This is Ferrets NorthWest FNW in Seattle reporting on the temperature
today.  My outdoor thermometer is now registering exactly 100 degrees
Fahrenheit.  My ferretarium thermometer is registering exactly 80 degrees
F., and thereby a 20 degree F.  differential exists between the outside my
house and inside my house (daylight basement) in the ferretarium.
 
All windows and drapes on the west and south sides of the house are closed.
The furnace blower motor is running and forcing air through the heat
registers that duct air into the house and down into the daylight basement
and also into the ferret reception room.  No heat is being generated, since
the gas flames have been turned off in the furnace and the gas fueled
fireplace insert.  However the blower motor is running and is pulling air
through the plenum chamber at the base of the furnace wherein I've placed a
shallow plastic tray and have it one-half covered with a 1-ft by 2-ft blue
cotton surgical towel, the remaining half lying on the concrete floor.
 
To this shallow plastic tray I've added 102 ice cubes (the total output of
my Whirlpool refrigerator freezer compartment) and over these ice cubes
I've poured one gallon of cold water such that the shallow plastic tray
inside my furnace looks like a tiny version of the antartic with ice
floating in the water.  The use of the blue cotton surgical towel half in
and half out of the water is very useful in that it dramatically increases
the surface area of the ice water and thereby increases the iced water
vapor that is blown thoughout the house and into the ferretarium.
 
I call this the ferretarium cooling system, or in German:  Der
Frettchentarium erfrischende Anordnung.
 
I offer this information so that those of you who are similarly situated
may put this very inexpensive cooling system into place for the benefit of
your Frettchen.
 
Edward, Der Wahrheitskaempe von Frettchenvergnuegenland dabei, Lipinski,
der sagt,  "Frettchen ueber Alles !"
[Posted in FML issue 2383]