Popular Science Monthly 



319 



very light, but in this case the ice is 

 above, and the load is considerable. 



Another point that requires special 

 emphasis is the necessity of building 

 a water-tight flooring for the ice above. 

 Otherwise the water dripping from the 

 ice will leak through the ceiling and 

 spoil the storage room. Also the ice 

 must not rest directly on this flooring; 

 otherwise heavy cakes when put in will 

 destroy the waterproof lining. A plat- 

 form is made of unmatched boards, 

 supported on short joists laid on edge 

 and nailed rigid with strips of wood. 

 This platform should be strong 

 and steady, but it must be ar- 

 ranged so that one can get un- 

 der it easily when the ice is out. 

 It will be necessary every au- 

 tumn before putting in a fresh 

 crop of ice, to clean the space 

 underneath, examine the drain- 

 age-pipe, and look for leaks in 

 the waterproof floor. 



A good method to make this 

 floor of the ice compartment wa- 

 tertight is to lay down rubber 

 sheeting, and then nail zinc 

 sheets down over it. The rubber 

 strips make the joints watertight. 

 The flooring must have a gradual slope 

 toward the drainage pipe, which should 



is merely a matter of individual choice, 

 although most of the big commercial 

 ice companies still stick to the sawdust 

 filling as the most satisfactory method 

 of insulation. 



Your storage room is thus inclosed 

 on all four sides, and at the bottom 

 with double walls either filled with 

 sawdust or dead air, and with an un- 

 insulated ceiling above. The chilling 

 of the room from above is satisfactory, 

 for the hot air naturally ascends, and 

 the cold air descends. Of course, this 

 produces a certain amount of waste 



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be at one or more corners of the build- 

 ing. The laying of this waterproof 



flooring, and the installation of the 

 drainage pipe are the most technical 

 parts of the construction, for on their 

 success depends the serviceableness of 

 the storage room. 



There is no sawdust or inclosed air 

 space between the ice-chamber and the 

 top of the storage room. This permits 

 the chill from the ice to penetrate 

 downward and keep the room below 

 cold. 



As the lower part of the room is 

 underground there will be little chance 

 for the temperature to rise in sum- 

 mer. The bottom and sides of the 

 storage room, on the other hand, are 

 well insulated either with sawdust or 

 air spaces. One can take his choice 

 in regard to filling the air spaces. 

 Some find spaces of dead air between 

 the walls just as satisfactory as layers 

 of sawdust or any other filling. That 



Ground plan of combined ice-house and cold 

 storage plant 



in the ice, but far less than one would 

 imagine. When the room is once 

 chilled the change in temperature is 

 very slight. Little or no warm air 

 can come up from the ground or 

 through the sides, except through the 

 window and the door. 



To make the storage room service- 

 able it needs at least one or two win- 

 dows on the side opposite the door, but 

 these windows are double and have 

 two sashes, which can be darkened at 

 will with heavy shades. Between the 

 double windows there is a dead air 

 space, w^hich forms a pretty good in- 

 sulation against the outside air. The 

 window can be opened on cold days 

 just enough to get ventilation. Fur- 

 ther ventilation is obtained by tubes that 

 run through the walls on opj^osile sides. 

 These ventilating pipes should be of a 

 kind that can be closed from the inside 

 at wmU, so that too much air may not be 

 admitted. 



This can be arranged very easily 

 bv having a cover to fit in the mouth 



