# Soda Machines in Winter **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129 "2004-10-02T01:22:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IanTheMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@IanTheMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IanTheMan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/1 "2004-10-02T01:22:51Z")
In winter, when it’s sub-zero, do soda machines have heaters installed to keep the pop from freezing? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/2 "2004-10-02T01:29:41Z")
Wouldn’t the machine have to be insulated to keep the drinks at the correct temperature? I would think that would prevent the drinks from freezing unless it gets really, really cold. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/3 "2004-10-02T01:35:56Z")
Who gets cravings for cold soft drinks when the weather is sub-zero? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/4 "2004-10-02T03:21:11Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Wouldn’t the machine have to be insulated to keep the drinks at the correct temperature? I would think that would prevent the drinks from freezing unless it gets really, really cold. Not unless there is an internal heat source. Insulation keeps your house warm or you warm because your house and you generate heat which the insulation keeps close to your body. Wrapping insulation around somethign with no internal heat source will delay it’s loss of heat if it’s warmer than its environment, but I doubt that would last too long. Now the lights in the soda machine might (actually must) provide a little heat, but I’d think they’d design them so they didn’t give off too much as this would increase the cooling costs normally. For example they probabbly flourescent lights and LEDs or LCDs. Also note soda won’t freeze at 32 degrees F (or 0 C) as it’s not pure water. Almost anything you put in water will lower it’s freezing point – for example the oceans don’t freeze at 32. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/5 "2004-10-02T04:04:34Z")
I almost posted this question a while ago. I know of pop machines that sit outside all year. With temps that can get down to -20f. They must have heaters. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/6 "2004-10-02T04:08:21Z")
Oh, and it’s Pop, not Soda. And certainaly not a “Coke”. :D. ---
**Author:** ![suezeekay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@suezeekay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suezeekay)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/7 "2004-10-02T04:09:37Z")
I live in Maine and all the soda machines I’ve seen are inside year-round. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/8 "2004-10-02T13:13:28Z")
**Cecil Adams** on [How do they keep soda pop in outdoor vending machines from freezing in winter?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a950505b.html) ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/9 "2004-10-02T15:08:12Z")
> [@Fuji Kitakyusho](#): > > Who gets cravings for cold soft drinks when the weather is sub-zero? Well, some of us need our caffiene fix, but can’t stand the taste of coffee. And caffiene pills don’t taste good either. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/10 "2004-10-02T19:04:23Z")
Here’s a picture of such a vending machine heater from [Happ Controls](http://www.happcontrols.com/): [27-1330-00](http://www.happcontrols.com/images/20/27133000.gif) To see the whole catalog entry, you’ll need to cut and paste the model number to the search field and select the first link. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/11 "2004-10-02T21:00:03Z")
> [@IanTheMan](#): > > In winter, when it’s sub-zero, do soda machines have heaters installed to keep the pop from freezing? Yes, they do. Or the one in front of our general store does, anyway. And pop machines probably have heaters to keep the soda from freezing, too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/12 "2004-10-02T22:03:21Z")
What about fire hydrants? Wouldn’t these also freeze up in cold parts of the world. > [@RandomLetters](#): > > Well, some of us need our caffiene fix, but can’t stand the taste of coffee. And caffiene pills don’t taste good either. The’ve got this stuff called tea thats pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/13 "2004-10-02T22:10:13Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > What about fire hydrants? Wouldn’t these also freeze up in cold parts of the world. They’re below the frost line here: (Great lakes midwest region) ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/14 "2004-10-02T22:13:32Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > What about fire hydrants? If you look near the bottom of this [page](http://www.firehydrant.org/pictures/hydrant_history.html) there’s a diagram that shows how a dry barrel fire hydrant works. > [@](#): > > Dry barrel hydrants have their mainvalves below the ground to resist or prevent freezing in the winter. The depth of bury varies depending on the climate. Climates with milder winters have much shorter lower barrels. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soda-machines-in-winter/267129/15 "2004-10-02T22:24:56Z")
> [@chukhung](#): > > If you look near the bottom of this [page](http://www.firehydrant.org/pictures/hydrant_history.html) there’s a diagram that shows how a dry barrel fire hydrant works. Ahhhhh. Thanks. 🙂