Can you have an igloo with a fire in it? If so, why does it not melt and where does the smoke go??

Answer 1

Eskimos build earthen dwellings with a chimney vent in the center. They are heated by several oil lamps. This keeps it very warm inside, about 90 degrees F. They line the floor with animal skins.

I think you could probably build a fire in an igloo, because the weather outside would be cold enough to keep it frozen. It would also have a chimney vent to let out the smoke and excess heat and keep the fire from burning up all of the oxygen inside. Oil lamps would probably work better though for heating purposes.
I think the Eskimos actually build their igloos more as a shield for the wind. They cut a hole in the ice to do their fishing inside the igloo. The igloo is only a temporary dwelling they use during a hunting trip. It is not meant for year-round living.

Answer 2

You can have a small fire (usually from a couple of oil lamps) inside the igloo.. There is generally a small ventillation hole on the top of the igloo to remove the smoke from the lamp, and CO2 from the human inhabitants...

The heat from the oil lamps and the humans melts the inner layer of snow, but it freezes again, and forms an ice sheet which makes the igloo stronger...

You can't have a raoring fire inside the igloo though..

The temperature inside the igloo is normally around 2°C (36°F), and is just sufficiently warm and not hot enough to melt the whole igloo.. Sometimes the inside of the igloo is lined with skins, which helps increase the temperature much more without melting the ice.. Maybe around 15°C..

Even 2°C is much warmer than the ambient temperature of the Arctic Regions..

Answer 3

There were three types of igloo, all of different sizes and were used for different purposes.

The smallest of all igloos was constructed as a temporary shelter. Hunters while out on the land or sea ice camped in one of these iglooit for one or two nights.

Next in size was the semi-permanent, intermediate sized family dwelling. This usually was a single room dwelling that housed one or two families. Often there were several of these in a small area, which formed an "Inuit village".

The largest of the igloos was a temporary building constructed for special occasions. This was constructed either by enlarging a smaller igloo or building from scratch. These could have up to five rooms and housed up to 20 people. A large igloo may have been constructed from several smaller igloos attached by their tunnels giving a common access to the outside. These were used to hold community feasts, traditional dances (see Inuit music) and Katajjaq.

Igloo, Sideview diagram; opening to the right. Yellow signifies ground.The snow used to build an igloo must have sufficient structural strength to be cut and stacked in the appropriate manner. The best snow to use for this purpose is snow which has been blown by wind, which can serve to compact and interlock the ice crystals. The hole left in the snow where the blocks are cut from is usually used as the lower half of the shelter. Sometimes, a short tunnel is constructed at the entrance to reduce wind and heat loss when the door is opened. Due to snow's excellent insulating properties, inhabited igloos are surprisingly comfortable inside. In some cases a single block of ice was inserted to allow light into the igloo.

Architecturally, the igloo is unique in that it is a dome that can be raised out of independent blocks leaning on each other and polished to fit without an existing supporting structure. The igloo, if correctly built, will support the weight of a person standing on the roof. Also, in the traditional Inuit igloo the heat from the kulliq (stone lamp) caused the interior to melt slightly. This melting and refreezing built up an ice sheet and contributed to the strength of the igloo.

Answer 4

Yes you can i was watching a programme about it. this guy took the top slab off his igloo and that's were all the smoke went. because the fire is so small and the igloo is so large and cold. it doesnt melt. the heat is just absorbed by the fire. but yes i cant remember what documentry it was but i saw a guy with a fire in a igloo

Answer 5

Igloo Fireplace

Answer 6

it's obvious when you think about it, just hard to believe.
the inside wall of the igloo doesn't get warm enough to melt very much.
with temperatures well below zero, any heat absorbed by the ice is going to radiate outward before it does much damage.
igloos can have a small hole at the top to let some of the smoke out.
it's worth remembering that there isn't much fuel about, so the fire is going to be small anyway.

Answer 7

They have a small hole in the top for the smoke then rather than large flames they keep the fire as glowing coals which keeps the heat more localised. Then as its so blimming cold outside the ice remains frozen. They also have big families inside and lots of blankets for added cosiness

Answer 8

yer y not, other wise they would be freezing the toes off. maybe they have a hole in the top for the smoke to get out, its that cold the heat and smoke wont melt the ice.

Answer 9

don't know about smoke maybe it absorbs into the ice lining the snow melts on the inside very slowly and turns to sheet ice and they pack more snow on the outside, so it gets bigger all the time

Answer 10

yes,