At what temp does a water bottle freeze up?
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At what temp does a water bottle freeze up?
was wondering the other night, riding in 30 degrees, at what temp will a regular water bottle freeze up after only 30 minutes of riding? I'm guessing 17 degrees
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All parts of the bottle aren't equal. A partially full bottle is going to splash water on the valve and it will freeze to the point where you can't get it to flow. (I'm talking traditional water bottle here. Camelbak bottles might not freeze the valve as quickly because of the structure of the valve.) If you can't use it, I would consider that to be frozen. Same thing if you have a shell of frozen water around a core of liquid water.
If the bottle is only partially full, it will freeze faster than a full bottle...less mass of water freezes faster. If the water is mixing, it will probably freeze a little faster than water that is static. Ice can insulate a little so water in a static bottle will take longer to freeze all the way through than if you are mixing the cold outer layers with the warmer inner bulk of water...it's called heat transport.
And, finally, there is a some impact on the freezing point if the water contains dissolved salts. Those actually lower the freezing point slightly so that the water takes a little longer to freeze. The impact of the dissolved salts is going to be minimal, however. At best, it will be tenths of a degree.
And before you start adding stuff to the water to depress the freezing point, be aware that it takes a bucket load of what every you want to put into it to keep it from freezing...depending on how low you want to go. Alcohol will work but you'd have to have enough in there to give you a massive hangover before it would depress the freezing point significantly. You'd also need more as the temperature drops. Salt will work also but, again, you'd need enough to make it either unpalatable or dangerous to drink or both. Same with sugar.
Basically, you can't adulterate water to get it to a suitable freezing point to keep it from freezing without causing other problem. It's better to insulate it and/or carry a larger mass of it so that it doesn't freeze as quickly. I use a Camelbak with an insulated tube for just that reason.
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thanks Doc! yeah I was referring to the point at which one can't drink from the bottle, so, frozen mouth valves & slush in the bottle ...
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In 20 below, I had to take little sips every 5 minutes to keep it drinkable for a while, it eventually froze up cuz I didn't do it frequently enough
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My 66 mile ride last Friday started with the temperature at 17 degrees. Was 23 degrees at mile 18. 28 degrees at the halfway point and then 31 degrees at the end. My 2 bottles never froze. But I had Tailwind mixed into both of them.
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Gatorade slushies for the win ! But at 7F for 1.5 hours it freezes solid.
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I don't recall ever having trouble above 20°
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Notice that the temperature was increasing during your ride. I doubt, based on the nutritional information (0.3g sodium and 25g of sugar) of the that the Tailwind, that it depresses the freezing point much. Water by itself would probably give similar results. If the temperature would have been steady, I doubt that it would have stayed liquid as long.
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Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
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Notice that the temperature was increasing during your ride. I doubt, based on the nutritional information (0.3g sodium and 25g of sugar) of the that the Tailwind, that it depresses the freezing point much. Water by itself would probably give similar results. If the temperature would have been steady, I doubt that it would have stayed liquid as long.
Honestly, I was surprised that it didn't freeze up as it was really darn cold last Friday with the wind! My toes certainly were very cold which has led me to order winter cycling shoes and thicker wool socks.
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I have a frame bag, so bottle stays there. Or I use a Revelate Feedbag. But yes, keeping a bottle upside down will help with frost forming on the mouthpiece. I guess it'd be harder to do with a regular bottle cage.
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I use two insulated bottles for long rides. Fill one with warm water, the other with HOT water. Drink the warm one first...
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if the 2nd one is really insulated they can both be the same temp to start. daughter gave me a Corkcicle
Canteen last year. wound up using it quite a bit
Last edited by rumrunn6; 11-19-17 at 05:03 PM.
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No guarantees that will work: https://cosmosmagazine.com/physics/m...ster-than-cold
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FWIW I believe that there exists a temperature range where: if the water in the bottle is constantly sloshed around it will delay the formation of ice, but it will all freeze at once. So I would try filling the bottle only partially, and keeping it upside down as someone suggested. It also occurs to me than having a tube extending to the bottle center would make it more likely for liquid water to be available, but you'd need two nozzles or some other way to disengage it.
Aren't insulated bottles available?
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Apparently, there is a real need for someone who is not me to create a cycling-friendly bottle that will hold hot beverages and allow easy access while riding. The bottles that keep beverages hot, from what I've seen, are designed for taking coffee to work or sitting at a campsite, and are difficult to navigate while riding a bike...
Related thread: Insulated Bike Bottle for Hot Beveraged on Winter Rides?
Related thread: Insulated Bike Bottle for Hot Beveraged on Winter Rides?
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Apparently, there is a real need for someone who is not me to create a cycling-friendly bottle that will hold hot beverages and allow easy access while riding. The bottles that keep beverages hot, from what I've seen, are designed for taking coffee to work or sitting at a campsite, and are difficult to navigate while riding a bike...
Related thread: Insulated Bike Bottle for Hot Beveraged on Winter Rides?
Related thread: Insulated Bike Bottle for Hot Beveraged on Winter Rides?