You can always cut the floor later and install sump underneath,No doubt,some residual water going to perk down.I would have put foundation tar on that roof.I like the whole project.We're up here in northeast ontario.
Great idea! My wife and I were wondering about how we could add a root cellar to our homestead. (Our home doesn’t have a basement.) Looking forward to the upcoming videos on this project!
Thanks, so far so good. It’s at a stable 87% humidity and 2 degrees celsius, only problem most people have with burring shipping containers is no bracing a hole that’s way to big so they tend to collapse if not done proper
You should have turned the container UPSIDE DOWN and then weld on the top (which is originally the floor) quarter inch plates. EVERY container's bearing capacity is on the FLOOR, not the ceiling. But you must reinforce first from inside with beams, then turn it upside down and weld plates to the roof from OUTSIDE to make it water proof. Plus,additional things. That ceiling will COLLAPSE with 1 foot dirt too. It is a casket basically because the weight bearing capacity is on the floor, not the roof. Anyways....
Sorry been in the ground for 3 1/2 years and the roof hasn’t settled any , braced it up really well on the inside plus laid a layer of logs across the top to distribute weight, only used about 8 inches of dirt on top, just have to use some common sense
This is really cool. Fellow Canadian here 🇨🇦 just came by your channel by looking up how to make root callers. Any advice for someone who has lots of water, low land? Really need to figure a root cellar out. Think it's the only thing we don't have on our homestead. Great info!
I would personally build a shed above ground and convert it into a root cellar, my uncle did one and it’s great, you can get all sorts and thermostats and circulating fans to dial it in to the exact temp and humidity you need , it would be a better option than trying an in ground one and failing cuz your battling water
Since theyre made to be stacked and carry load on the corners, i wonder if it makes sense to put a steal plate on top and weld square feet on the plate at each corner to keep the majority of the weight on the corners. Or run steal c channel around the top perimiter supported by feet or spacers at each corner, then cover that with sheets of steel. Then build a similar structure inside with more focus on supporting the walls for backfill pressure.. idk just thinking out loud i know the roof caving in is a big problem and if you wanted more than 18 inches of dirt on top you may need more than a wood skeleton? Any thoughts?
Yeah the more bracing the better, don’t think a person can put to much precaution into it, but definitely using some common sense on how much dirt to put on the roof will help, 4” of foam panels probably has the same R valve as a foot of dirt so don’t think there’s much need for more than 8 - 10 inches of dirt
I purchased one with the same idea in mind but here in north Florida the water table is at about 3’ so I’m insulating it with 4 “ of foamboard and a a/c unit above ground.
I have heard that these things won't support the weight of the earth around them. You seemed to have solved that with a precision dug hole. Very nice job.
@@NorthPineOutdoors well it looks great. I subscribed because your content is great without a lot of extra time in it. Hope yall blow up and this turns in to a very lucrative venture. Will pass link along to friends.
I would have put a trench on at least one corner with a perforated drain pipe back filled with crushed stone, leading out to a swail on lower ground to prevent having a swimming pool during prolonged hard rains. I'd also have made a larger hatch and framed in the bottom of it with wood or padding to prevent hitting your head on that steel edge......or wear a helmet exiting the cellar. Nice job, thinking of doing one here, but I have a hillside I can excavate into so drainage will be easier.
I would have liked to had the time to put in a nice drainage system but I feel good about flooding, if I can make it through the winter/spring runoff I’ll be good. The hatch is small because if have vegetables go missing I can remove all fat people from my list of suspects, and with the head banger metal hatch, you only hit your head once then you learn to pay attention from then on, good luck with your cellar
One idea to deal with water is install weeping tile around the base then have the hole slope slightly to one corner for drainage. Then put a layer of crushed rock in the hole and a culvert pipe vertically in the deep corner. Cut thin slots in the pipe and then weld a plate on the bottom to keep mud out. Wrap fabric around the pipe to keep mud from getting in Then you drop your sea can in the hole and backfill with crushed rock to about 3/4 depth. Surround the pipe in crushed rock at the same time. Then cover with fabric to keep mud out from the crushed rock and top with dirt. Drop a sump pump in the pipe you have at the corner and it will pump water away from your root cellar and keep it dry. If you watch Atlas Survival Shelter videos he explains all of that and why he does it.
That’s a good idea thanks, I would have loved to have the time and money to go a extra mile with all the weeping tiles and stuff but it didn’t work out. If I survive the first spring with no water then I’ll be good to go. If I flood out with spring run off then I’ll have to drop a cement hose down the hole and pour a thin cement pad to keep the floor water tight
My thoughts entirely.it’s not rocket science.I,m building mine with drainage installed. I won’t use the sump pump idea just some in ground drain pipe and drain rock just like you would do for a house.
Before we buried it we put this 3M self adhesive tape they use for underground electrical connections on the outside of the doors, also shipping containers have two seals on the doors and then once it was buried I spray foam sealed the doors from the inside and I haven’t had any water leaks at all
That would have been a very good thing to do, unfortunately time and money decided for me, I think with the paint on the container it should last long after I’m gone
Nope nothing, no water from spring thawing or anything, stays around 87% humidity in the winter with the vents closed and in the summer I keep the vents open which airs it out and drops humidity level, no complaints with anything
Is the roof the only wall that you have insulation on? Just getting to build a cellar. Judging by the name on that picker, I'd say that we're in the same corner of the world
Nothing, it already has a tropical hardwood floor which is water resistant. And these containers have made their way across the oceans for years probably encountering bad weather so I felt good the way they are built. Never had a single water problem yet
Maybe, didn’t really think to hard about it, air flow seems fine, air intake is 3” off the floor inside and the outlet is right at the roof but the pipes out side are the same height , maybe I’ll cut the inlet 6” lower
I accidentally over dug it about 4” deep on the one end so I put down a few 4” round logs under the back end, plus the container has a 6” frame that it’s built on so in theory I could have 10” of water before it would touch the floor, and they have tropical hardwood floors which creates a water tight seal. And the area I live is really dense clay so the only place water could run is down the sides of the container. Knock on wood I’ve never had water troubles yet
What about the floor? They soaked in hazardous chemicals for waterproofing & keep rodents out. Not including who knows what was stored/shipped in container...
I think it would have to be somewhat food safe for shipping food overseas. I doubt any hazardous materials were in this container. Most of the rodent proofing would be from the metal shell and water tight door. If it was that dangerous then no person would be allowed to enter the container without special protective equipment. I’ve been eating vegetables for months now and feel pretty damn good. Probably a lot healthier than the food preservatives and chemicals injected into our food at the grocery store
@@NorthPineOutdoors I'm not speaking as a what if, but of fact that any and all shipping containers that I know of are all treated the same, as part of the ISO standards. But, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about... best to go look it up! Kee pl in mind that's not accounting what has been shipped in container.
You state the fresh air pipe comes in to almost floor level, but the exhaust is up at ceiling height. Maybe think about reversing that, as carbon dioxide is heavier than air, and will collect nearer the floor level.
It doesn’t matter what you “ call fresh air in” it’s the natural cycle of air movement. Cool air falls to the low places and hot air rises out of the top pipe thus clearing out any gases from fermenting fruit or vegetables
Perfectly , no water , not caving in, just had to line the potato boxes with foam panels, the temperature dropped little to low during super cold -40c weather so the starches in the potatoes turned to sugar. Potatoes shouldn’t be stored colder than 3c
Container was 2600$ CAD, metal for roof entrance hatch was 50$ and picker to set in the ground was 500$ and building materials was 600$ and I had my sawmill for all the siding which cut down on price so total was 3750$ CAD
You can always cut the floor later and install sump underneath,No doubt,some residual water going to perk down.I would have put foundation tar on that roof.I like the whole project.We're up here in northeast ontario.
I was thinking the same thing about the sump but so far so good with no water issues
On the next one, might want to think about using the botom of the can as the roof. Might be able to get a little more dirt on top.
Nice job.
Good idea thanks but hope there’s not the next one, haha
Great idea! My wife and I were wondering about how we could add a root cellar to our homestead. (Our home doesn’t have a basement.) Looking forward to the upcoming videos on this project!
Thanks, so far so good. It’s at a stable 87% humidity and 2 degrees celsius, only problem most people have with burring shipping containers is no bracing a hole that’s way to big so they tend to collapse if not done proper
You should have turned the container UPSIDE DOWN and then weld on the top (which is originally the floor) quarter inch plates. EVERY container's bearing capacity is on the FLOOR, not the ceiling. But you must reinforce first from inside with beams, then turn it upside down and weld plates to the roof from OUTSIDE to make it water proof. Plus,additional things.
That ceiling will COLLAPSE with 1 foot dirt too. It is a casket basically because the weight bearing capacity is on the floor, not the roof. Anyways....
Sorry been in the ground for 3 1/2 years and the roof hasn’t settled any , braced it up really well on the inside plus laid a layer of logs across the top to distribute weight, only used about 8 inches of dirt on top, just have to use some common sense
This is really cool. Fellow Canadian here 🇨🇦 just came by your channel by looking up how to make root callers. Any advice for someone who has lots of water, low land? Really need to figure a root cellar out. Think it's the only thing we don't have on our homestead. Great info!
I would personally build a shed above ground and convert it into a root cellar, my uncle did one and it’s great, you can get all sorts and thermostats and circulating fans to dial it in to the exact temp and humidity you need , it would be a better option than trying an in ground one and failing cuz your battling water
Very cool we look forward to the rest of the project!
Thanks, I hope I don’t have any water issues in the spring. Only time will tell now
I was going to mention a Seacan to you Eric and Arielle, but it seems you are already investigating 😉
Since theyre made to be stacked and carry load on the corners, i wonder if it makes sense to put a steal plate on top and weld square feet on the plate at each corner to keep the majority of the weight on the corners. Or run steal c channel around the top perimiter supported by feet or spacers at each corner, then cover that with sheets of steel. Then build a similar structure inside with more focus on supporting the walls for backfill pressure.. idk just thinking out loud i know the roof caving in is a big problem and if you wanted more than 18 inches of dirt on top you may need more than a wood skeleton? Any thoughts?
Yeah the more bracing the better, don’t think a person can put to much precaution into it, but definitely using some common sense on how much dirt to put on the roof will help, 4” of foam panels probably has the same R valve as a foot of dirt so don’t think there’s much need for more than 8 - 10 inches of dirt
I purchased one with the same idea in mind but here in north Florida the water table is at about 3’ so I’m insulating it with 4 “ of foamboard and a a/c unit above ground.
Nice, that would work well with the A/C unit
I have heard that these things won't support the weight of the earth around them. You seemed to have solved that with a precision dug hole. Very nice job.
Yeah if a person uses common sense you can solve almost anything, proper support on the inside and tight fitting hole and it’s good to go, no problem
@@NorthPineOutdoors well it looks great. I subscribed because your content is great without a lot of extra time in it. Hope yall blow up and this turns in to a very lucrative venture. Will pass link along to friends.
Thank you very much, appreciate it
I would have put a trench on at least one corner with a perforated drain pipe back filled with crushed stone, leading out to a swail on lower ground to prevent having a swimming pool during prolonged hard rains.
I'd also have made a larger hatch and framed in the bottom of it with wood or padding to prevent hitting your head on that steel edge......or wear a helmet exiting the cellar.
Nice job, thinking of doing one here, but I have a hillside I can excavate into so drainage will be easier.
I would have liked to had the time to put in a nice drainage system but I feel good about flooding, if I can make it through the winter/spring runoff I’ll be good. The hatch is small because if have vegetables go missing I can remove all fat people from my list of suspects, and with the head banger metal hatch, you only hit your head once then you learn to pay attention from then on, good luck with your cellar
One idea to deal with water is install weeping tile around the base then have the hole slope slightly to one corner for drainage. Then put a layer of crushed rock in the hole and a culvert pipe vertically in the deep corner. Cut thin slots in the pipe and then weld a plate on the bottom to keep mud out. Wrap fabric around the pipe to keep mud from getting in Then you drop your sea can in the hole and backfill with crushed rock to about 3/4 depth. Surround the pipe in crushed rock at the same time. Then cover with fabric to keep mud out from the crushed rock and top with dirt. Drop a sump pump in the pipe you have at the corner and it will pump water away from your root cellar and keep it dry. If you watch Atlas Survival Shelter videos he explains all of that and why he does it.
That’s a good idea thanks, I would have loved to have the time and money to go a extra mile with all the weeping tiles and stuff but it didn’t work out. If I survive the first spring with no water then I’ll be good to go. If I flood out with spring run off then I’ll have to drop a cement hose down the hole and pour a thin cement pad to keep the floor water tight
My thoughts entirely.it’s not rocket science.I,m building mine with drainage installed. I won’t use the sump pump idea just some in ground drain pipe and drain rock just like you would do for a house.
Good video. Did you do any extra water proofing around the doors? if so what did you do/use? if not has it leaked at all?
Before we buried it we put this 3M self adhesive tape they use for underground electrical connections on the outside of the doors, also shipping containers have two seals on the doors and then once it was buried I spray foam sealed the doors from the inside and I haven’t had any water leaks at all
@@NorthPineOutdoors awesome. Thanks for the info
Why don’t you show the good stuff like dropping it in or excavating the hole?
Sorry was really stressed out trying to get it finished before bad weather came in, videoing was not the first priory at the time
Cool video. Only thing I would do differently is tar the whole thing, but who knows how much that would cost.
That would have been a very good thing to do, unfortunately time and money decided for me, I think with the paint on the container it should last long after I’m gone
How is the root cellar holding up. And how big is the port hole. How far apart are the shelfs
Root cellar is perfect, no complaints. Port hole is 2 feet x 2 feet. Shelves are 34” apart
Any problems with leaks ? Or really bad moisture build up ? Rusting ? Etc
Nope nothing, no water from spring thawing or anything, stays around 87% humidity in the winter with the vents closed and in the summer I keep the vents open which airs it out and drops humidity level, no complaints with anything
Is the roof the only wall that you have insulation on? Just getting to build a cellar. Judging by the name on that picker, I'd say that we're in the same corner of the world
The roof is the only part that has insulation, yes I imagine we’re around the same area if you recognize the name on the picker
what did you do to protect and water proof the bottom.
Nothing, it already has a tropical hardwood floor which is water resistant. And these containers have made their way across the oceans for years probably encountering bad weather so I felt good the way they are built. Never had a single water problem yet
shouldn't the intake air be lower than the exhaust? How is the convection?
Maybe, didn’t really think to hard about it, air flow seems fine, air intake is 3” off the floor inside and the outlet is right at the roof but the pipes out side are the same height , maybe I’ll cut the inlet 6” lower
How difficult is it bringing stuff in and out of it?
It’s really easy, I built a windlass like the old time miners used to bring buckets up in their mineshaft. I used a bucket and winch it up and down
what keeps ground water from coming in the bottom?
I accidentally over dug it about 4” deep on the one end so I put down a few 4” round logs under the back end, plus the container has a 6” frame that it’s built on so in theory I could have 10” of water before it would touch the floor, and they have tropical hardwood floors which creates a water tight seal. And the area I live is really dense clay so the only place water could run is down the sides of the container. Knock on wood I’ve never had water troubles yet
What about the floor? They soaked in hazardous chemicals for waterproofing & keep rodents out. Not including who knows what was stored/shipped in container...
I think it would have to be somewhat food safe for shipping food overseas. I doubt any hazardous materials were in this container. Most of the rodent proofing would be from the metal shell and water tight door. If it was that dangerous then no person would be allowed to enter the container without special protective equipment. I’ve been eating vegetables for months now and feel pretty damn good. Probably a lot healthier than the food preservatives and chemicals injected into our food at the grocery store
@@NorthPineOutdoors I'm not speaking as a what if, but of fact that any and all shipping containers that I know of are all treated the same, as part of the ISO standards. But, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about... best to go look it up! Kee pl in mind that's not accounting what has been shipped in container.
You state the fresh air pipe comes in to almost floor level, but the exhaust is up at ceiling height. Maybe think about reversing that, as carbon dioxide is heavier than air, and will collect nearer the floor level.
It doesn’t matter what you “ call fresh air in” it’s the natural cycle of air movement. Cool air falls to the low places and hot air rises out of the top pipe thus clearing out any gases from fermenting fruit or vegetables
Is a bit of tar or paint really to expensive?
Depends on your budget, container is already primed and painted, should be there long after I’m gone
How is this holding up?
Perfectly , no water , not caving in, just had to line the potato boxes with foam panels, the temperature dropped little to low during super cold -40c weather so the starches in the potatoes turned to sugar. Potatoes shouldn’t be stored colder than 3c
what was the total price of the project?
Container was 2600$ CAD, metal for roof entrance hatch was 50$ and picker to set in the ground was 500$ and building materials was 600$ and I had my sawmill for all the siding which cut down on price so total was 3750$ CAD
@@NorthPineOutdoors Thank You
It will not last...