Why are there spikes growing out of my ice tray?
This is sooo weird. As is my habit, I filled my ice trays with cold tap water and let them settle on the counter for 15 minutes or so. Then I put them in the freezer. A few hours later I opened the freezer and found that the ice had these nail-like projections. The longest was maybe 3 inches long. They weren't touching anything. What the heck happened? Notice the baby dude in the first picture? WTF?
Best Answer
They're often called ice spikes. Ten years ago these things were pretty mysterious, but now Wikipedia even has a video of them growing out of ice cube trays in a freezer.
Basically, the ice surface freezes first, which slightly pressurizes the water underneath. That water breaks through the crust, and continues to flow, and freeze to equalize pressure within the cooling cube. Temperature conditions have to be just right for it to happen, so you don't see them all the time.
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Quick Answer about "Why are there spikes growing out of my ice tray?"
If a crust of ice with a small hole in it forms over liquid water, it can trap the liquid below, leaving it no room to expand during freezing. So, as the water begins to solidify, it is forced up through the hole and begins to freeze around the hole's edge, forming a hollow, water-filled spike.Do ice spikes exist?
An ice spike is an ice formation, often in the shape of an inverted icicle, that projects upwards from the surface of a body of frozen water. Ice spikes created by natural processes on the surface of small bodies of frozen water have been reported for many decades, although their occurrence is quite rare.What are those ice spikes called?
The triangular shape of the spikes - or ice stalagmites, as they're sometimes called - forms because ice crystals tend to meet at 60-degree angles. You can easily create your own ice spikes at home, by using a freezer that's not too cold (between -5 and -8 degrees Celsius is ideal) and distilled water.Do ice trays wear out?
\u201cYou probably just need to replace the trays,\u201d says gilintx. \u201cWhen ice trays develop pocks from regular wear, the ice starts to form in the rough little fissures as well. When you go to crack the ice out of the tray, it shatters rather than popping out.How do you keep plastic ice trays from sticking?
How can you stop ice cubes from sticking to the tray? Coat your ice cube tray with vegetable oil spray before filling with water. This may help a little if you have stubborn trays or stubborn ice.Ice Spikes Explained
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Street Donkey, Marek Piwnicki, Laura Link, Elina Sazonova