How to make ice with fertilizer and water

[Tom67X]

Denny272
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:03 pm

Ice may be needed for many reasons. To help keep perishable items cold, bring down a fever of a sick person, cool you off in extreme heat of summer. But what do you do if there is no electricity and no machinery to make ice with? You can make ice with fertilizer and water!

Why it works: Ammonium nitrate (a chemical found in fertilizer)is a salt, which is made up of a 50/50 mixture of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen. When ammonium nitrate is mixed with equal parts water the ammonium nitrate dissolves into the water. The energy is absorbed from the water, which causes the temperature of the water to decrease and therefore freeze, creating ice.

Here is what you do: Fill a bucket with equal parts water and ammonium nitrate(fertilizer) place a smaller metal bowl (you can’t use plastic as it is an insulator) half filled with water in the bucket and wait. The bowl of water will freeze and you have clean ice

Make sure your storage items contain Ammonium Nitrate! You can buy it in small quantities at your local farm supply store.

[Tom67X]

Waiting2Go
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 5:10 pm

denny272 wrote:
Ice may be needed for many reasons. To help keep perishable items cold, bring down a fever of a sick person, cool you off in extreme heat of summer. But what do you do if there is no electricity and no machinery to make ice with? You can make ice with fertilizer and water!

Why it works: Ammonium nitrate (a chemical found in fertilizer)is a salt, which is made up of a 50/50 mixture of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen. When ammonium nitrate is mixed with equal parts water the ammonium nitrate dissolves into the water. The energy is absorbed from the water, which causes the temperature of the water to decrease and therefore freeze, creating ice.

Here is what you do: Fill a bucket with equal parts water and ammonium nitrate(fertilizer) place a smaller metal bowl (you can’t use plastic as it is an insulator) half filled with water in the bucket and wait. The bowl of water will freeze and you have clean ice

Make sure your storage items contain Ammonium Nitrate! You can buy it in small quantities at your local farm supply store.

[/quote]Totally Awesome!! Been a huge concern of mine........not anymore.....thanks!

Question though............when you say fill bucket with equal parts and then put the metal bowl of water in, how much of the equal parts do you put in? Just enough to maybe go up to the brim of the bowl and have the bowl basically sitting on top of it, so to speak? Otherwise, it seems like the bowl would sink into the mixture and get in your bowl.

I'm sure this is a no brainer question......just trying to find out exactly how to do this.....the brain is a bit foggy tonight.[/quote]

[Tom67X]

denny272
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 6:58 pm

It doesn't matter how little or how much you use so long as it is equal parts. If all you have is a large bowl to mix it in instead of a bucket, then use that to float another smaller bowl in. Don't fill your mixture container too full or the mixture will overflow when you set the bowl of clean water on top.


Jess, I haven't blown anything up..............yet...