M14 Forum

huntinghawk · February 18th, 2012, 03:35 PM

Been thinking how I can do some form of a root cellar here where you can't do a basement because the earth is just soft sand. Can probably get away with this anywhere in the south.

For food stores its actually most important for them to be in a constant temperature. So my thought is an old frig or chest freezer put somewhere where it will be in the shade all the time.

HH

cachunk · February 18th, 2012, 03:40 PM

What about digging a pit, putting cinder blocks around the inside of the pit, ( not the bottom) and putting the fridge in between the blocks? You would still have the insulation of the earth and it will be held back by the blocks? Or is the ground too wet as well?

huntinghawk · February 18th, 2012, 03:51 PM

Metal would be a moisture magnet & bottom would be rusted out in a few short years.

HH

CharlieEcho · February 18th, 2012, 03:53 PM

What about a concrete septic tank? Buried partially and the soil that's removed to bury can be piled around the top. Or large round concrete tile done the same way with a poured bottom and top.

Some tanks have openings large enough to climb inside with a ladder. My tank is below the ground around 112 inches with a tile 22 inches across to permit access. Or a ready made water cistern?

cachunk · February 18th, 2012, 04:04 PM

HH,

I hear you on the metal, what about cinder blocks on their own?

SOCOM42 · February 18th, 2012, 04:06 PM

You could dig a pit as large as you need and line it with walls made from that synthetic decking material,
roof joist from 4x4 pressure treated ground connector with synthetic 2x6 for the roof decking.
Cover with several layers of tyvek, cover roof with at least a foot of earth. Make entrance door flush with ground surface to keep heat out of entrance way.
Then a second door at bottom of stairs as a thermal barrier.
Face doorway to the north and put a sun wall on the south side.
Use wall to grow beans.

huntinghawk · February 18th, 2012, 04:09 PM

You have to always be concerned with the weight & it shifting. Doesn't take much to move sand.

Though an underground septic tank or cestern would probably work, there is also the cost factor.

HH

CharlieEcho · February 18th, 2012, 04:17 PM

I believe if you considered an old refirgerator large enough, you would also find a large concrete tile large enough as well. Not nearly the cost of a septic tank. Or even some of the large corregated plastic culvert tiles. There are different types. The plastic culvert tile have an air pocket that would add insulation. I've seen both black and white in the plastic. I'm not sure about the cap for these tiles, but I suppose you could pour both a bottom and top of concrete.

billythegoat · February 18th, 2012, 04:22 PM

maybe 4' diameter colvert tubing , weld one end closed , fasion a door for the other, its ment to be buried under 3 feet or so of earth so that engineering already been worked out, it could be tarred to increase it's resistence to rust,but i think their pretty rust resistent anyway

huntinghawk · February 18th, 2012, 04:25 PM

I was thinking square patio blocks under the refrigerator or chest freezer just to support its weight evenly. And remove compressor just to eliminate the weight.

HH

junke · February 18th, 2012, 04:26 PM

I had thought about using old tires stacked like bricks and packed tight with the sand. I went to a couple tire stores and they said I could take all the old tires I wanted.
You would need to design a roof strong enough to hold the amount of dirt you want on top. I have timbered property and figured I could just lay logs side by side for the length of it, and figured 10 feet wide would sufice. becuase the tires would be exposed inside you can just use screws to attach wood to the tires (skip-sheet), and then whatever you want, to the wood. You can put plastic between the earth and the tires, and drain pipe for water control. A fair amount of work, but the building material is free.

huntinghawk · February 18th, 2012, 04:27 PM

BTW, no cinder blocks in the south, just concrete blocks.

HH

billythegoat · February 18th, 2012, 04:39 PM

sorry about the second post was trying to get to PX and hit the back button

huntinghawk · February 18th, 2012, 05:13 PM

What is here is not the same as beach sand or that used in a playground sand box. Instead of absorbing water it repells it. And straight underneath me is over one hundred feet of it. Infact, it was 186ft to bedrock for my well pipe.

HH

GeneCo · February 18th, 2012, 05:42 PM

Florida native here, we can't have conventional root cellars here in Florida, but the good news is, we don't need them.

Up North, they need root cellars to lay food by , because the Winter ground is frozen, plants are dormant and nothing grows. Their main thing is to get down below the freeze level, to keep food from freezing. Down here, that's not the case, food grows year 'round.

Root cellars need to be dry and cool , yet have an air flow. We can't have anything in the ground, because if air can get to it, so can water and critters.

I'd suggest a climate controlled walk in cooler or a shed, lined with Visqueen and a window AC.

Up here on the farm , in the Panhandle, we just have a room in the back of the house, shelved for canned Summer fruits. I made a greenhouse( a Quansan hut with 1/2" PVC pipe and 6mil clear sheeting-Visqueen) and the DW grows veggies and herbs year 'round.