Can someone explain to me why my pitcher keeps freezing up in the frig?
My half-gallon of milk, quart bottle of water and all my beers never freeze but the pitcher of tea freezes solid all the time. If anything would get frozen I'd think it would be the water. But it never is.
It's not the location in the frig. I've tried moving things around and it's always the same. It's really aggrivating!!
add a couple ounces of prestone to the tea, that should work
Is the tea container taller than all the others? That can be a factor in some refrigerators with the freezer above the main cabinet.
Quick guess, with 2 possible related reasons: the fridge is apparently at a temperature close to, but just slightly below 32F (less than a degree- milk usually will freeze below 31F)- and the tea is unsweetened. I'm guessing an open glass of water would also freeze, while the closed container of water may not - is the pitcher of tea open to evaporate inside the fridge? Evaporation can remove enough energy from a liquid to freeze it even if the air temperature is above freezing.
The other part of the answer may be the difference in freezing point of solution, versus a liquid with diluted solids (tea is an organic solid, but the tea does not chemically "dissolve" in the water to become a solution- instead the small tea particles just mix in amongst the water molecules- you can prove this by filtering the tea through a micron-sized filter- you'll end up with the tea particles collecting on the filter while the water passes through the filter.)
The other beverages mentioned are actual chemical solutions of water and alcohol/milk-fat (colloids) / molecular sugars. The freezing point of any solution will be lower than that of the original liquid.
I'm guessing that the tea is unsweetened- if it was sweetened then it should hold off from freezing for a couple degrees, as the freezing point of a water-glucose solution can be several degrees lower (depending upon the concentration of sugar)
To test it, try putting 3 containers; 1 of unsweetened tea, 1 of plain water, and 1 of sweet tea- I'm guessing the plain water and unsweetened tea will freeze, but the sweet tea and milk, beer, soda, etc won't. .
Echoing Mr. Drummond
Differences in the shape, amount and composition of impurities (the tea) can cause differences in the temperature at which a solution of water will freeze.
Besides, never argue with a surveyor from Huntville....you never know what scientist he may have been talking to. 😉
Echoing Mr. Drummond
Remind me to tell you about the freezing point of liquid organic rocket fuels sometime.... similar characteristics come into play! :-O
Also, if the water is pure enough, it can become cooled below the freezing point (by a couple degrees- "super-cooled" until disturbed or an external source of condenstation nuclei is introduced to the liquid. (is the water bottled or tap water?)
An uncovered picture of tea will freeze before anything as it was warm or hot when placed in the fridge and hot liquid will freeze before normal room temperature liquid, especially if the top is in the direct flow of cold air returning from the freezer vent.
Milk will get an thin layer of ice because of the lesser water content.
I remember grandma would always put a cheesecloth over them in the icebox.
If rearranging the contents of your fridge department is not the problem and/or if the compartment is too cold all together, taper the flow of air from the freezer.
😉
"hot liquid will freeze before normal room temperature liquid"
NO! NO! NO! NO!
This fallacy has persisted through the decades. IT IS NOT TRUE!
Mpemba effect
well, it is true here.
In the winter, exposed hot water pipes will freeze before others pipes on raised houses here.
I have thawed more hot water pipes than cold water pipes in my life.
YOU are both right
Under certain conditions, warmer water will freeze faster. For example, if you take boiling water, let it cool to 40 degrees, and put in in the freezer, it will freeze faster that 38 degree tap water because the boiling process removed most of the oxygen from the water.
IMHO
The reason heated water seems to freeze faster than unheated water is because of the lack of dissolved oxygen (released by the heating process). The dissovled gasses in cold water give it a slightly better "thermal mass".
My suggestion to Eric is get a hobby...;-) You got too much time on your hands!
Is your tea pitcher glass (vs. a plastic container)?
Your refrigerator may not be circulating air properly. I learned when my lower fridge began freezing up that all the cooling happens in the freezer. The cooled air is then circulated through the fresh food side. If the air inlet or outlet door controller or flap is stuck, or the blower is out, stuff will start to freeze on the fresh food side. Search this awesome site for your make/model/symptoms. They just saved me a $350 service bill to replace a $60 part.
It is true. On the very coldest of days my kids like to boil water, pour a small amount into a cup and go out on the deck to throw it in the air. It freezes into a mist of snowy ice. They try with cold water and it does not!
I beg to differ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpemba_effect
http://www.phys.ncku.edu.tw/mirrors/physicsfaq/General/hot_water.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/28/why-does-hot-water-freeze-faster
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-it-true-that-hot-water
http://factorfictionblog.com/2009/11/20/does-warm-water-really-freeze-faster-than-cold-water.aspx
> "hot liquid will freeze before normal room temperature liquid"
>
> NO! NO! NO! NO!
>
> This fallacy has persisted through the decades. IT IS NOT TRUE!
I admit, I used to be in your school of thought, but I have since switched, even without trying it for myself... mostly because I don't want the 24 years of crap out of my water heater in my ice cubes. I can wait the extra little while AND I have an automatic ice maker.
> I beg to differ...
>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpemba_effect <
:good:
>
>> http://www.phys.ncku.edu.tw/mirrors/physicsfaq/General/hot_water.html <
:good:
>
>> http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/28/why-does-hot-water-freeze-faster
:good:
>
>> http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-it-true-that-hot-water
:good:
>
>> http://factorfictionblog.com/2009/11/20/does-warm-water-really-freeze-faster-than-cold-water.aspxbr >:good:
