The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-11-12

prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture1
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 II 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 Gun. ~
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 q material or a 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 APP
greatest amount of entrapped air con-
fined in the smallest possible spaces.
Formerly 1t was the practice In cor
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 10 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, it produced circulation tending
to equalize the temperature of the
sides of the air space. Therefore an
air space / inch wide is practically
as good as one 10 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 or exit of air should
be allowed to take place in 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 properly insulated house great
advantage is that no covering is re-
quired. 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 shavings. 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 a
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
snlation of the walls and floor; conse-
quently they should be carefully con
structed
s..,.I.4ia~
AS sawdust and shavings are shown
in some of the typical designs, it Is
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 of
the country, and IL kept dry are good
insulators. II is very difficult prob
lem, however, to keep them dry, and
when they are to be used great care
should be exercised in the construc-
ton of the walls in order to keep out
the moisture.
Planing-Inill 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 we'll packed into
place to prevent settling
Sawdust has In the past been used
TO great extent In rural districts for
insulating walls OF small coid-storage
buildings. due TO the fact that 1t IL
available In most country districts
and usually without cost. IT is not q
very satisfactory material for insulat
ing purposes, however, as II is al
ways more or less damp. Further
more the dampness not only destroys
| its insulating value, put II favors the
growth of mold and rot, first In th'
sawdust itself and then in the WALL