I should know this!

[T-water]

Okay so Here's the deal, I have a refridgerator in my unheated garage, somehow it does not freeze pop beer (water sometimes) even when it gets down to -10. So we've been having an argument at work, does it insulate the contents that well for weeks at a time or does it somehow heat up the fridge to regulate the temp, or are there magic elves in there that keep it warm and hide whenever I open the door.

Second question bottled water will not freeze unless I open the bottle and then put it back in by morning it'll be frozen next to its unfrozen unopened counterpart.

Thoughts?

[BobT]

It won't heat up unless you install a heater. Inside your garage the temperature is going to be somewhat warmer than the outside temperature. Refridgerators are well insulated so I'm guessing it takes a long time to drop the interior to the point of freezing.

Maybe, contrary to popular belief, the light stays on when the door is closed and that provides enough heat.

[slurpie]

Good ? we(freinds and I) talked and could'nt come up with much more than good insulation either.

[CAMAN]

Its called super-cooling. Water needs an impurity or rough surface to begin forming ice crystals. So if there is no impurity the water can actually go below the freezing point until you introduce it to something else. Try cracking open one of the bottle tops and gently pouring it into a bowl or something. The water will pour out and freeze instantly and build up in the bowl. Do a search on utube for supercooling, there are tons of videos on the subject.

[BobT]

Also, the water in the containers might be pressurized to some degree. Pressure lowers the freezing point too. Once you open the cap, you release the pressure and it freezes.

[CAMAN]

Bob, I did agree with you on the pressure lowering the freezing point. But when I researched it the pressure that is in a water-bottle is not high enough to affect it that drastically. If I remember right it was only around 1 degree that it would drop the freezing point. The pressures in a pop bottle are much higher because of the carbonization and would make the freezing point alot lower.

So I guess, yes if the temp was hovering right around freezing it would contribute to it, but it has more to do with the purity of the water and the smoothness of the inside of the bottle.

But good thinking.

[T-water]

Okay guys awesome work, that explains whay my minnow bucket freezes, poor lil guys. I'm wondering how low the temp can go before "pure" water will freeze. I'm still in awe that the temp inside the fridge stays so high.

[minndonn]

Is your frig self-defrosting? I wonder if the defrost uses heat to get rid of ice. The temp might cause it to run and therefore keep the temp up some. Som friges use circulating air and some use heat, especially near the door seals.

[BobT]

Good point. I forgot about auto defrosting, which can actually add heat.

[T-water]

No self defrosting here. This is an OLD fridge. I think it is the "supercooling" thing. I did open the last sealed bottle of water, poured it into a bowl after a few minutes I was actually watching it freeze up. So I guess it just has to do with the purity and lack of movement. Hoping I can keep a scoop of fatheads unfrozen til this weekend.