How to keep water from freezing in Minecraft
If you spawn in snowy regions, you will often find your water source freezing. This condition will seriously threaten your survival in Minecraft because, without water, you cannot farm essential crops like wheat, sugar cane, and pumpkins. You will also be unable to go fishing or make portions. And, in extreme cases, when you catch fire, a bucket of water may keep you alive.
Luckily, there are several ways to keep water from freezing in Minecraft. But applying these methods effectively involves knowing the three factors that cause freezing water in Minecraft:
- Only water blocks will freeze because it is stored away and exposed to the sky, unlike a flowing body of water
- A water block will freeze if the level of light adjacent is less than 13
- Building at an altitude high enough for snowfall will turn the water source into ice
So, how do we prevent water from freezing in Minecraft? Follow the steps below.
Cover water blocks with a slab
Since we know that exposing the water block to sunlight will make it freeze, you can prevent freezing by covering the water block with a slab.
The height or size of the block does not matter. In fact, in most cases, a half-slab is efficient, and you can place it as high up in the sky as you wish. Provided that the slab prevents the water from sunlight, you can rest assured that the water will not turn to ice.
Take the water block on the farm, for example. It is usually placed in the middle of a 9×9 Dirt area. So, in this case, placing one block slab or any other type of block above that single water block will prevent freezing.
Surround the water block with light/heat
Unfreezing ice with heat may seem like a no-brainer in real life. In Minecraft, it requires technique. You want to know what light source is the most efficient, how far away the light should be from the water block, how long you should keep the light running, etc.
For starters, a torch is the most popular and efficient light source to keep your water from freezing. Alternatively, a lantern works pretty well too. While lighting up the water source is efficient, it also provides more visual appeal when compared to covering the water source with a slab.
You want to keep the torch/lantern 2 blocks away from the water source in terms of distance. Lastly, the torch and lantern should provide a light level of at least 12. This means that you can also generate heat through a glowstone or lava in the absence of a torch or lantern.
Building a light around a water source is most applicable in many scenarios. For instance, you cannot build blocks above a lake for fishing. So, keeping a light burning is the most sensible option. However, you can combine the two options if your water still freezes after applying one.
This guide is compatible with many Minecraft versions, including Bedrock and Java, and other platforms like the PS4/PS5, Nintendo Switch, the Xbox One, Pocket Edition, and PC. If you are having any difficulty with this walk-through, let us know in the comment section.
