Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1915-01-05
Diagram Showing Insulation
prepared by the United States I

prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture
The length of time ice may be kept
depends upon the character of insula-
ton provided. This will naturally
vary with the location of the ice house
and the method of construction. An
other important factor will be the cost
of construction.
The simplest type of ice preserva-
ton consists in stacking the cakes In
a compact mass on well-drained site,
as well protected as possible by nat
ufal or artificial barriers from sun
and wind, and covering the mass with
sawdust, shavings, fodder, marsh hay,
or any other good insulating material
Such a crude method is not to be rec
commended except as a temporary
makeshift for ice which is to be used
early in the season.
An inexpensive Ice House for North
ern States.
An inexpensive ice house that will
give satisfaction in places where the
temperature approximates that of
New York City and localities to the
north may be constructed as follows:
AS site for the structure choose a
well-sheltered location convenient to
the place where the bulk of the Ice
will be used during. the season. If
the area is not well drained naturally,
grade the surface so that no surface
water can ever flow into or through
the building and so that the water
from the melting of the ice will be
quickly disposed Of In some In
stances it may be necessary. to pro-
vide tile drains laid Is or Is inches
below the surface to care for this
water
Ei2ving properly provided against
water, both from without and from
within the ice house, set line OF
squared or flattened poles four feet
apart, so as to form square of the
dimensions desired. The height of
the poles should be the same as the
length of the side Of the square, If
the greatest economy of space and
the best keeping conditions for the ice
are desired, i. e., building ID feet
square should be Ia feet high. A
house OF this size will provide storage
for cube of ice 11x11x11 feet, which,
without allowance for voids, is equiva-
lent to about thirty-eight tons. CA
cubic foot of ice weighs approximate
ly So pounds, and one ton of ice oc-
cupies nearly thirty-five cubic feet.) To
complete the ice house, cut the posts to
a uniform height and nail double 2x4
inch or 2x6 inch plate on top of them.
The sides may be inclosed by board
ing both inside and outside with
rough luInber. To give a neat outside
appearance the outside boards may
be planed and ship-lapped, or ship
lap siding may be placed over the
rough sheathing. The space between
the two board walls may or may not
be packed with shavings or sawdust.
If packed, the packing material should
be perfectly dry. The roof may be
either a simple even-span one-third
pitch roof, with the gables boarded up,
or hip roof.
In order that the house may be filed
without unnecessary labor a continu-
GUS door should be provided in the
middle of one end The door should
be made in two or three sections, and
as the house is filled, loose planks of
proper length should be at hand TO
place across the opening of the door
to hold the packing material in place
as the heap of ice grows in height
The ice must be placed on a bed of
ssiwdust, shavings, or other packing
material at least Is inches deep, and
the rick of ice should not approach
the side walls closer than Is or Is
inches, the intervening space being
filled with packing material and thor
oughly rammed
Masonry Ice Houses.
Instead of the cheap, temporary con-
struction just described, ice houses of
a permanent nature can be built from
brick, stone or concrete. In these, as
In frame-constructed houses, the mass
OF ice should approach as closely as
possible a cube in form. II the ma
sonry house is to be used in the same
manner as the temporary house no
inside lining will be necessary. The
packing used about the mass of ice
may be allowed to come in direct con-
tact with the wall. A 13-incr brick
wall or a 12-inch concrete wall will
provide the necessary strep 9Th The
masonry walls are NOT IS good non
conductors as timber walls. 1t will
therefore be necessary for the protec-
tion of the ice to rely on the packing
material rather than on the vail itself
II the house is to be used for storing