Okay, all of you physicists and chemists and engineers out there. What on earth would cause my ice cubes to form like this?
These were from two consecutive trays of ice I made over the weekend. The spikes aren't from drips; rather, they appear to have grown upward.
C'mon, it's related to one of those all important properties that makes water so special. It expands as it freezes! But obviously there's a bit more here.
ReplyDeleteIce cubes freeze across the top first, and from the outside in. If the top layer freezes over completely, while liquid remains below, when that liquid solidifies, it expands and will bulge your ice cube tray outward. But, if you're lucky (which apparently you are) it will grow spikes.
The top freezes over almost completely, but there is a weak enough spot somewhere that as the ice continues to solidify (and the top layer keeps the whole cube from expanding upward) it pushes water up and out the little hole, like a volcano. But if the water freezes just as it comes out the hole, it makes a little tube. The ice must then continue to freeze at the right rate pushing water up the tube which then freezes up at the top.
Formation of "ice cube spikes" (Google that for more info) seems to be much more likely w/ distilled water and is dependent on the temperature inside your freezer.
Ah. So if I continue to fill my ice cube trays from the Brita pitcher, this is more likely to happen?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, Clark!