Ice

Why does water expand when frozen yet almost every other substance shrinks when it gets colder? Why are Illinois roads so bad? Why did I want the ground to freeze after wanting the snow to melt for the last month?

It was about 1987 when I was working as a carpenter in Joliet and installing siding on a house. The outside temperature was a little below zero. I was well aware of how much vinyl siding could expand in the heat and wanted proof. I measured a piece of siding while outside, and then placed it into the heated house. The siding measured almost ½” longer when it was warmed to 70 degrees.

A couple of years ago I began to wonder why water expands when it freezes. It is common knowledge that water expands when frozen and ice floats, but why. It turns out that the hydrogen atoms in water interlock. However, when they freeze, they form a lattice structure and repel each other that traps more air, thus expanding that magical 9% and makes ice float and water pipes burst.

This explains why most winters the ground under the sliding doors of my barn heaves up from the frost and makes opening the doors very hard. Will County building code has a minimum 42” depth for foundations to prevent frost damage from occurring. Which brings me to the roads.

A couple of months after learning about why frozen water expands I was talking to an agronomist. He stated the roads in Wisconsin survive winter much better than Illinois roads. The scientific argument/explanation is that Wisconsin clay does not contain the same chemical composition as Illinois clay. Illinois clay absorbs water more easily than Wisconsin clay, and since that water has hydrogen atoms we experience more heaving damage to our roads during cold winter weather.

It is also proven how damaging the repeated freezing and thawing is to our roads surface. Ice can exert over several pounds of pressure when it freezes and expands. If water is in cracks in the pavement, we are in for a rough ride on the roadways.

That same freezing and thawing/ heaving can be bad for perennial crops like alfalfa and fall-seeded crops like wheat. Repeated freeze/thaw cycles can heave the plants out of the ground and fracture the taproot. Plants do not survive easily with broken roots.

The recent ice storms in the south brought chaos to hatcheries and future chicken owners. My chick order was cancelled when the hatchery was closed for a week by bad weather. Millions of baby chicks were euthanized when ice grounded most of the transportation. Social media had multiple reports of chick deliveries that were delayed, and the late deliveries brought deceased animals upon delivery.

At the end of February the snow finally melted. The snow had been too deep to spread manure onto the field. After the snow melted, the fields were a soggy mess. Finally, the overnight temperature went low enough to freeze the ground. Manure could be spread on the frozen ground each morning. The composting manure pile was steaming while being loaded into spreaders and applied to the fields.

Most people will agree that unless you are enjoying a cold refreshing beverage, ice is usually not a good thing. That is assuming you are not on the lake ice fishing.