How to get water out of a frozen stream where the ice is several inches thick

[Ryan Jordan]

Companion forum thread to: How to get water out of a frozen stream where the ice is several inches thick

We invited this challenge from our community on the forums and Instagram. Here’s our solution – thanks for your feedback and suggestions!

[Monte Masterson]

I think Todd T was onto the best idea. Use a hand powered drill and then insert a small plastic tube and draw the water out. Perhaps a mini pump could be engineered to help siphon the water. Of course you could just use your mouth and if it’s only you consuming it.

The Fiskers Craft Hand Drill at 10.1 oz might be able to do the job with a much longer than stock bit. Probably not too durable though. Actually a 12″ wood bit would be long enough. You can also get them up to 18″ long.

 

Stanley makes a 15.1 oz hand drill. More heavy duty and durable. Would be better for sure, but 5 oz more weight.

 

[Todd T]

I think Todd T was onto the best idea. Use a hand powered drill and then insert a small plastic tube and draw the water out.

Well, now, that my suggestion in jest. :-)  The solution Ryan chose seems reasonable if there is liquid water down there.  What if everything’s frozen solid?

[Roger Caffin]

Seems to me that Ryan managed to drill his holes by hand quite successfully, without the weight of a drill.

Also seems to me that neither drill would work anyhow. The leverage is all wrong. I have two of those Stanley drills, and they are only good for small bits.

A carpenters brace might work, but why bother with the weight?

My 2c
Cheers

[DAN-Y]

Also seems to me that neither drill would work anyhow. The leverage is all wrong. I have two of those Stanley drills, and they are only good for small bits.

 

Both of them would work very well if used with Forstner bits. Smallest bit is 3/8 with 1/4 shank for drills with 1/4 chucks. Do some research on forstner drill bits.

here is what one looks like:

 

Ryans method is too hard on the hand/wrist and shoulder. He drilled 3 holes before finding water :-)

[Roger Caffin]

I have a stack of those Forstner bits in a range of sizes, and I do use them on wood. But I use them either with a geared power drill or a carpenter’s brace. I am not strong enough to use them with an ‘egg-beater’ drill.

Cheers

[Jeff McWilliams]

I’m with Roger. I have serious doubts you would have any success using an eggbeater drill.  I’ve used ice screws like these  The ones with the fold out speed handles are quite efficient at drilling into the ice once you get them started.  I don’t lead ice climb but if I were hanging on a vertical ice feature 100 feet off the ground I wouldn’t be messing around with an ice screw that didn’t do its job quickly.

[David Thomas]

I’ve proposed a fire-drill with a 12-inch bit and heating a tent stake over your stove in the other thread about this, but I doubt anything is quite as robust or light as the ice-climbing screws.

[DAN-Y]

 I am not strong enough to use them with an ‘egg-beater’ drill.

 

Then you wouldn’t be strong enough to use the ice screw. You’ve been around a long time….you must be approaching 80???

[Pierre Descoteaux]

Yep! I’d use an ice screw. The lightest ones are made of aluminum with steel tips. Surprisingly light and easy to place even while hanging around on vertical ice. 22cm is the longest.  Cheers

[Roger Caffin]

Everyone is ‘approaching’ 80. From how far away – it varies. :)

We spend a few hours each morning chopping down dead trees on the farm and turning them into firewood for the next few winters. Big trees, big chainsaws.

Cheers

[Eugene Hollingsworth]

Here’s my 25-cents, as a self-authorized expert on getting holes in ice  <wink><wink>having lived and fished in mid-Minnesota all my life and being taught by my late father. Add to that I’m like everyone else – approaching 80 as Roger said.

Keep in mind that ice is hard and brittle: it chips instead of letting drills dig in to soft material.

I’ve tried both egg-beater and electric drills. The egg beaters just are waaayyy to much work because of that hard brittle property of ice. We even tried small holes (1/8 inch) just to get ice anchors started and ended up with broken bits we had to chip out of the ice.

Even a gas ice auger with the smooth blades won’t cut a hole worth a darn if the blades aren’t perfectly sharp at the right angle – they just skip, hence “chipper blades” have an advantage of higher lbs-sq-in applied to the ice.

A win for ice screws: very little surface area for those chipper type teeth so lots of lbs sq in, and the debris comes out of the middle of the screw. Interesting but not surprising that the steel teeth perform better than titanium teeth.

Ice anchors: my adult boys and I have tried 4 different brands, and only the most pointy and sharp were worth the effort.

Anything that hits ice to break a hole throws a lot of sharp chips that really sting when hitting your face. Nice heavy spuds / chisels work well when sharp, but require more work than most of us do in a week.

 

[Chris R]

I wonder if there would be a way to mount the ice screw on the end of a stick or trekking pole and then adapting a handle so that it could be used like a drill brace?

I suspect the bulb on the pump is fairly fragile at cold temperatures, Ive know them to split fairly easily.

[Roger Caffin]

The bulb is probably PE, which can go VERY cold before it has any problems. I think it is rated to -40 C – RATED, that is.

Cheers

[Dave @ Oware]

Ice screw

I carry one with a chunk of rope when ice skating on wild ice, both for checking ice depth and hopefully with be of some use in a rescue.

 

[Dale Wambaugh]

I would try to bash with a local rock first. I could see building a fire and repeatedly melting my way though with a burning stick. I don’t carry a hatchet as a matter of habit but that would be handy in a situation like this: hammer and cutting edge both.

[DAN-Y]

hence “chipper blades” have an advantage of higher lbs-sq-in applied to the ice.

A win for ice screws: very little surface area for those chipper type teeth so lots of lbs sq in, and the debris comes out of the middle of the screw. Interesting but not surprising that the steel teeth perform better than titanium teeth.

 

Take a look at the perfect chipper teeth on this Forstner Drill Bit. Why pay big bucks for an ice screw when you can pay 1/6th the price for a  F bit.

 

 

[Eugene Hollingsworth]

@day Y  “Take a look at the perfect chipper teeth on this Forstner Drill Bit. Why pay big bucks for an ice screw when you can pay 1/6th the price for a  F bit.”

That does look perfect. Just get a cheap T handle and you’re all set.

 

[Roger Caffin]

How does the weight compare?

[DAN-Y]

How does the weight compare?

Have no idea. Weigh your 3/8″ bit and let us know what it is. You said you have lots of them.

[Dave @ Oware]

Used Ice Screw,. $36, modern easy to use, 22 cm about 6 oz

or  $28, lighter at 13 cm about 4 oz

 

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