Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/347

 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

��=^

��m:

��r:WlI

��I I

��i i I 1 I! J 'd^^ji^i I III

1 -I'Tifrti+ntr^-^

��I I PLAN ' OF

COLD, STORAO

1 I I I

��M

�� ��m

��m

��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 by having a cover to fit in the mouth

�� �