What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

ZmOz

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Whenever I go on a trip I usually take a big cooler with me, and usually for ice I use several 20oz pop bottles filled with frozen water. Works pretty good, and keeps the food dry. Does anybody know of anything that I could mix with the water in the bottles to make them stay frozen longer?
 

Homerr

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

Uhmmm...<br /><br />Liquid Nitrogen? <br /><br />I don't know... :confused: <br /><br />I'd like to know myself!<br /><br />H.
 

Bob in Calif.

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

You might try dry ice wrapped in several layers of newspaper, instead of ice. If you do try dry ice, wear leather gloves when you handle it, as it can cause BURNS to your hands in a matter of seconds. Do not put your dry ice in water or next to ice, as the water will return the dry ice to carbon dioxide vapor in very short order.(Co2)<br /><br />Dry ice is excellent for keeping fish frozen on long trips home or just keeping them real cold for extended periods.<br />It works excellent for chilling canned beverages and long necks too. :D <br /> <br /> ...Bob in Calif...
 

roscoe

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

Use larger gallon jugs of ice.<br /><br />Make sure they are frozen to -5 degrees F or lower. Most of the store bought ice is only 20 degrees, and melts very quickly.<br /><br />Chill everything down before putting it in the cooler.<br /><br />Place a stack of newspapers or a towel on top of the contents in the cooler to limit exposure to air.<br /><br />Place the cooler in a shaded spot, out of the wind, and keep it covered with a rug or blanket.
 

plywoody

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

Anything mixed with water lowers the freezing point of water, and increases the speed at which it will melt.<br /><br />Get the water (ice) as cold as possible, use more of it, or keep the cooler in a less warm place.<br /><br />Or use something else, like dry ice.
 

rwise

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

you need to ask Santa about this one, don't know if he'll give up any info though. :D
 

one more cast

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

If you could add something to water to make it stay frozen longer it would only be raising the melting temp. ,say to 36 degrees. but 36 degree water would keep food just as cold as 36 degree ice, wouldn't it? Thats what i'm thinking anyway.
 

neumanns

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

If You add a little salt to it it willn lower the freezing temp. When you remove it from the freezer it will also liquify sooner. However the contents of the cooler will be colder and having everything in the cooler at a colder temp should result in longer cool peroid in the cooler. And as already stated perhaps a larger container, this will prolong the melt time.<br /><br />Switch to gallon's and add enoufgh salt so you still get a frozen product. Should result in what you want...Cool pop longer.
 

KennyKenCan

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

You could get one of them coolers that you can plug into the cigarette lighter.<br /><br />Then you wouldn't need any ice at all!
 

ndemge

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

Can't change the laws of physics.<br /><br />The Melting point of Water is 32 degrees PERIOD!<br /><br />Melting point of Steel is Hundreds of Degrees, That's what your looking for right?.... Just because it's not melted don't mean it's cold.<br /><br />Get your ice as cold as you can, all Ice is for you is a "Battery" of Cold. once you use up your cold, it's gone till you freeze it again.<br /><br />Once your ice melts, you now have 33 degree water, that is still good.<br /><br />Some chemicals may be able to raise the melting point, but the TEMPERATURE is still the same.<br /><br />Option 1: More Ice, get it colder to last a lil longer<br /><br />Option 2: DRY Ice, It's F'n Cold, a LOT F'n Colder than your going to get your ice<br /><br />Option 3: Get one of those 5 day coolers, REALLY thick walls, we got one for a wedding present,took it on our honey moon. I put one bag of ice in it when we left, and when I got home a week later, half was melted. Cooler was in our 70 degree room and opened maybe twice a day.
 

plywoody

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

Water has unique phyical properties, in that in order to freeze, its molecules form a crystal lattice structure, which is of course why it expands when it freezes.<br /><br />Anything mixed with water will inhibit the formation of that crystal lattice, and make it freeze at a lower temperature, and melt it quicker. It will not necessarily get to a colder temperature--you can get ice to a colder temperature, by putting it in a colder freezer. But with a little salt (or sugar or anything else) will make the ice turn to water at a colder temperature, but will not do what you are trying to do. It is a physical impossibility.
 

gaugeguy

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

My buddy has one of those 5 day coolers, they do work really well. He keeps beer in it on his deck all summer. Drains the water and adds new ice every three days. This cooler is opened often, it's kept in the shade and we had several days near 100 degrees this past summer. I have one of those coolers on my x-mas list.
 

neumanns

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

What I'am proposing is not trying to cheat the laws of nature. It dosent even address his actual question. What it does though is adress what he wants as an end result. Have any of you ever made homade icecream? Have you ever flash frozen seafood? What he wants is the cool in his cooler to last longer. One way of achiving this is to lower the temp of everything in the cooler, this will cause the process of warming up to take longer. :confused:
 

jee70611

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

Plywoody's right on this one guys. It's a chemical concept know as freezing point depression. It has to do with how the molecules of the chemical dissociates into the water. The more ions in solution, the lower the freezing point. Just pure ice will stay colder longer because water has a much higher specific heat than any other liquid (unless they've discovered some exotic new chemical). For that reason, water absorbs more energy per gram that any other substance to heat. I can't recall what the specific heat of ice is, but I believe it is lower than that of water. This being the case, the water should stay colder longer than the ice will stay frozen. I believe. It's been a while since Chemistry class. ;) <br /><br />James
 

jee70611

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

Switching to gallons would definately help, but I think the salt or sugar would probably cause the ice to melt faster. This could shorten the life of the "cold." Granted it would be colder at first, but once the ice melts (ply correct me if I'm wrong), the water would then be at 33 degrees anyways. This would shorten the overall length of the "cold." Not tryin to step on anyones toes, just wanna offer my perspective. If I'm wrong please let me know. I need to study up on my chem. anyways LOL ;) <br /><br />James
 

NOSLEEP

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

Any time you add salt to water it takes colder<br />temperatures to freeze it, and will melt quicker<br />than fresh water kept under the same temperature.<br />Use the large plastic milk jugs. <br />And a higher quality cooler. If you seal the lid<br />with tape it will keep considerably longer. <br />Also you could use two coolers, one just filled<br />with frozen ice jugs to transfer to your cooler<br />when the cooler starts to warm.
 

POINTER94

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

We used to take dry Ice and wrap it in newspaper then buy Block Ice and wrap it in newspaper and stack on top of the dry Ice. By doing this the Dry Ice kept the block cold indefinately. I believe that the only thing that melt dry ice is O2. Therefor this method worked well on food coolers that didn't have to be opened and closed frequently.<br /><br />A technique has also been identified for beverages, by applying additional pressure to the boats throttle will result in a decreased exposure time for beverages between stops. By doing this you can maintain the proper temperature range and ensure the proper carbonation for ideal consumption. It also seems to have a relationship to the frequency of having to pump out the head. :p
 

neumanns

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Re: What can I mix with water to make it stay frozen longer?

Adding salt does lower the freezing point of water. So I propose this question, Which would provide a better cooling service? 10 degree salt water or 20 degree fresh ice? Lack of ice formation does not equate to lack of cooling, Does it.<br /><br />I guess what I'm saying the fact that it liquify's sooner is not neccesarily a detramint is it.<br /><br />For the record no one is stepping on my toes I'm just curious? And if I'm wrong so be it, this is just my thought's.
 
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