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Posted: 1/20/2013 9:33:25 AM EDT
Here in Texas we don't have basements. What we do have is extreme heat and humidity.

There isn't enough room in the house, without looking like a hoarder, to keep a good supply of food and water.

I do however have a shop with an area of shelves that would be perfect for this purpose.

What I don't know is how well it will keep in the shop when it gets 104 F with extreme humidity. The only climate control it has is what Mother Nature provides.

Any recommendations?
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 9:36:57 AM EDT
[#1]
This is what I have, but it's in the basement. Bought it at Costco online for less

http://www.shelfreliance.com/the-harvest-72.html
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 9:57:41 AM EDT
[#2]
Shelves aren't my problem. I already have lots of shelves.

My worry is will it store, and for how long, outside in the shop.


ETA - those are nice though.
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 10:03:05 AM EDT
[#3]
Can you dig a root cellar where you live?
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 10:04:22 AM EDT
[#4]
Quoted:
Shelves aren't my problem. I already have lots of shelves.

My worry is will it store, and for how long, outside in the shop.


ETA - those are nice though.


Gotcha, cool and dry is better, but you don't get much humidity down there, right?  I think damp would be worse, but I try to keep airflow open around my cans.  I would think that the heat isn't such a concern as long as you don't see bulging, so make sure you rotate out your stock.  The contents are heated over 200 degrees before sealing, at least that's what the USDA site says, so the content should be fine, I'd be more concerned with the containers. Not much help I guess...
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 10:04:27 AM EDT
[#5]
A queen sized bed can hold a years worth of freeze dried food for a couple underneath it. A couple of beds should hold plenty of regular canned food and it will be climate controlled.  I built my beds and they have tall legs. I have about 16" of storage space under two queen sized beds and there is room for full sized buckets.

The standard height beds sold today can have lots of room if the items are properly placed.  Will it be inconvenient? Maybe, but in comparison to the inconvenience of starving to death, meh, not so much.
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 11:29:46 AM EDT
[#6]
Storage under the beds. Excellent.

Get my supply built up and over time see about a root cellar as mentioned above. Not sure one would work here with 100% hummidity and sand, but worth checking into. Storm shelter or maybe a container would help keep water out. Dont know how deep i'd have to go to get it cool enough. Research that later.
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 11:40:01 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
Storage under the beds. Excellent.

Get my supply built up and over time see about a root cellar as mentioned above. Not sure one would work here with 100% hummidity and sand, but worth checking into. Storm shelter or maybe a container would help keep water out. Dont know how deep i'd have to go to get it cool enough. Research that later.


I would plan carefully about how to deal with humidity, condensation and water intrusion.
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 11:51:46 AM EDT
[#8]



Quoted:



Quoted:

Storage under the beds. Excellent.



Get my supply built up and over time see about a root cellar as mentioned above. Not sure one would work here with 100% hummidity and sand, but worth checking into. Storm shelter or maybe a container would help keep water out. Dont know how deep i'd have to go to get it cool enough. Research that later.




I would plan carefully about how to deal with humidity, condensation and water intrusion.
If you have a 'sealed' storm shelter/root cellar, just run a de-humidifier. Once you dry everything out, if you use weatherstripping, it will take little to keep humidity down.






 
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 11:56:31 AM EDT
[#9]


tornado shelter/root cellar is where its at.  easier to convince wifey too.

Link Posted: 1/20/2013 12:00:56 PM EDT
[#10]
I am in AZ and heat is an issue here too (so I don't like storing in the garage). I did under the beds worked great. I have seen pics of guys building bed bases with 2x12's and they sit up high enough to put #10 cans inside the frame the bed sits on. I didn't do that. I just put some stuff under the bed. I also have a spare bedroom and we put shelves in the closest. The thing to remember with under the bed or out in a shed is to rotate the stuff.

Link Posted: 1/20/2013 12:17:02 PM EDT
[#11]
Depending on the actual product, one week at 100 degrees equals from 2 to 14 weeks at 70 degrees.

So a product with a shelf life of two years at room temp, may only last 1 year to as little as two months at 104 degrees!
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 12:45:02 PM EDT
[#12]
Are y'all talking about actually rotating the cans or rotation as in using the oldest first and placing the new stuff in the back?
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 12:58:46 PM EDT
[#13]
Quoted:
Are y'all talking about actually rotating the cans or rotation as in using the oldest first and placing the new stuff in the back?


Rotating them into your meals not physically moving the cans. So my 6 year old loves Campbells chicken noodle soup, at any given time we have 36-50 cans on hand. In the pantry we keep the oldest ones, or the ones with the shortest expiration windows.
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 1:41:11 PM EDT
[#14]
Quoted:
Storage under the beds. Excellent.

Get my supply built up and over time see about a root cellar as mentioned above. Not sure one would work here with 100% hummidity and sand, but worth checking into. Storm shelter or maybe a container would help keep water out. Dont know how deep i'd have to go to get it cool enough. Research that later.


how tall off the floor is your bed? if its tall enough they make can rotators that might fit under there with no problem. you can store a LOT of cans under the bed as well as in the bottom of closets/ top shelf of closets. if you go with the shelf you will probably need to beef it up a bit before hand or one night while watching TV it will fail and sound like someone just drove through your house. LOL.
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 1:57:25 PM EDT
[#15]
I am NorthWest of San Antonio.

I am not sure how much space you have, we live out in the hills.
I added a pantry onto my Mancave/Workshp.
I added an a/c unit and it is working out fine.

The new window units that have an eco setting and that cycle themselves on and off work well.

I built mine right into the wall and it uses very little electricity for the good that it does,
It keeps our stored food cool and humidity low.

We have a worktable with our grain mill mounted on it out there as well.
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 2:10:02 PM EDT
[#16]

We had a coat closet next to the kitchen entrance.  We demoed the wall and door and made it an open space so that we could add shelves floor to ceiling and wall to wall.

That sounds like a simple solution but made allot of extra space that was easy to see and use.
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 6:05:25 PM EDT
[#17]
I measured about 16" to the bottom of my mattress(top of box spring). Seems like you could deep-six the box spring, and build a platform the same height and give yourself an extra 16" or so of storage. Or cut the bottom out of the box springs and still have the room.


Redman
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 6:20:23 PM EDT
[#18]
Quoted:
I measured about 16" to the bottom of my mattress(top of box spring). Seems like you could deep-six the box spring, and build a platform the same height and give yourself an extra 16" or so of storage. Or cut the bottom out of the box springs and still have the room.


Redman


or
bed lifters
Link Posted: 1/20/2013 6:33:00 PM EDT
[#19]
+1 on the cellar idea.  It will be cooler obviously and more protected in the ground.  Other then that, heat kills shelf life, so find the best and coolest average area inside the home and keep out of direct sunlight.  There are some charts available online to show you the projected shelf life of certain foods in various average temperature situations, but I can't find one off hand.  Every 5-10 degrees of temperature change can result in x amount of your food's lifespan, etc.

Don't forget about freeze dried foods also, while some will say their taste isn't all that hot.  I always keep some in my collection as they are much more stable under temperature change situations.  You can also get everything from meats to fruits now.
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