but someone’s gotta do it. As long as that someone uses dry ice blasting.

Dry ice blasting – a method of cleaning equipment that uses dry ice pellets delivered at high speed to lift contaminants from your gear – is ideal for just about any kind of industrial cleaning application. From rust, adhesives and syrups to oils, powders, mold and bacteria, dry ice blasting will get it all.

Dry ice blasting is not only effective, it also enjoys significant advantages over other cleaning methods like sand and soda blasting, water cleaning, and chemical cleanup.

Consider these 10 reasons to choose dry ice blasting for your industrial cleaning chores:

• It cleans better – Dry ice blasting simply does a better of job of cleaning equipment, both visually and at the microbe level.
• It doesn’t contaminate your equipment – Dry ice blasting leaves behind no water or chemical residue – which means no additional cleanup is needed.
• It gets everywhere – Dry ice blasting makes it easier to get into hard to reach nooks and crannies.
• It works quickly – Dry ice blasting works faster than other cleaning methods, which means less downtime.
• No disassembly required – With dry ice blasting, your equipment can remain built and in place, which saves time and allows more frequent cleaning.
• It produces no secondary waste – With dry ice blasting, all you will need to clean is what you are trying to remove.
• It won’t damage substrates – Dry ice blasting is non-abrasive, non-flammable, and non-conductive, which means it won’t abrade, wear, pit, or erode equipment surfaces. Control panels, glass, electrical wiring, and other delicate surfaces can all be safely cleaned with dry ice.
• It’s eco-friendly – Dry ice blasting meets USDA, FDA and EPA guidelines and eliminates the expense of environmental cleanup.
• It’s safe – With dry ice blasting, cleanup crews won’t be exposed to chemicals or grit media.
• It’s efficient – Dry ice blasting is not as labor intensive as cleaning with water, media, or chemicals.

Whether you need to clean food processing equipment, electronics, electric motors, or just about any other type of industrial equipment, dry ice will do the job faster, safer, and more completely than just about any other method. Why not give it a try?

Need dry ice pellets for your dry ice blasting? Irish Carbonic has them. Contact us today to learn more or place an order!

There’s nothing quite like a holiday feast featuring freshly prepared food from a loved one – the only problem in this busy world we live in is that sometimes we can’t manage to get together to enjoy it.

But the meal must go on, whether or not the cook is around to enjoy it – and it will, with the help of dry ice from Irish Carbonic!

Dry ice is the perfect way to send perishable foods by mail this holiday season – but shipping with it does require some special care if you want your precious cargo to arrive safe and fresh.

Here are some basics to shipping with dry ice:

• Purchase quality dry ice – Buy your dry ice from a reputable supplier (Irish Carbonic has all the dry ice you need, available for pickup at one of our convenient locations).
• Use quality packing materials – Quality corrugated cardboard, plastic, or wooden boxes will protect your shipment, and it will prevent the dry ice bags from rupturing (we have great packing materials, too).
• Add Styrofoam – Add a Styrofoam layer to your shipping box – an inexpensive cooler, for example, can be placed inside.
• Take precautions when handling dry ice – Always follow dry ice safe handling precautions!
• Pack the box. Wrap food in plastic or paper bags prior to packing. Pack the food and dry ice together tightly, using newspaper or cellulose to minimize gaps and provide insulation. Packs of dry ice should be on the bottom, followed by food items. Alternate between dry ice and food items, filling in gaps with bubble wrap and newspaper until the box is full. If you’re using a Styrofoam cooler, do not seal it completely as this can prevent the package from releasing pressure.
• Check your shipping address – This is always important, but particularly when you’re shipping perishable items.
• Mark the package correctly – Dry ice is considered hazardous material, so it needs to be marked properly prior to shipment. Ask for the following labels at your post office or from your courier:
  • A label that says “Dry Ice” or “Carbon Dioxide Solid.”
  • A label that reads UN 1845 (indicates hazardous materials).
  • A label that indicates the net worth of dry ice in your container (keep track of how much dry ice you use!)
  • A Class 9 label – This indicates that the package contains dry ice – they’re free at most post offices and from your courier. Put the Class 9 label on the same side of the package that contains the UN 1845 label.
• Complete all paperwork – Ask your post office or shipping professional for the proper paperwork, which could include a shipper’s declaration (a slip that includes basic information about yourself and the recipient).
• Other considerations – Dry ice lasts a maximum of about three days; overnight shipping is usually best, especially when shipping items like meat. However, if meat is vacuum packed, two day shipping may be enough. Do not choose options that take more than two days to ship. And be prepared for extra regulatory costs – Call your local post office or courier for details.

Irish Carbonic sells quantities of dry ice ranging from individual portions of dry ice rice pellets to massive 10,000-pound commercial deliveries in block form – available for pickup or convenient delivery to your location. Contact us to learn more – or stop by one of our convenient locations to get some for your holiday goodies today!

At Irish Carbonic and Irish Propane, we are always grateful to the loyal customers and neighbors who have kept our family businesses up and running since 1932 – and for the opportunity to serve new customers as they join the Irish family.

But this week – Thanksgiving week – we are particularly grateful.

We are grateful that you put your faith in Irish Companies year after year to keep your home warm and your business up, running and productive – and we are grateful that you choose to support our certified Women’s Business Enterprise as we strive to make a difference in our Buffalo, Rochester, and Ohio communities.

We couldn’t succeed without your loyalty – and we hope to continue to reward that loyalty with quality service, fair and honest prices, and unmatched service. Whether you choose Irish as an bulk CO2 provider for your bar or restaurant, a propane supplier for your home heating, or for any other reason, we will work hard to earn your business in the months and years ahead.

As the winter heads our way, we hope you’ll rest easy knowing that Irish Carbonic and Irish Propane have you covered, no matter what your home or business demands of you – or us.

Thanks for choosing Irish Carbonic and Irish Propane – Happy Thanksgiving!

You probably know dry ice as the cool stuff you add to a drink or bowl to create creepy Halloween fog – or the stuff that helps you ship fresh food overnight, or keep frozen things frozen for a camping trip. But did you know dry ice can be used to make wine?

Now you do!

The fact is, dry ice is used in several aspects of the wine making process. First and foremost, it is used to cool down bunches of grapes immediately after picking to inhibit spontaneous fermentation from wild yeasts (those yeasts ruin all the fun). Why use dry ice over water ice? Because dry ice doesn’t melt – it sublimates (turns straight from a solid to a gas). That means dry ice cools grapes without adding water to the mix; more water means a lower sugar concentration in the grape must (freshly crushed grapes), which means a lower alcohol concentration in the finished wine (and we wouldn’t want to do THAT now, would we?).

Dry ice is also used during the cold soak phase of the wine making process to keep grapes cool (“cold soaking” is pre-fermentation process used to extract color and flavor from grape skins; this extraction also occurs during fermentation, but many winemakers feel cold soaking brings out different, and beneficial, aspects of the grapes).

Lastly, carbon dioxide is used to create a hypoxic environment during carbonic maceration – a wine making process in which grapes are fermented prior to, rather than after, crushing (Beaujolais wines are made this way).

Just another reason to raise a glass to the many amazing uses for dry ice!

Need dry ice for your project or hobby? Irish Carbonic has it in all shapes and sizes. Come visit one of our convenient locations to pick up some dry ice today!