If you have a root cellar and are willing to share a pix, tips, things you like or dislike etc.
I thought there was already a thread but couldn’t find it.
I thought there was already a thread but couldn’t find it.
Root Cellar
- Thread starter LadyLocust
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Oh, yeah, he made one out of a couple of garbage cans
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I don't have one, but my parents and grandparents had them. They were about the size of a single car garage, concrete walls and floors, joists in ceilings. Between the joists and the top, I have no idea. They were similar to a basement, but with no building on top. They were all covered with dirt, and made a small hill that we often played on. One of my brothers had a collection of toy cars and he would dig out roads to drive his cars in.
My family was not the only ones who had them in the Dakotas. Many people had them. But here's the deal. We had them, but didn't have any food in them. There were a couple old chairs and an old bed in the one that I spent the most time in. I think it was more likely seen as a storm shelter. It may have been used at one time for food storage, but my guess is that having a fridge, freezer, and shelves in the basement for canned food replaced the need for a root cellar.
My family was not the only ones who had them in the Dakotas. Many people had them. But here's the deal. We had them, but didn't have any food in them. There were a couple old chairs and an old bed in the one that I spent the most time in. I think it was more likely seen as a storm shelter. It may have been used at one time for food storage, but my guess is that having a fridge, freezer, and shelves in the basement for canned food replaced the need for a root cellar.
When we lived in N. Alabama, almost all residences had a fallout-shelter dug into the ground near their home.
After the cold war ended, they became root-cellars/tornado-shelters.
They looked like this:
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Not kookoo.
6 galvanized trash cans on their side built into a stone wall. One is Faraday cage.
Ben
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If they were built right, they could have had a building on top of them, a shed or workshop or more.When we lived in N. Alabama, almost all residences had a fallout-shelter dug into the ground near their home.
After the cold war ended, they became root-cellars/tornado-shelters.
They looked like this:
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In Maryland I knew a family who had a root cellar, storm doors like in wizard of oz, all dirt floored of course, very small. They did store food in it, had a good bit of sauerkraut in there. I don’t remember the size and I didn’t go into it, just looked in.
We had a basement, but the neighbor had a nice one built out of an old bread truck he buried up in the side of a hill.
I would imagine having a ..root cellar, basement or other lower than ground level area all depends on local terrain and water table.. All my years in different parts of the north and far north I was lucky enough to have basements that had an area that was cool, dark, dry enough to work well for storage..
Will put this here and one other one if I can find it. This isn’t something we will be able to do but I thought good at showing what they did.
ETA: to attach the video
ETA: to attach the video
Here’s another good one: about 17-18 min.
Mother earth or American survival guide had a whole article on making one out of rammed earth and junk tires.
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I have a walk out basement.
Tomorow I plan to begin gathering material for my newest project ROOT Cellar / BUNKER / FALLOUT SHELTER / STORM SHELTER . I looked at metal beams today and will be buying the metal beams to support the roof . Next will be clearing trees and digging a hole . -- I haven't decided yet whether to dig the hole with a shovel for exercise , or use a backhoe . It wouldn't be the first similar size hole that I have dug with a shovel and bucket for a underground structure that I built at a former adobe , -- I simply am running out of room for stacking food inside my home , along walls , under tables and down the hall . We want to free up the prepper clutter of the stuff preppers collect .--- Today I also went to a shipping container dealer and talked to him about perhaps buying a shipping container and burying it . After evaluating cost , practicality and labor decided " not " to go the buried shipping container route and instead simply build it from scratch , using cinder blocks for the walls . -- It will be built into the side of a hill , so that will leave access to the door and with a slight downward tip toward the door will allow drainage of any moisture that might find its way to inside the structure .
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I have a perfect spot for a walk-in underground facility at the BOL that I am considering doing the same thing with. It's on the side of a slope near the top of the slope, and I'd only have to dig horizontally into the slope.
The main reason is to have a place underground that stays at a relatively constant temperature year round so that it doesn't require much in the way of heating and cooling. A man made cave in other words.
Today's objective went as planned . I had to make two trips hauling metal beams for roof construction , but now have them on site for the underground structure . I have enough beams butting them up side by side to make the root cellar / bomb shelter a solid metal roof with no need for wood or concrete for the roof . The beams are rectangle two inches by 6 inches by 9 foot long , weighing about 20 pounds each . . I got them for $ 10.00 per beam . Next step clearing trees .
Rectangle tube? What size wall? That seems pretty light for that size?
Inside wall 8 foot wide as which the beam will need to span . These beams were designed to hold weight as they came from a warehouse that used them to stack pallets of something via a fork truck . Also consider the pallet rack was designed to have a space of 3 or 4 feet between these beams for placing pallets of whatever . I am placing them side by side .
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With no spacing?
If you are doing what I am thinking I don't see a problem unless you will rin heavy equipment across it.
Ben
Definitely a backhoe to make a big hole....I have done a shelter with a backhoe and also tried to dig one in with a shovel.
Depending on the lay of the land and your rainfall it sure helped me to run some good plastic sheeting out beyond the roof as well as down the sides.
I built shelves that could also double as bunks if needed.
I calculated the amount of air needed to keep people alive from the Kearny nuclear survival book...Then I fabbed up a hepa furnace filter and 12 volt fan to move some air.
No photos of mine because it was long ago but I currently need a storage shelter for all the good veggies we are going to grow this summer.
Depending on the lay of the land and your rainfall it sure helped me to run some good plastic sheeting out beyond the roof as well as down the sides.
I built shelves that could also double as bunks if needed.
I calculated the amount of air needed to keep people alive from the Kearny nuclear survival book...Then I fabbed up a hepa furnace filter and 12 volt fan to move some air.
No photos of mine because it was long ago but I currently need a storage shelter for all the good veggies we are going to grow this summer.
That is two things that I am ignorant on and would welcome any suggestions on - air needed for an extended occupancy and solutions . I have watched videos where some vented out pvc pipes but I am concerned that might cause loss of the constant underground temperature . -- The 12 volt fan to move air I am supposing helps longevity of the stored food . There to , I need more insight on that front .
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Instead of PVC, use subterranean heating and cooling pipes.
