Posted: 3/4/2011 4:47:26 PM EDT
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I have the opportunity to buy a root cellar...Let me explain. I can buy a never used concrete, modified septic tank approximately 1250 gallons. Dimensions are roughly 10 feet x 6 feet by 5.5 feet high with a door opening on one end. Wall thickness is 3 inches. I can dig this into a hillside and cover it with soil, all except the door end. I envision this for storing vegetables, mostly root crops and canned goods. Cost will be about $900 delivered. I could probably build one cheaper but I see this as an interesting solution for food storage. What are your thoughts? Is this a good idea? |
So long as there isn't any chance for freezing I would only be concerned about rusting and corrosion of your canning/canned components versus keeping them in a fairly conditioned space.
| Buy two or three of them and put them next to each other you can never have enough storage space, dig once bury several. Great tornado shelter. I'd love to have one. Better yet you could dig out a larger area and have concrete walls poured on site like a basement It would be nice if it was tall enough to stand up inside if that was possible. |
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Found this on the web and thought it was kinda cool !
Garbage can root cellar 
Link |
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I have this book-
http://www.amazon.com/Root-Cellaring-Natural-Storage-Vegetables/dp/0882667033/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299384010&sr=1-1#_ It's definately worth the purchase price, it will explain how to store your stuff in the cellar, what not to store next to other things, etc. There is mention made of complete concrete cellars but I can't remember what was said and the book is in storage (recently moved). |
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Quoted:
I have the opportunity to buy a root cellar...Let me explain. I can buy a never used concrete, modified septic tank approximately 1250 gallons. Dimensions are roughly 10 feet x 6 feet by 5.5 feet high with a door opening on one end. Wall thickness is 3 inches. I can dig this into a hillside and cover it with soil, all except the door end. I envision this for storing vegetables, mostly root crops and canned goods. Cost will be about $900 delivered. I could probably build one cheaper but I see this as an interesting solution for food storage. What are your thoughts? Is this a good idea? I don't think it will last long term unless it has rebar in it. You need to find that out and then calculate the amount of dirt load the 3" walls and ceiling will support. The soil you put on top will be a lot heavier than you think. When you get it set in the hill, make for darn sure to use drain tile in pea gravel for water run out. The proper way to do a concrete root cellar is with block and cement with cement floor and roof tied into the walls with rebar and steel beams under the roof. My first thought about a septic tank is that if they leak as a septic tank it's not a huge deal and you would never know. If it leaked IN when used as a root cellar, you wouldn't know until you opened it up one day and found every can of food, tool, gun etc rusted beyond use. |