Name: Kevin M.
Status: Other
Age: 30s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: February 2004
Question:
Will an igloo eventually melt if heated by stove or other means?
Replies:
Kevin,
Very good question. I believe the answer no.
I understand your concern of the hot gases of the stove or other heat source bringing the ice up to 32
degrees Fahrenheit. However, I doubt that this would even happen. It would take quite a lot of heat.
Also, consider my main point here: Let us say you do happen to melt a thin delta thickness or sliver
of ice on the outside of the ice block(s) that make up this igloo. I do not know the thermal
conductivity of water (solid) blocks off the top of my head, but I would venture to say that it is
high enough such that the -20
degrees Fahrenheit blocks would conduct thermal energy away from the heated zone so quickly that the
ice block surface exposed to the heat would never even come close to the warm side of 32 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Of course, it is NOT impossible to melt an igloo, by hereby stating the obvious: If you set fire to a
55 gallon open container of 100LL jet fuel my guess is that you will soon have no igloo.
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