Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 272, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1915 — Above-Ground Ice House Usually More Economical Than Cellar Type [ARTICLE]

Above-Ground Ice House Usually More Economical Than Cellar Type

Since ice at its best is a highly perishable product, requiring special equipment for its preservation, the farmer who wishes to locate an ice house should take advantage of such natural advantages as are offered by shade and exposure. A shady situation with a southern exposure has a decided advantage as a location for such a building. In general design ice houses are of three types: (1) Those built entirely above ground. (2) Those built partly above and partly under ground. (3) Those of the cellar type, built entirely below ground. The above-ground structure is by far the most common of these types. The advantages and disadvantages of these three types may be briefly stated as follows: Above-ground houses can, as a rule, be more economically constructed than either of the other designs. Excavations are expensive to make and difficult to Insulate and drain properly. Insulation and drainage are two of the most important factors in the preservation of ice. It is true that the temperature of the earth varies less than that of the air, but the fact that the temperature of the earth six or eight feet below surface remains at or about 55’ F the year round makes it quite as important to protect the stored ice against he earth heat as against the heated air. It is more difficult to remove ice as needed during the season from pits than from structures above ground. Slight advantages are apparent at harvest time in favor of the cellar or the half-sunken type of houses, and under some circumstances they are to be preferred to the other type.