Preventing bottled water from freezing

C

cardimon

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Sep 20, 2000
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I figure if anyone knows the answer to this one, you guys do.

I bought some bottled water this fall to keep in my car, and wouldn't you know it, as soon as the temperature nose-dived during the night, the bottled water froze solid.

How do you keep bottled water from freezing in your car during the frigid winter months? Or do you? Do you have to lug it back and forth to the car with you every time you drive somewhere? I'm clueless on this one.
 
what is the concern that the bottles will crack or that it will be frozen so you can drink it?

if you are worried that you cant drink it, i have been told that you should sotre them upside down that way you can at least get some water.

Or you could try vodka
 
Let's see ... antifreeze might do it! Ethylene Glycol is not bad for you is it? I always found it to taste kinda sweet!? ;)

A few ounces of alcohol per gallon might drop the freeze point by say 20 degrees.

Or a cup of salt.



Obviously I don't know how to pull this off either... will be interesting to see if anyone does have a solution.
 
It takes the same amount of effort to carry the damn bottle to the car and back as it did to log on and type the message. LOL

But if one was hypothetically THAT lazy hehe....
Use one of those thermos's that has the little ex[resso cups on the top, you can get a good one for about 20$. They keep water warm or cold for 24 hours. That should keep it liquid forever if not for a lot longer than just a bottle. Or you could try a small amount of salt, which might ruin the taste.

Remember that insulation works in both directions. Use something that will keep cold stuff cold in the summer. As for infinitely keeping it liquid, physics would deem either a chemical change of the water mixture or an insulation so great that it would slow the freezing process an amount that you being in the car once a day would keep it above freezing.

In my opinion, its not worth all that effort. Chock it up, and carry the extra five ounces to the car and back. I cant be THAT hard to remember.

-Dave
 
Hey, I never said I wasn't lazy, guys. I'm simply trying to be prepared, but Old Man Winter is complicating the issue.

I am wondering if someone more experienced in these matters than I am has resolved this in some fashion I could live with.
 
Include a small stove and a sierra cup with the water. If it freezes then melt it.

I can't think of any other option. Taking the kit into the house every time you leave the car is just asking for you to forget it the one day that you really need it.
 
Originally posted by Johnclarke
Include a small stove and a sierra cup with the water. If it freezes then melt it.

I can't think of any other option. Taking the kit into the house every time you leave the car is just asking for you to forget it the one day that you really need it.
Click to expand...

Thank you. That's an excellent answer that brings up another question, but it probably deserves its own thread. So I'll start another one.
 
In the cold months in Montana I carry my water in a steel thermos. It's a little heavier, but regular uninsulated water bottles always freeze solid while I'm snowshoeing or skiing.
 
A little salt might help...but perhaps a better idea would be to store it near the floor heat vents...that way, it will be kept warm while you drive...also this will hopefully thawing it from when it is likely to have frozed while your car was parked. In this way, it will hopefully be somewhat drinkable if you get stranded. The key is to find a container that will withstand freezing. I have had good luck with Naglene Poly bottles (the hard smoke-grey ones). They do get deformed if they freeze solid...but I have never had one burst.
 
I lived in northeastern Ohio when I was a college student, 1981-85. Driving into Cleveland or wherever during the winter in my buddy's dying Buick Centurion (gosh, do I miss that monster!), my friend and I constantly worried that the engine would turn over one last time and leave us stranded in a snow storm, or something apocalyptic like that.

Along with the shovels, wool blankets, etc, in the trunk, we kept a box of big ziplock bags in preparation for the Immanent Breakdown. We also kept a box of those otter pops, good frozen or in liquid form, available in any 7-11 worth its reputation as junk food heaven.

If we ever needed water, we would simply pack some snow into the ziplocks. In the car cabin (or any warm environment), they would thaw very quickly. Nifty for First Aid coldpacks, too. Snow outside of a city, retrieved from somewhere other than immediately by the side of a highway, should be pretty safe; but potable aqua tablets is probably a good idea, anyway.

Of course, I suppose you could also simply freeze water in half-filled ziplocks beforehand and stack them in a box or milk crate in the trunk. They would certainly melt faster in this form than in a one-gallon plastic jug. You could thaw them immediately in a pot, if you make a habit of carrying some water with you anyway. In fact, those nifty, triple-lined Platypus water bottles that Rigormootis mentioned are a worthwhile upgrade, available at REI, Campmor, etc. They are designed to withstand freezing temps as well as boiling.

If desperate (file under last-ditch effort), one could sponge condensation off from the inside car windows -- ideally, with a sponge, but a handkerchief, t-shirt, etc, would work, too. Wipe and squeeze into a cup. You will, of course, also end up absorbing whatever else is on the inside of your windows (dirt, cleaning solution, etc.). Which is why keeping water, of course, is a good idea. :)

My two cents --

Glen

EDIT: Oop, just noticed that Rigormootis was referring to the Nalgene hard bottles. Those are great, too (what I carry daily). But I was referring to the soft Platypus bottles, that flatten as they empty. Again, they are designed for freezing and boiling, and are also pretty puncture-resistant (far more so than ziplocks).
 
I keep 2 of the flat style U.S. Military plastic canteens (2 qt.) in my car, and they freeze solid when ever it gets cold enough. They have never leaked or ruptured, and if I set them in the floorboard, or on the dashboard in front of the vents, they are ussually thawed enough to drink in no time, as I drive.
 
I take the other approach - let it freeze! I keep a six-pack of bottled water in a small cooler in the trunk, along with a bunch of those little "heat packs" that get hot when you open 'em up. If I am ever stuck, and need the water, my plan is to pop a couple of the heat packs and toss 'em in the cooler. This should warm things up enough to melt the water.

I'll use the rest to keep warm while I have a snack and wait for the cavalry.

Sierra1
 
Yeah, I had one of the plastic gallons freeze, crack, and leak a bit a few weeks ago. Guess I'll try pouring some of the water out to allow for expansion (10-15%). Been carrying 6 extra gallons of distilled per vehicle since 9/11.

Also, definitely suggest the 4 oz survival water packets. I tested these by putting them in the freezer, and had no package compromise.
Other nice thing about these is that the water is sterile, so can be used for first aid irrigation.

Those are what I stock the EDC kits in both vehicles with. If they do freeze, as mentioned in another post, put one of the handwarmer packets next to it, or, if stuck and the exhaust pipe is clear (no chance of CO buildup/leakage), put a couple of the water packets on the heater vent to thaw.

Mike
 
use plastic soda bottle's,don't fill all the way add some clorox.if it get's cold enough the ice will push the bottom out without spliting the bottle.you can put them in a ice chest to keep them from freezeing or from being affected by heat in the summer.The chest is also a handy place to store film and camera's and odds and ends.
 
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