# RE: Why Fire Hydrants Don't Freeze

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-fire-hydrants-dont-freeze/418893>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [September 12, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-fire-hydrants-dont-freeze/418893 "2007-09-12T13:31:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-fire-hydrants-dont-freeze/418893/21 "2007-09-18T21:45:58Z")

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[QUOTE=UncleRojelio]  
But were the hydrants frozen, as in the cap is off and the valve open but nothing comes out, or were they merely iced over and inaccessible?  
[/QUOTE]

I don’t recall that ever being identified, but I would guess they’re frozen on the inside. I mean, they’re buried in ice and snow for 5 months out of the year and most of them work. I don’t think it would be a huge problem to chip the ice off the outside to get at the valve.

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