The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-11-30
House, shavnss Perspective


prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture)
Generally speaking, the construction
of an ice house is question OF econ
omy for the dairyman. The cost of
harvesting and storing, interest on the
money invested, repairs, and depreci-
alton on the building should Offset the
saving in the melting of ice; beyond
this 1t is not good policy to go.
The location of the house should be
such as to shield 1t as much as pos
sible from the wind and from the d.
rect rays of the sun.
The function of an ice house Is to
prevent the outside heat from pass
ing into the interior and melting the
ice; therefore the problem is to mini
mize the passage of heat by interpos-
ing in the walls material or con-
struction which will resist its transfer
from the outer to the inner side Of
the building There Is no material
known that will entirely prevent the
passage of heat; however, there are
materials which offer a high resis-
lance and are termed nonconductors
or insulators. The best insulators ap-
pear to be those that contain the
greatest amount Of entrapped air con-
fined in the smallest possible spaces.
Formerly 1t was the practice in con-
structing buildings for the storage of
Ice or for cold-storage purposes to
| provide series Of air spaces some of
which were as much as IL inches
| wide, the superstition being that they
were dead-air spaces. AS matter OF
/ fact, however, as the air in contact
with the cooler surface fell while that
in contact with the warmer surface
rose, 1t produced circulation tending
to equalize the temperature of the
sides of the air space. Therefore an
| air space l inch wide is practically
as good as one II inches wide. Air
circulation is valuable, however, be-
tween the insulated ceiling and the
roof of an ice house In order to break
up the heat radiation through the roof.
No entrance or1exit of air should
be allowed to take place in a room
where ice is stored, especially at or
near the ground line, as the cold cur
rents of air at the bottom will filter
through. If the walls and foundations
are kept absolutely tight at the bot
tom, an opening at the top has but
little effect, as the warm air entering
| will remain at the top of the room.
When 1t is necessary to remove ice
from the house, the door should be
kept open as short time as possible,
and where covering material is used
the ice should be carefully covered.
In a properly insulated house great
advantage is that no covering is re-
| CURED. The ice is packed ON the floor
Of the room, depending on the insu-
lated walls and floor for protection
from the outside heat But In the
cheaper houses 1t Is better to cover
the ice with some material, such as
sawdust or mill shayings. A layer OF
the insulating material should be
placed directly on the floor and the
ice stacked thereon; there should also
be layer packed between the ice and
the walls. Ice should never be placed
directly on the ground, soil being q
fairly good conductor of heat, espe.
cially when wet, as the floors Of all
ice houses are sure to be. The larger
percentage Of waste, however. is due
to the entrance of heat through the In
sulation of the walls and floor; conse
quently they should be carefully con
structed
Insulation.
AS sawdust and shavings are shown
in some of the typical designs, 1t ID
not to be understood that they are the
best insulators for this class Of build
ings. They are used because they are
cheap and can be had in any part ot
the country, and II kept dry are gooi
insulators. 1t is very difficult prob
when they are to be used great care
should be exercised in the construc
ton of the walls in order to keep on;
the moisture.
Planing-mill shavings are better
than sawdust for insulating purposes;
they are elastic, do not settle readily
and do not absorb moisture so read
lily as sawdust; and, most important
are free from dirt. bark, or chips
When used as filing for walls or cell
ing, they should be well packed int
place to prevent settling
Sawdust has In the past been uset
to great extent in rural districts To-
insulating walls of small cold-storag'
buildings, due to the fact that 1t Il
available in most country districts
and usually without cost 1t is not |
very satisfactory material for insulat
ing purposes, however, as 1t is al
ways more or less damp. Further
more the dampness not only destroy
its insulating value, but it favors tn
growth of mold and rot, first In tn
sawdust itself and then In the wall
/