seeking help with freezing drinking water


Beo-wulf

Beo-wulf

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Native Texan living in Indiana
I would like to add something potable to my drinking water to slow down the freeze rate. I know I can set it by the fire and keep it near my body, and stuff like that, I just want to add to my knowledge base and try something different.

Salt would work, but then drinking sea water is not what I want to do.
I have heard of old timers adding molasses.
Has anybody done this?

What can I add to my drinking water to slow down that freeze rate while in the field?

I have no desire to take alcohol, so no thanks on that one please.
 
I think molasses works on the same principal of salt as it changes the specific gravity of the water and there by changes its freeIng/boiling points. But then again that's possibly invented memory from chemistry 10years ago at UGA .

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It won't slow it down per say but one trick to remember is that water freezes from the top down in your bottles. So take your nalgene or what have you and flip it upside down. Then if any of it freezes once you flip it upright the ice is at the bottom and not blocking the opening so you can still drink out of it.
 
Keeber said:
I think molasses works on the same principal of salt as it changes the specific gravity of the water and there by changes its freeIng/boiling points. But then again that's possibly invented memory from chemistry 10years ago at UGA .

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Click to expand...

Not sure how it works but it does!

I put a half full glass of cold water outside about 50 minutes ago, with about a half teaspoon of molasses in it. It's about 15deg outside, not even a layer of ice starting on the top. Nothing at all.

That's freakin cool!!!

Thanks for the knowledge!
 
You could mix up some Gatoraid. The electrolytes will lower the melting point. This is much the same as simply adding salt, but it tastes much better.
 
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i was thinking along the same lines as malcom c. i'm thinking of adding emergenC packets (vitC, electrolytes and touch of sugar) to the water bottles i keep in the truck. i also recently bought some surplus closed cell foam pads to make a couple bottle cozies to see if that helps. i like to keep three nalgene silos in the truck at all times and with temps below zero throughout the winter, you have to get creative to keep them from freezing. same goes for being in the bush. i wrapped my bottles in my wool blanket and that worked pretty well too.

i've been thinking about the us surplus arctic canteens. they're double walled stainless and supposedly keep things from freezing in the most severe temps. any feedback on those would be apprecaited.
 
a shot of Yukon Jack, Just joking I never tried it sounds possible though. But I normally keep mine upside down in a wrap I made out of a thin sleeping pad then sewed a sack to hold it and the insulator in that's covering the sides and the bottom
 
If you don't want to add anything then buy the GI arctic canteen . These things WORK .
Here is a photo of an experiment I did last year on a cold day . Mind you I filled it up with tap water from a well 52 degrees . Twelve hours later not a hint of ice in canteen . Water bottle frozen solid . Stainless liner , vacuum then outer steel shell so not real light .
IMG_0238.jpg
 
those are what i've been considering, riverjoe. for my truck at least, the weight doesn't matter so much. any ideas for a source?
 
it's -2F outside right now. i put two nalgene silos out on the porch, one with room temp water, and one with room temp water with one emergenC packet added. i'll check on them in a bit and see how they differ.
 
Here Where I am Brother it all Freezes LOL I found this info.

If there's snow, bury your full water bottle or bladders in it. Snow is an excellent insulator, and it will prevent your water from freezing overnight. I got this tip from Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book: Traveling & Camping Skills for a Winter Environment. It's an incredible winter camping guide.
Sleep with your water bottle in your sleeping bag.
Use water bottles or water bladders with a very wide mouth, like BPA-free Nalgene Canteens. These are available in a variety of sizes, like the 96 oz. version shown here. The wide mouth inhibits freezing at the top and freezing of the threads, so you can open the bladder to take a drink.
Turn your water bottles or bladders upside down. This will prevent them from freezing around the top, especially during the day when you're hiking.

I use tin foil I wrap it up and place it in the snow .
 
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Our Boy Scout plastic 5 gallon 'jerry cans' at winter camps were always buried in a snowdrift or with snow shoveled over them....always worked for us 'til one of the kids would forget to put them back.
 
Sugar is a more palatable option than salt and is the key ingredient that makes molasses and Gatorade work in this application.
 
the emergenC packet failed. after an hour and fifteen minutes, both bottles had the same thin layer of ice forming on the surface when i unscrewed the lid. i like the packets for the vitamins and electrolytes they provide, so perhaps adding more sugar, possibly in the form of molasses or honey may work better. tomorrow night is supposed to be cold again so maybe i'll run the experiment with a few different concoctions.
 
Oh come on vodka is the answer. How do you think Russians stay hydrated in winter!
 
This may be dumb not sure but I have heard of putting some kind of calcium in my tractor tires to stop the water in them from freezing not sure if you can drink it. Might be something to research.
 
Put one of those hand warmer things in a samich baggy and stuff it in your nalgene.
Also I know someone who doesn't mind using his drinking bottle as a pee bottle at night so he don't need to worry about nothin freezing:) let's see... who could that be...
 
g8rgar said:
This may be dumb not sure but I have heard of putting some kind of calcium in my tractor tires to stop the water in them from freezing not sure if you can drink it. Might be something to research.
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That would be calcium chloride. In concentration it can burn your innards, your skin, eyes, etc. In low levels, it is used in the production of tofu, I think:39:
 
Zig said:
Sugar is a more palatable option than salt and is the key ingredient that makes molasses and Gatorade work in this application.
Click to expand...
How many degrees difference can it make?
 
did a simple google and this seems pretty good to me

""water freezes at normal pressure at zero centigrade.

temperature is a measure of the kinetic energy of the molecules. For water, at that low energy, the molecules slow down enough that the intermolecular attractions between the negative side of the molecule (oxygen) makes a weak bond to the positively charged sides (hydrogen) of other nearby molecules. The molecules lock up into a hexagonal pattern in three dimensions, forming the matrix of the solid ice.

if the water has sugar dissolved (or anything dissolved) these other molecules get in the way of these weak bonds (hydrogen bonds) and in order to freeze solid, it takes a lower energy for the molecules to slow down even more, to the point that these molecules can be bonded around, letting water get solid.

the more dissolved into the water, the lower the temperature required to freeze.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_the_freezing_point_of_sugar_water_low#ixzz1jmN4E9Tk"""

"EDIT"
Ok spoke too quickly heres a site saying sugar has no effect on water freezing point at all
http://chestofbooks.com/food/science/Experimental-Cookery/Lowering-Of-The-Freezing-Point.html
 
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When gathering Maple syrup ( a weak sugar solution) it has to be above freezing for the sap to flow . That being said you can concentrate the sugar in the liquid by beginning to freeze it and just pour that portion that doesn't freeze into your bucket ,so obviously it freezes slightly lower .That solution comes out of the tree at about 2% sugar (if I remember correctly ) I still say get an arctic canteen they work great . However any material is rated as resistance to the flow of heat . Eventulally all the heat will flow out of any vessel and you will reach equilbrum with your surroundings . It just takes a long long time for all the heat to flow out of an arctic canteen .
 
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