Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: neilep on 07/01/2009 13:18:10
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Dearest Waterologists and People With Experience of Water,
As a s sheepy, I of course love water. Water is my all time favourite thing that comes from clouds as rain, snow and hail.
Water is the bestest thing
It made Gene Kelly dance and sing
When it's ice it looks like ' bling'
Christmas Snow was sung by Bing
Quality !! [::)]
Look, here' some water !
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Nice eh ?
Humour me. Say I live in a place where the temperature regularly falls just below the freezing point of water...
Is there any household item/chemical/ingredient from the larder etc.... that I can ewese to stop my outside tank of rainwater freezing ? so that it will still keep it safe for ewe and me to drink ?
Unfortunately the heating element has packed up , so all I can do is add an additive !..any ideas ?
Thanks, talking about all this water has made me want to do a wee-wee !
Hugs & shmishes
mwah mwah
Neil
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The Rain In Spain Makes Wet Bulls
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It won't be as nice to drink, but a small amount of salt and sugar may prevent the freezing, and then it's a big tank of rehydration drink...
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or the addition of some alcohol should work in the same fashion as anti-freeze. I hear that Austrian wine is good for this...
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It won't be as nice to drink, but a small amount of salt and sugar may prevent the freezing, and then it's a big tank of rehydration drink...
Thanks Mr BenV
I did wonder about adding salt but did't know if there was a fine line between keeping it liquid and also non toxic !
Sugar sounds nice !
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or the addition of some alcohol should work in the same fashion as anti-freeze. I hear that Austrian wine is good for this...
Cheers ! [ Invalid Attachment ] dentstudent
Yes, alcohol..it won't evaporate away then ?..hmmm..as a tea-totaller I'd have to think about that as a last resort !
Thanks chum.
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(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fweather%2F1.gif&hash=208b2acc5f45e50fed1057cb337412c9)
Dearest Waterologists and People With Experience of Water,
As a s sheepy, I of course love water. Water is my all time favourite thing that comes from clouds as rain, snow and hail.
Water is the bestest thing
It made Gene Kelly dance and sing
When it's ice it looks like ' bling'
Christmas Snow was sung by Bing
Quality !! [::)]
Look, here' some water !
[ Invalid Attachment ]
Nice eh ?
Humour me. Say I live in a place where the temperature regularly falls just below the freezing point of water...
Is there any household item/chemical/ingredient from the larder etc.... that I can ewese to stop my outside tank of rainwater freezing ? so that it will still keep it safe for ewe and me to drink ?
Unfortunately the heating element has packed up , so all I can do is add an additive !..any ideas ?
Thanks, talking about all this water has made me want to do a wee-wee !
Hugs & shmishes
mwah mwah
Neil
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The Rain In Spain Makes Wet Bulls
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I want to say booze or alcohol will prevent it from freezing maybe... and It also may separate and pour off the top as I think water is heavier.. bags of margarita mix etc won't freeze solid....
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Oh poop...! Stuart beat me!!!
Nice poemage indeedy Kind Sir!
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Surely only the top of the tank would freeze if you bought a big enough tank. The lower part of the tank would stay at 4degreeC. You could pump out the water from the bottom of your tank. I would sink it in the ground for insulation. You could also agitate it constantly (and I don't mean like you agitate your neighbour.
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An incandescent lightbulb in the air-space above the water may provide just enough heat to prevent freezing.
Possibly pump the water through a solar panel on the roof to raise its temperature.
A windmill rotating paddles in the tank could heat the water by agitation (see Joule's apparatus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_equivalent_of_heat))
or put warm-blooded creatures in the water tank [:)]
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you could always instal an outside light near the tank, the heat from the light should / may prevent the water freezing. You could also bury your tank, and have ....compost(!) packed around the tank.
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OK, I realise this might be tricky for a sheep, but keep the water in a bottle in your pocket.
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Your mistaking him for a kangaroo.
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or the addition of some alcohol should work in the same fashion as anti-freeze. I hear that Austrian wine is good for this...
Will isopropyl alcohol, highly diluted work?
Or does it have to be something like the ethanol found in vodka?
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Regarding:
"Will isopropyl alcohol, highly diluted work?
Or does it have to be something like the ethanol found in vodka?"
Isopropyl alcohol is poisonous and is not drinkable.
Your best bets for keeping water from freezing are:
1. Utilizing a heat source of some kind
A. a solar greenhouse
B. a solar concentrator
C. a regular electric heater for barrels or livestock tanks.
D. thermal mass, using a solar water pump or passive circulation to circulate water though pipes in the ground or a buried tank below the frost line.
E. A small flame in a pit under a metal tank with insulated sides, such a candle size flame using a large propane tank, a smokeless alcohol candle with a large reservoir, a regular week long burning candle.
2. Chemical methods
A. Using ethanol like vodka to raise the freezing point, but this will also turn to slush and freeze if it gets cold enough.
B. Adding salt and sugar, but no more then found in an energy drink which will still freeze if it gets cold enough.
3. If freezing isn't a problem and you just want to store it in a tank without ice breaking the tank.
A. Put in food safe foam blocks or weighted soda bottles in the tank so the ice crushes those instead of bursting the tank.
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Say I live in a place where the temperature regularly falls just below the freezing point of water...
I was going to suggest simply burying the tank.
However, if the temperature falls slightly below freezing, it may not be a problem at all.
If it hits, say -1°C or -2°C at night, then warms up during the day, you might get a skim of ice on top of the tank, but not much more. Leave a little expansion space at the top of the tank. Ideally a V-shaped tank would be safest. But, it will take a lot of cold weather to turn your tank into a solid block of ice.
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There are grades of glycerol that can be fed to livestock--a little of that in the water might do the trick, and you wouldn't have to worry about it evaporating. Glycerol does the same thing as antifreeze, but is nontoxic.