Artificial Snow Cave

Where I grew up in Eastern Oregon, there were several ice caves. There were a few different arrangements, but one that I always remembered was one that was just out in a talus field. You could climb down under a few large pieces of talus and there would be ice there year around. I think what was happening was that snow would slide down the talus and accumulate in a place where no sunlight reached it. It would then compact into ice and sit there slowly melting and cooling the area all summer. It wasn't in a place of particularly high snow fall and it would get pretty hot there in the summer, which makes me wonder if someone could build an artificial set up like this an use it to cool a cellar year around.

Here is a sketch of an idea I had to build this. Basically have a sheet metal catchment area for snow. Have the snow slide down that catchment into a shaded underground area to accumulate into ice. Then set things up so the cool air and water from the ice go down into a cellar. Cellar is vented in the top so that hot air can escape and draw in more cool air from over the ice. Would need to size the catchment area and accumulation area to the climate with the goal of having year around ice.

Would love to know if people have experimented with this?

I've been thinking about this design a bit more and I think I've improved it. Would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this idea.


N->                  /
                    /
                   /
                  /
                 /
                / Roof
    Wall       /
      |       /
      |      /          
      |     /            
      |    /            
      |   /         ^ Vent    
======|  /==========|======== Grade
      |  |              |
      |  |    Cellar    |
      |**|              |
      |** Snow/Ice      |  
      |.................|
      |: Gravel        :|
   ___|:..................:


Key Components:
1. Cellar: Below-grade masonry structure, with small gaps at bottom of South wall
2. Gravel: Provides drainage at the bottom of the cellar
3. Vent: Allows hot air to escape from the cellar
4. Wall: Extends above grade on south side of cellar, shading the trench
5. Trench: ~1 foot wide gap between two walls on south side
6. Steel Roof: Shades cellar, sloped to accumulate snow into trench
7. Snow/Ice: Accumulates in the trench, exposed to cellar interior

Notes:
1. Thermosiphon effect means cold air will sink into trench in winter and chill cellar. Then in summer warm air will rise through vent and pull cold air from trench into cellar.
2. Roof serves dual purpose of shading cellar and collecting snow in winter that will compact into ice. Rain gutter positioned below edge to collect water, but allow snow to slide into trench.
3. Wall may not need to extend above grade if built on a North facing slope.

Hi Adam,

You have made a keen observation.

In the 1800s at a time before refrigeration, ice was in high demand in the Midwestern United States during their long, hot summers.  In St. Louis, there still stands a rather large, red brick building that one once used for ice storage.  During the winters, the Mississippi River would ice over (back then it did, not so today) and people would walk out on the river with a series of long ice saws (6-8 foot blades), ice boring tools and long poles.  The ice would be bored, cut into approximate cubes and then levered out of the water with the poles.  At that point the ice would be moved over to the building which was near the river.  Inside, a layer of straw or sawdust was laid down on the floor.  The huge cubes would be brought in and more straw/sawdust would be packed around and over them.  Then another layer of cubes placed on top of those and so on.  If memory serves, the building was 7 stories tall and was completely filled with ice.

That ice sat, basically undisturbed all winter long and not touched till summer when it would be sold for cooling (lots was used in meatpacking, but ice cubes for drinking water was also an affordable luxury).  The ice would remain more-or-less frozen all through summer (in St. Louis heat no less) and remnants of ice were cleaned out in fall, the building washed out and  made ready for new ice in the winter.

Basically, if you can concentrate enough cold mass and keep it out of the direct sunlight, that cold mass can remain at a more-or-less constant temperature for a very long time.  It is worth noting that this building was made of red brick which would really heat up in sunlight, and brick/masonry would conduct that heat to the interior very well.  Still, even though the building was not insulated aside from the yearly additions of straw/sawdust, the summer heat only caused minimal melting of the ice inside and plenty made it all the way through the summer and into the fall when it had to be cleaned out, still frozen.

So I think that the brief answer to your initial query is "Yes!"

Good Luck,

Eric