Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-09-24
Arrangement of Ice House.

o. ii. Miller, OF Lyon county, Min
nesota, says: Il intend to build
an ice house. My plan is to dig
about seven feet deep with walls
daid in cement and concrete floor.
want to dig it deeper in one corner
SO If the ice melts the water will run
to this corner where ] will have a
pump to pump the water out. l will
have strips of wood between the ice
and the floor. Above the ice / will
have a double floor, using 2x6 joists.
mailing flooring on both sides and fill
ing the space In between with sawdust.
also want milk house on top of this
ice house VIII a stone wall and con-
crete roof be all right or will a frame
house plastered on both inside and out
side OF studdings be better for this pur-
pose" What would be the right size
for a farmer? This ice house is to be
built in q grove where the sun can
not strike it,
While 1t may seem that ice would
keep better in an underground house
than above ground yet such Is not the
case. 1t has been proven repeatedly
that ice well packed will keep as we'll
above ground as in an underground
underground plan as above outlined
excepting in the extra expense that
would be incurred and the difficulty in
drainage. The expense and bother in
pumping out the water might be con-
siderable and If thisswater should hap
pen to be neglected the entire supply
of ice would soon disappear as there
is nothing that will melt down the Ice
faster than standing in water. We
| would by all means arrange this ice
house to give it drainage without
pumping so that the water might run
off as fast as the ice melts.
A cement floor or even a floor Of
boards is unnecessary in an ice house.
Sand is better than either. Neither is
there any great advantage in having
the milk house above the ice house
as the ice. being below the milk house,
| does not materially affect the temper
ature Cold air has tendency to work
| downward rather than to go upwards
| II the milk house should be placed
above the ice house will be necessary
| to have good ventilation over the ice.
| In several instances we have known of
the entire supply of ice melting down
| in a short time with the want of this
| free circulation of air thru the top of
! the house.
A cheap ice house can be made to
answer the purpose Of keeping ice as
/ we'll as an expensive one. A ground
| floor with good drainage and joists set
| upright. boarded on both sides with
cheap lumber and covered with rea-
sonably tight roof will answer the pur-
! pose.
Stone is an excellent material for
building milk house as such a house
will maintain an even temperature. A
concrete roof is all right i'm it is pro-
perly built We would by all means
put a cement floor in the milk house.
| The size of building required would
depend mainly upon the sihze of the
dairy Before deciding upon the size
of the building it would be well to
take into account the size of all the
watts. tanks, separator, churn, etc, with
roomy walks between and then con-
struct the building accordingly. While
our subscriber may have the plan of
building the milk house above the ice
house as the most convenient way. our
! personal preference would be to have
this milk house located alongside of the
| loo houSa