How to Keep Ice From Melting?
It’s the weekend and the Premier League is back in action. Your two favourite teams are going head to head on a Saturday night. As a result, you’ve invited your friends over to the game and have made all the preparations for the party. Right from beer to soft crunchy ice inside your very own sonic nugget ice maker, you’ve got it all looked at. However, your luck runs out as you get a massive power outage on that very Saturday morning.
This puts you on the spot as you’ve got a ton of ice in the ice bucket which is on its way to melting. Pacing yourself won’t do you much good as now you’re thinking about how to keep ice from melting. But what if we told you there is a way how to keep ice from melting? So, if you are looking at how to keep ice from melting without a freezer, then this article is for you. Here, you will find all the freezer hacks on how to keep ice from melting without a freezer.
Can You Actually Slow Down The Natural Ice Melting Rate?
Yes, just like it is possible for you to speed up the freezing of ice cubes, it is possible to keep your ice from melting for days and even months. All this is possible if you use the right methods and store the ice correctly. Yes, it is possible to slow down the natural ice melting rate by significantly reducing the amount of heat exposure. In case you don’t have a freezer, you can opt for a well-insulated cooler to keep your ice from melting. Packing a variety of substances around the ice such as dry ice or liquid nitrogen is what keeps ice from melting.
Here’s How to Keep Ice from Melting / Keep Ice Frozen Longer?
As we said above, there are many different hacks on how to keep ice from melting. There are some of the techniques using which you can ensure maximum retention of ice. This way, you can keep your ice from melting for days or even months
1. Use A Vaccum Insulated Container
Getting yourself an insulated cooler is what keeps ice from melting. And a vacuum insulated container is perhaps the best type of cooler using which you can keep your ice from melting for maximum days at a time. Vacuum is a better alternative that other traditional sources such as styrofoam, polyurethane, or any other material. There are different vacuum insulated containers such as cups, mugs, bottles, and containers that will allow you to store a small amount of ice. Note that a vacuum insulated container is only fit for storing ice for a short time.
2. Cover Your Ice Container With An Alumnium Foil
As we said earlier, you will need to significantly decrease the heat exposure to keep your ice from melting. To keep out the thermostatic heat, you can line your ice container with an aluminiu foil. Coolers are designed explicitly to keep out thermostatic heat but fails at keep the radiation at bay. Here, you can opt to cover your cooler with an alumnium foil as aluminium is perfect at keeping heat radiation away. You can line the inside of your container with an alumnium foil and even cover the face with it.
3. Surround Ice With Ice Packs
Ice packs are nothing ice bricks which tend to melt faster than normal ice. As these packs melt, they tend to turn colder. The more ice packs you surround your ice with, the colder the water around the ice will be post the melting. This will ensure that the ice remains solid for long periods. Ensure that your remove your ice brick of the cooler once it has melted.
4. Use Dry Ice With Your Ice Container
Dry ice is nothing but frozen carbon dioxide which is extremely cold and has a temperature of around -78.5°C. This is far below the normal freezing point required by regular ice. If you are looking for ways on how to keep ice from melting without a freezer, just buy some dry ice and place it at the bottom of your ice container with the regular ice on top of it. The dry ice will sublimate without making a mess and with the dry ice gone, you will still have regular ice for days. If you have easy access to dry ice, keep topping off the bottom of your ice container with dry ice once the earlier ones vanishes
5. Wrap Ice With Burlap
Burlap is traditionally used for frost protection in plants and shrubs. It keeps away the pests and other insects that eat away the plants and shrubs. You can implement the same principle here and wrap your ice with burlap. In addition to all this, wrapping your ice with burlap allows for maximum oxygen flow inside so as to not trap heat whatsoever.
6. Wrap Your Ice Container with a Wet Towel
A wet towel works just as good as a burlap. If your cooler is in the shed, you can wrap the coler with a wet towel to keep your ice from melting. As the water within the towel turns to gas, it will make the towel even more colder in the process. The colder the towel, the laster your ice will long without a freezer. The cold towel is cooler than the outside heat meaning it doesn’t trap heat thus keeping your ice solid for long
The Bottom Line
There are times when desperately need ice but couldn’t have any as there is no freezer. In such cases, you can opt for a cooler or any other insulated cooling container to store ice. As a rule of thumb, though, harder and denser ice cubes melt slower than softer flake ice or other forms of less dense ice.
You can use either of the hacks mentioned above to keep your ice from melting. These hacks can come in handy especially if there is a power outage or your find yourself with ice in a hot area.
