# ice

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice/53427>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 7, 2001, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice/53427 "2001-02-07T01:05:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice/53427/1 "2001-02-07T01:05:37Z")

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I use the old-fashioned ice cube trays in my freezer. The other day, I filled one tray up and left it per usual. When I opened up the freezer hours later, one icicle (stalagmite?) had formed from one of the cubes. It was probably a good inch long but very thin. The ice tray was not touching anything else in the freezer and was nowhere near the sides or top of the freezer. How is this possible?

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**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice/53427/2 "2001-02-07T01:29:56Z")

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Are you talking about those metal ones with the handle you pull up and it breaks all the ice into cubes? Like at my grandma’s old house.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice/53427/3 "2001-02-07T02:36:32Z")

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There was probably something dripping on the cube in the same spot, and then freezing, resulting in the stalg{m|t}ite.

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice/53427/4 "2001-02-07T03:03:36Z")

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Some questions are more popular than others:

[Ice Stalagmites](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=27434)

This has been tackled on a couple of different occasions (actually around six times on this board, but the above link is the only one with some serious attempts at an answer).

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**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice/53427/5 "2001-02-07T03:08:25Z")

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I’m too lazy, but do a search on ice. There was a good discussion a few months back. Links to pictures even.

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**Author:** ![st1d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@st1d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/st1d)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2001, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice/53427/6 "2001-02-07T07:07:54Z")

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Don’t know about you, but I might think twice about drinking the water if it’s doing wierd things in your freezer. 🙂