Drilling holes in icehouse?

[jjjrobley]

I just built a icehouse on wheels.How do you drill the holes with the house up on wheels are down on the ice. And if down on the ice how do you keep the slush out of the house?

[CRAPPIEBAIT]

Bring 1 or 2 five gal. buckets and start fillin.I use slush to help bank in the house,works real good.

[efgh]

Take a 5 gal. plastic pail cut a hole in the bottom 1 in. bigger than your auger, cut 1/2 in X 2 slits , spaced around the bottom 3 ins. up, start hole with your auger, stop and place bucket over the started hole, place auger back in started hole and continue drilling, most of the ice will lift out when you lift the pail, or you can let house down till it is 4 or 5 ins. from touching the ice and then drill the holes.

[fishing41]

Quote:

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cut 1/2 in X 2 slits , spaced around the bottom 3 ins.

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You lost me with this part. Can you explain again? I just made a square out of plywood about 24" tall to keep it from spraying all over the inside of the fish house, but the bucket idea sounds good.

[packattack]

I think that EFGH intended to mean 1/2" wide x 2" long slots arranged in a fan pattern about every 3" around the bottom of the bucket. At least that is how I made mine. It worked pretty good last year.

[kooba]

don't lower the house all of the way down when you drill the holes. Lower the unit about half way and then drill your holes. Then you can shovel from underneith the house for banking. once the holes are drilled, lower the house done all of the way. works great, this is how I do it in my house. Pray for ice soon. My house is ready for ice. KOOBA

[fishing41]

Quote:

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I think that EFGH intended to mean 1/2" wide x 2" long slots arranged in a fan pattern about every 3" around the bottom of the bucket. At least that is how I made mine. It worked pretty good last year.

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Just to be clear, you made 1/2" x 2" cut outs--presumably to allow water out like a strainer?

[packattack]

Exactly, just like a noodle strainer with a hole in the middle.

[hawkeye43]

I just let the down to 5 or 6" off the ice, drill the holes, then set the house down onto the piles. then slush out the holes to seal out the cold. Works great

[efgh]

we both must be on the same wave length, or looking over each others shoulders, thats exactly how I made mine, my wife says I don;t talk plain, guess I don;t write plain either.

[Beaver15]

Kooba-

Give me a call when you're headin out. Good to hear the house is ready. Prayin for ice-

[Kaz]

JJJ, I do it differently. I lower my house and drill the holes.I made some inserts that are square with a lip and the size of the holes in the floor. I push the inserts into the floor hole and down into the slush. Clean out the excess slush around the ice hole and and in the hole. The inserts and the slush seal the hole for drafts. I never worrie about banking, which could freeze you in... Works great for me...

[psegriz]

I built a box with a hole in one corner. The hole fits around the buckets that seal my holes off. 3' of ice and I just drill the holes water slush and all come up into the box and I just haul it out side. The hole in the box does have a 4" lip to keep it from running back into the hole in the ice.

[Ed Carlson]

That pail/strainer trick sounds slick!

Thanks for sharing it guys.

[tightlines]

The fellows that sell the catch covers and sleeves also manufactor a tub designed specifically for drilling in fish houses. It catches 99% of the ice shavings. Check it out. They are a little spendy......

[fishing41]

Happen to know the web address?

[waskawood]

The catch cover tubs are slick but becareful because they don't fit well into all corner holes. Make sure they fit before you buy. I did hear that they are redesigning it so maybe they have fixed the problem.

[FZ]

Giving out web address of non sponsors of this HSOforum is against rule. Any dealer that sells catch cover also sells cover tubs. Road King of this site does. You can find out other catch cover dealers at the catch cover web site (you should be able to figure out the web address yourself )

[Ears]

I did buy the tub from the people that make the catch cover, and it works great, no snow or anything when you are done. They are spendy, and some people have made their own.

[tightlines]

What FZ said.. If you do a search you will find them. Also I am pretty sure that roadking sells them. They are a sponsor of FM.

[psegriz]

There are a couple reasons I made my own box. I built one 15-20 yrs ago and it needed replacing. I looked at the plastic one made by catch cover. IMO it's not big enough and it wouldn't fit my corner holes. Mine is deep with 40+ inches of ice I can drill though keep auger wide open and pull up just like if not in a fish house. All of it is in the tub. Besides I built it cheaper than I could buy it the disadvantage is it's heavier.

[Nutty Fisherman]

psegriz:Would you email me at [email protected]. I would like to try to make a box for the ice. I think I would move a lot more if I didn't have to clean the ice off the floor.

[fishing41]

Sorry about requesting a non-sponsor HSOforum.

Hey Psegriz, any further details on your box? Any pictures?