SNOW-MELTING MACHINE

PURPOSE: To reduce heat loss, and to improve the efficiency of heat exchange by arranging a heat accumulating plate with a vertical hole for flowing in water in the upper layer of a heat exchanger and disposing a protective film into water in the upper layer. CONSTITUTION: A heat exchanger 2 is installed into water in the vicinity of the water surface of the upper section of a snow-melting tank 1. A part of charged snow 3 is melted by warm water in the upper section of a heat accumulating plate 7. Water in an upper layer forms the thin melting layer of a high-temperature water section in the vicinity of the water surface. The specific gravity of snow melting water formed in the melting layer is higher than warm water immediately after the melting of snow, and the snow melting water is passed into the vertical holes of the heat accumulating plate 7 as cold water and falls to a lower section. Drain pipes (a), (b) are filled with water at that time, and water is brought into contact with atmospheric air in a section C. The height h2 of the water surface filled into the pipes is made the same as that h1 of the water surface in the tank 1 first. Consequently, water is dained through the pipes (a), (b) by the section of a water level increased by snow melting. As a result, the water level of the snow melting tank 1 is kept in height C at all times. The evaporation of water is prevented by the water surface film 5 of mineral oil. Accordingly, the whole tank 1 need not be heated, and the loss of heat energy can also be reduced.