You need to change the front door latch as someone could block you in on purpose with either a padlock or even a piece of metal or even a wooden stick. Very important if you do not have an escape hatch.
Very good point. One could become stuck in there even by accident if a tree fell against the door. To prep for that possibility, the tools are available inside the shelter to relatively easily escape through that door even in that situation. Good on you for noticing that danger! And I appreciate you caring enough to mention it too - in case I had NOT thought of it. :)
Put your breakers and switches in the SHELTER. That way, you only disconnect power once in it and you can turn on water pressure, etc. from inside the shelter. If you are not downwind of nuclear fallout or you are far away then that same fallout is of much less concern. This is an entire topic for discussion so it is not really a simple rule. You never go wrong by planning for fallout. This vid does a great job. If you live with fallout, get used to a new timeline for a lifespan since you will live but not necessarily to the average of 84-86 years old anymore.
Good tip on breakers inside. For my situation, this is a bit of a retro-fit so not everything is perfect. If I were going to do this from the ground up, I'd definitely have more access to systems from within the shelter.
Awesome shelter info! Consider reconfiguring your outside retaining wall possibly with heavy construction raised bed planters to form a solid wall in front of the door. Also a grapevine like structure over the door area could get a tarp roof to create an outside decontamination wash off area with a solar camping shower. Keep up the great work. 👍👍👍
I've been considering that same idea of building some sort of entry structure. In the same way that the fallout shelter is useful as a root cellar, I'm trying to make any entry structures being dual useful as... not sure yet. I've been thinking of a simple deck out over it as well. So many possibilities. Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you found the video enjoyable.
I really enjoy your videos. My suggestion for raised bed planters and a grapevine structure is to maximize the beauty and usefulness of those during normal times while offering additional shielding and functionally for the worst case scenario.
@@kennethsantos7919 It's DEFINITELY not clear from the video, but the entire top of the structure is heading towards being used as a raised bed. At the moment, it's a bed of weeds and a few sunflowers, but over time, we're definitely looking to develop it as a garden bed of plants that don't want/need watering (because more water over the shelter means more water to be dehumidified out of it).
AND... a random dry storage area for when we were building our house... and actually just yesterday I tossed some windows destined for my chicken coop in there too. Multipurpose makes me happy too!
Good job. I watched the whole thing. Just a few thoughts. Given the small space, I recommend running the majority of your power needs on 12 volt such as the light and air blower. On day one you may not be too concern about inverter inefficiencies but eventually you be counting every watt. Use the inverter on items that must be on 120V and turn off when not needed. Idling an inverter will waste your batteries. Your inverter is just another thing that might break. In regards to your batteries, store it above the floor. In your case, any water seepage will flood out your battery right away. Space heater and heat plate will suck your battery dry within hours. Get 12V electric blankets and gas burner. O2 is not an issue since you have fresh air coming in. The inverter should be placed in the faraday cage until needed. Can you get more 1/8" Lead sheeting and line the door? If you have people addicted to coffee, stock up on coffee. Get kitty litter or wood chips to absorb bodily fluids in order to manage vomit or diarrhea. Even with trash bags, it's going to be messy. For the shower, how about large drip pan in front of the toilet and a garden sprayer so you're minimizing water waste? Then get a dirty water sump pump to remove the water. This pump can also extract water if starts coming in from the front door or you have a hose burst. One other consideration is fire in the area. Get battery operated smoke detector to warn you especially in middle of the night. Can you talk more about your air filtration solution? if there is alot of fallout, how will you replace the media daily/every other day, etc? Have a simple shortwave radio so you're not powering up the ham equipment all day long. Include a flat screen TV even if it's for videos once a day. I would also recommend a lengthy 4" pipe to run from the shelter down the hill so that it can double as exhaust or a way to flush things out if needed. Have a separate battery for the fan in case your main battery runs out for whatever accidental reason. Having isolation between batteries means you can't accidentally run the other one empty. Hope this all helps.
Great thinking HGW! You and I think alike! I have a lot of your notes actually already covered to some extent. The one thing that you did pop into my head though (when you mentioned kitty litter etc) is paper towels. I'll be adding that. We can discuss more in the livestream about the power plans. As it goes, we have two systems, the whole house system, the backup that's just in the shelter, (and then a bunch of mini systems and manuals on top of all of it). I hope to see you at the live. Your head comes up with on-point questions and concerns!
I'm not sure what's the best option for them if things went down. Letting them free range would be best so they could at least get food and water - water in their coop might get covered in straw when they kick it up sometimes. BUT... keeping them in the coop would be best for them if it's a false alarm and no debris ends up hitting our area. I'd hate to let them free range, have half them killed by predators and then find out it was a false alarm and we come out after 48 hours to find them ravaged by mother nature. It's all a roll of the dice unfortunately.
@@PraxisPrepper Do you have a crawl space or basement under your main home? My parents decided that if an event happens the laundry room in the basement (simple cement floor w/drain) will be the chickens home. It's not perfect, but it will provide safety and some shielding. The laundry part of the basement is beneath the master bedroom, so between the bed, closet full of shoes, clothes and massive safe, overhead shielding is something more than just carpeting.
@@Wendy_Blank Your parents sound like they've given this some decent thought. Their idea sounds to me like a best-option reasonable effort for their birds. I don't have a crawl space in my house... though I DID build tunnels under the floor when I built (for air circulation). For us here, if the "wise" humans in charge can hold this insanity off for another year, they chickens should have a nice stone coop sometime next summer when I can get to build it. I'd have built it this year, but I was distracted by... other projects. Thanks for the comment. It's a good thought that you bring up!
I'm sure those are great. Mine had the benefit if being a lot less money. If I had to guess, I'd bet his are superior, but I couldn't afford one of those and wanted to have something vs nothing. Ron seems like an honest business man to me though, so I'm sure he's done his research and I bet the Swiss ones are top quality.
@@PraxisPrepper He even has israeli made ones that are pretty much the same as the swiss ones. The swiss ones are like 8k while the israeli ones is about 1.5k. You could also consider an overpressure blast valve which lets air out but not in, so you won't need to worry about not sealing because air will have an escape.
That's an excellent suggestion and we very much SHOULD do it. I'd be surprised if we didn't discover something that we'd forgotten. I doubt we'll end up going through with a full 5 days though. The one piece of insurance we DO have that makes me feel that our holes will be minimal is that we'd be bringing in our camping bags with us if we ever needed to use the shelter. The camping bags routinely support us for about a week each year and I'm constantly upgrading them all the time. So if we DID forget something in the shelter stocking procedure, my hope is that the camping bags would fill in any holes. Overall though... I really hope we never need to use that shelter as a shelter!
Yeah, I'm totes annoyed by it as well. So many more fun projects that could be being done... not to mention collectively as a species. If all this war effort were aimed at the advancement of humanity, imagine the world that we'd have right now. It'd be breathtaking.
Shrink your entryways to no more than 20” by building concrete walls. Leave second entry 18-20” wide and started from the wall were your sink is located, this will create dead end to trap radiation. Get solid blocks or pavers to fill 18-20” entryways after you get inside as tight as possible. Cross lay bricks without seams going all the way .
These are good tips. If this structure had been primarily built for this purpose, the entry (and a great number of other features) would have been designed differently. Thanks for the thoughts!
I think leaving a well setup place is the absolute last option. I even think, where do I go and I have to leave most things I setup behind (I don't have a second place). It would be a total loss. But if it is unsafe well, you would have to do it.
I've been thinking a lot about this question recently, as the place we're at presently gets buttoned up and finished, my brain has turned to backup location possibilities. It's a BIG step moving from somewhere that you know (and are known) to a place where you're unfamiliar with the locale and are seen as an outsider.
I won't be able to swing a 3 day test with kid scheduling commitments. My main concern is O2 levels and being sure my vents can keep them adequate. I'm pretty sure I have more than enough gear to keep things breathable... but I'll feel better after an actual run-through. I'd love to have enough room for a 55 gallon bucket for trash in there, but we're running against the capacity now. I wish we had been able to dig a bigger hole. Darn New England ledge!
I'm not a big exercise cycle guy, but I AM addicted to a Nintendo switch video game called Ring Fit. It's my every-other-day exercise routine and it's definitely going in there in an event. If the power goes out and we can't play it, then I guess our main exercise would be using the manual air circulation pump. Not as fun as the game though.
Great to see you have made the step to get a shelter, I think as budget allows I'd add a porch with the wooden door and a wash off area, beyond hat where the door is now I'd add a gas tight door and some over pressure value to keep you safer in the shelter. the water idea sounds good until it goes wrong or yu need to go out and come back in, too much of a chore and you need to think safer rather than mistakes on the job. Still, something is better than nothing as we all know
Agreed. This is far from perfect. I would do a great many things different if I were building this exclusively as a nuclear fallout shelter (your suggestions likely being among those things).
I think about your exhaust vent suggestion nearly every day. I really need to do a test to see how much air is allowed in when the door is closed shut (which wasn't possible to do from the inside until recently). My plan (if presumably I DO need more venting out) is to swap the lid of one of the light tubes out for a vent with spring-loaded flaps to let air out. That's the last thing I'll likely need to do before a full test. Thanks for reminding me about it. I definitely didn't need it because I do think about your words all the time, but I appreciate your making SURE I don't forget them! ;)
If a Atomic war started - you have about 30 minutes just to get inside. Your door is a giant mistake, add a exterior concrete mud room, add a steel blast door. Add a room just for vittles and water to get more family space. being crammed into a box with little room can increase stress for every one. Build a real bathroom! I thank you for posting.
I agree with a lot of your points, but had some thoughts on them as well where I think I disagree with some points too. It's mostly 3 points that pop up in my head. 1. When you say, "If an atomic war started, you'd have 30 mins to get inside." That presupposes that the moment that the war started, one would be alerted and know that it had started. That's very unlikely to be the case. The first warning that an atomic war begins (for the general population) is likely to be an atomic explosion occurring. For the people in the blast zone, they won't have 30 minutes. For people outside that area, rumors will start to slowly swirl. At first it will seem like a possible psy-op, cyber attack hoax, or the real thing. So people will need to make a decision. For the vast majority of those people, they'll have well over 30 minutes unless they're in targeted areas. So I just wanted to comment on how clear any of this would feel if it began. I really don't think it's as simple as a ticking clock starting up and counting down. I know you didn't mean 30 mins exactly or anything like that, but I wanted to comment on the likely ambiguity of those early moments. 2. On my shelter, I agree that it would be nice (in the event of a war) to have MUCH more space. We 100% agree on that. But most people (myself included) have limitations in terms of resources. So we have to work with what we have. This is what I was able to swing when I was building it back several years ago. Most people that see this video suggest that they can't even swing this. And I don't think they'd need to. People could make less than this work too. It'd be less comfortable, but it could be done. 3. Last, on the door to the shelter, yes, it's not a blast door at all. In fact, the entire shelter is not a blast shelter. It can't take a bomb strike anywhere nearby. What this is is a fallout shelter. It's a shelter from drifting fallout from other areas. Again, building an actual blast shelter would be great, but with limited resources, it's not in the cards for everyone. Someday I might like to try building one though. It's a lot more required in terms of depth and that door you mentioned. Also, the air intake of our shelter wouldn't withstand a raging fire above either.
All very well thought out, I'm guessing you wouldn't show it if it was in place but is there no CCTV to keep an eye on the outside world? Although some may stay indoors for 2 weeks if told a lot of people would most likely be starving to death and so not care any more.
I wish it were less of a bad idea (imo) to talk about security on here. I think it's important, but i never discuss it for yhe reasons that you alluded to. But yes, we're planning on the idea that people might very well be out and about after 48 to 72 hours and we have plans for that for sure.
@@PraxisPrepper Completely get it, if there wasn't a need for security then there'd be no need to prepare as there'd be no wars. It's certainly harder for most in the UK to prepare in that sense compared to the US. Luckily there's a lot of army surplus and the likes of airsoft that can come in handy here.
I'm glad you found it useful. Thanks for letting me know! :) I should note that I neglected to mention one very important item in the shelter - a fire extinguisher. Very important... potentially.
Great video Praxis. Thank you! What about just a regular basement? Actually never mind I just started watching your legos video so I’ll check the info there. Thanks!!!
@@PraxisPrepper thanks so much. I'm considering making my own shelter/cellar. I've seen that corrugated steel in schools and commercial buildings just haven't seen it for sale anywhere.
@@thomaswhite5928 I didn't buy it myself. The contractors that did the pour of the concrete supplied it. If you like, I can get specs on it (measurements etc.) so you can have a sense of what to look for. Shoot me an email at praxisprepper@gmail.com if you want me to grab that for you. I can send close up photos too of that stuff as well.
If plastic sheeting is over your garden, what is the probability of getting sick or dieing from contaminated garden vegetables? Sounds like they would be no good to harvest and consume?.. great explanation of the shelter
Probability of illness would be based on how much toxic debris is still present, which one could only discern after the event. As I noted in this video, it's all a matter of weighing bad options in a post nuclear war world.
The lack of ozone is deadly to plants and animal eyeballs. Fall out drops, plastic sheeting is a critical gardening prep for a post war world. Garden at night until ozone recovers
I mentioned it in passing, but I didn't show it. I'm using a hot plate. I really wish I had had someone else to operate the camera during this video so I could have gotten into the bins more.
I would place the mental shelves flat against the walls giving more space. I would go stir crazy in that small of a space let alone 2 children. Space is necessary. I know it’s for imminent events and you have done an excellent job. Much thought and safety , invested time and money. I’m just concerned about mental stability and moral . Space seems a premium .
Both shelves couldn't fit up against that wall. But you know what... I bet that one between the bunks and the other shelf COULD fit if it were rotated 90 degrees and slid up against the wall. I'm not sure why I didn't think to do that when I was setting them up. I'll be out there with a tape measure tomorrow and I think I might see if I can swing that. You're 100% correct about space being a virtue in a space like that.
@@PraxisPrepper Maybe try it out like it is for a day first. I know that I would personally prefer the room divide for some privacy over having a bigger open space, but that is obviously not everyones preference. Whatever you decide to do, wost case scenario you can still empty, rearrange and refill the shelf again, when you are already inside. That will take some time, but it's not like you woudn't have enogh time to do that if sufficiently bored...
@@mar.2 that's a good point. A brain like mine will need some "home upgrade" projects to engage in if I'm ever stuck in there. Best to leave some tinkering as a gift to my future (terribly bored) self. :)
QUESTION. (I keep rewatching this and keep learning new things, thank you!). How do you make that bellow air system? (It's quite brilliant). I imagine I can build something similar with a good plunger but any information you can share will be helpful.
I presume you mean that accordian style of plunger. Cool idea. There would be trade offs though. My design drawns in WAY more air in one cycle than one of those accordian plungers would. So you'd have to cycke it a lot more. But... your designe would be a lot more compact than mine and would probably be an easier build. You could just... You know what, i'm gonna do a video on your idea today and release it asap. We can continue this chat there. It's a cool idea you have here and it'd be great to share it w people. Can i reference your screen name in the video? If i dont hear back from you before i shoot the video, i won't mention your name to be on the safe side.
@@PraxisPrepper Sorry I just saw this. Yes, you can mention me though I'm not sure if it's of any help to others. :) I am VERY interested in your next video tho. Counting the seconds. Thanks bro.
@@drivestorage1779 The video just went live. I didn't mention you in it, but I'll link to your TH-cam profile in the description. Thanks for the concept. It was fun to pick it up and run with it!
@@PraxisPrepper Right on bro! U are efficient! M eager to watch it but working at the moment. Let's see if I get a decent lunch break. I'm certain I'll learn something from it. I always do from your content!
Yeah, it gets too hot in the summer. I'm adding more material over time slowly. No engineers were willing/had the knowledge to certify the load carrying capacity of the ceiling of the space. So I'm going slow. I actually think it was more like 28 inches too (including the 8 inches of concrete). I looked at my diagrams afterward and I'd had 14 inches of dirt and concrete initially, and I had aimed to add another 14 inches on top of that recently.
@@PraxisPrepper : before adding more dirt and material. Do have three steel crossbeams in the roof? 18 inches of insulation and 24 inches of dirt should keep it cool and warm about 60 degrees for root celler.
Your analogy actually assumes the door would stop more than it would. It's more like a pane of slightly tinted glass stopping sunlight. The door isn't meant to block radiation at all. It's only intended to seal against dust intrusion. The reason this isn't an issue is due to the angle of the entrance corridor. I talk about it in the video about. It's referred to as geometric shielding which isn't really shielding at all, but rather a tactic to prevent the radiation that does penetrate from getting into the actual living area.
For the poop program….have cat litter to scoop over…good for the 24 hours period before getting rid of it…. Open air poop in a bunker is a fine way to infect everyone and water and food. We are doing that in camping in a poop tent…smell is berable….imagine in a bunker.
Great comment. My "A" plan is to close bags immediately after business is done (one poop per bag). But cat liter could extend that. Question: Do you find that some cat liter is better for this than others? I imagine "scented" cat liter could be nauseating smelling all those perfumes after a while.
@@canadianneo-frontiersmen6165 Good tips. Thx. On the urine, I'd go a step further and suggest that all urine be poured out down the drain (if one is available) as soon as it's produced. Mixing extra moisture in with the #2's will be a lot smellier than dumping the urine asap.
An extra turn wouldn't hurt, but I'm not sure how much it's really needed. There are definitely improvements overall that could be made to my personal setup here though. This was designed primarily as a root cellar with a fallout shelter being a possible secondary use that I had in mind during the build.
@PraxisPrepper rads go in straight lines and rebound in straight lines.. the more it "bounces" the less likely it enters the shelter entrance.. same like bullets or shrapnel .. And hopefully you don't think I was being sarcastic.. it's from the good spot.. I was in the army and we always did our bunkers/ positions with opposing 90° turns from main area of operation.. They also can be covered as in not exposed..
@@jeffburton4576 I appreciate the thought you were sharing. It had never been my understanding that gamma radiation could "bounce" like that. I'm learning all the time. Thx for the food for thought.
I'm not sure I get what you're saying here. I have a 90 degree turn at the entry. Were you reinforcing that being better than 45? Or did I accidentally misspeak in the video and call my 90 degree turn a 45?
@@PraxisPrepper : the 45 degree is for a blast protection from the shock wave ( up to 200 miles). Easy fix, Sand bags filled with dirt. this prevent the door to cave in. Praxis
@@Diebulfrog79 Thanks for clarifying. I might make some tweaks there. I had never intended the door to act as a blast door, but if a few tweaks can add that functionality, I might go for it. The only military target in any reasonable proximity actually IS directly in the line of that open door.
@@PraxisPrepper You have a fall out shelter not a blast shelter. The main thing is distance and what you have is fine. If anything build an extension with another 90 degree turn. Radiation moves in straight lines.
This was a great video and I fully agree with the ending. This is disgusting that our leaders have decided to restart the Cold War. Chickens in the house with a large gravity food and water dispensers? Give them a chance. Eggs will be gold.
I'm hearing your suggestion. I'm not disagreeing with it at all. It's a good idea, and more humane for our bird (who are definitely our pets and all have names and we know all their unique personalities). But I'm going to be a bit flip in my response because birds living in my house for a few weeks might lead to a SHTF (shit hits the floor) scenario on par with, or worse, than the nuclear Armageddon around us. ;) For real though, I should come up with a better approach for them. Maybe we get them into one of the greenhouses and give them all the food and water possible. Realistically, after a few days the radiation (situation dependent) might be low enough for me to pop out briefly to check on their food and water sitch (mostly the water would be the issue) and to take a few actions before heading back into the shelter. By the way, I'm not going to "thank" you for letting me know that you felt that this video was good - because I know that you're a guy who always tells the truth about his opinion, and that's all you're doing now - telling me how you see it (that the video was good). But what I AM going to say, is that coming from you, that statement gives me a great deal of confidence in my planning here. If HC approves of a plan, it's gotta be a pretty damn decent plan. :)
@@PraxisPrepper Mosaicmaster 1 in Puerto Rico is currently building a concrete hurricane proof chicken coop. Tiny channel but a great one for mega hurricane prepping. I'd use a room in the house and tarps rather than let them loose if war had started.
I don't think i could stay in such a small place (with 2 other persons) for 2 weeks. Neither I think the radiation could be such a threat (could it be?). Even if a bomb detonated 5 miles from me, i would probably stay in that shelter for 1-2-3 days top, than i would move to (airtight) house. If the bomb hit 10+ miles away I wouldn't even bother with the shelter (that's why I don't even try to have one, and I'm from Poland, I just want my home airtight, with ventilation/filtration, and protected against shock/heat wave to reasonable degree, you should probably also consider some protection of windows, and all that wood, in case of attack in extreme drought). Also, what kind of filters are you using in that air intake box? Professional ventilation systems (for personal use, family shelter, or basement, for $2000-$3000 before 2020) got filters for like 2 weeks max. In case you are forced to move to that shelter you would probably have to replace filter after a week, or even faster (and than the second one will last longer). Next month i will most likely finally be buying some filters, 4" fan and tubes, or something similar (can't decide yet, there are some ventilation/filtration solutions for military vehicles, similar specifications from what i read, maybe i will choose those).
I still think we (or Europe) are 2-3 years from war (2025). But, USA could be attacked faster than Europe (because of the hegemon role it plays), could be next year. USA could be attacked by Iran and Korea (backed by China and or Russia), and, or by some russian submarines (stealthy). Obviously New York and other coastal cities will be primary targets. It won't be 3WW immediately (no direct involvment of any superpower), and only several nukes may actually hit. I think this is now most probable scenario.
You're clearly giving this some serious thought - and it shows. I agree that 2 weeks in a shelter would be tough, and maybe not necessary. That's what the Geiger counters are for. maybe it's a half week in the shelter and then we pop out a bit for this or that (mental sanity etc.) and spend half or more of our time (including sleeping for sure) in the shelter. It all depends on what's outside. I like to hope war is staved off, but I like to be ready for things to move faster than I might hope. For me, once I have my preps in place, I feel like I can move on to other things feeling that I've put in the best effort possible.
I have one of those thick green plastic green houses. I believe it’s 6ft by 8ft. Would that work to protect from fall out or at least I would have an area of ground that doesn’t have fall out on the ground beneath it?
Are you asking this question for use as something to prevent the soil from being contaminated? I'm not sure what you're asking. The rule of thumb for all fallout is to: 1. stay away from it as far as possible. 2. put as much between you and it as possible. 3. reduce the amount of time where you're exposed to it. The distance note is actually the most potent of all of them. Doubling distance reduces radiation by more than half.
@@PraxisPrepper So the ground underneath the greenhouse would be contaminated by fall out? Because I heard you mention putting plastic on the ground. Sorry I wasn’t clear about my question.
I'm not sure how it came off that way, but I did not. I ran my water through a potable water hose that was run through a 4" ABS waste water drain pipe. There's electrical PVC in the shelter, but that's for the wires, not for the water.
A white globe on one or both of the light tubes on the right would brighten it up. You could even make some out of paper. I can see leaving them off to save space if you already have some.
Yeah, those tubes aren't finished yet. They actually have a 4 inch gap in the mirrors at the top where there's 4 inches of black (worst possible color to be there). I'm interested to see how much better they work when finished.
Two questions (Not fully through the video yet, so sorry, if they're already answered): 1. If strong winds or anything of that dimension rips out your antennas, will it also rip a hole where the antennas are lead ito the root cellar? 2. Is it possible for you to take the chickens into the root cellar with you? I might be imagining this as far to easy, carrying them over, keeping them entertained and being able to sleep next to them, but it would come with the benefit of entertainement for the humans inside and not loosing the chicken.
Two really good questions. I dont have any intentionally designed failure points in the antenna line, but a possible point of tear could be the coupling right before they head underground, or even more likey, at my solder point 5 feet above the ground. But you're right, a strong tug could do "who knows what". Obviously, that could damage gear if a radio were attached at the moment of the incident. As for the chickens, bringing them inside would be a nightmare. The pooping is nonstop, and the teo roosters scream on and off all day as if they're being paid to do so. I'm working on their permanent coop next summer that would offer them more protection. Good questions.
QUESTIONS . (1) How do you build your "roof" of the bunker so that it doesn't cave in on you? (2) How do you build your air filter systems so that you can get air from the outside while filtering out radiation? Thx.
Very good questions. To the first, I made a (very long) series about building the entire house, shed, firewood shed, and fallout shelter/root cellar. The series is a daily vlog of everything going on to accomplish all that. The best I can do for you on your first question, is to direct you to that series and suggest that you look through the thumbnails to find the "giant black shiny box" that looks like an alien spaceship landed in a crater. That's the shelter before it was buried and episodes leading up to that point should document that a bit. SERIES PLAYLIST: th-cam.com/video/lXN8yET09w0/w-d-xo.html As to your air intake question, that's also in that series, but I can direct you more easily to a video that will answer your question: th-cam.com/video/tOO2SS85djo/w-d-xo.html
If you turn the power off to your house for 2 weeks, you will lose any frozen (and uncontaminated) food stored there. If you are actually generating enough power anyway that would be a big loss for no reason.
You're right. My plan is to kill all the power to the house (except for some essential things). The well pump, and refrigeration will be kept on - for exactly the reasons you mentioned. The only thing that I'm on the fence about is whether to keep the pantry cooling going.
I guess if someone else has more than me, I must not have enough for my needs. Preparedness isn't a comparing penises sort of thing. The only important metric for people is whether tomorrow they can be more prepared than they are today. That's true for me and for you. Just try to up your game each day and don't worry about where other people are (except in so far as you might find their example inspiring).
Where are you getting your information at if we have a nuclear attack it’s gonna last longer than two weeks so what are you gonna do go to your neighbors house and take his food really
You read way too much between the lines to the point where you're seeing things that aren't there. That's a liability. I don't say in this video that a nuke war only last 2 weeks, and I also don't say that I only keep 2 weeks of food. I suspect if you're making very basic mistakes of inference while watching my video, you're probably making similar mistakes in a lot of other situations as well. Be careful with that. It can be dangerous to think you know things that you don't actually know.
As a Trumper, I WILL say... (and HAVE said in one of my videos from last year) that one shining light of our time under Trump was that he didn't start any new wars... at least not any international ones. Stoking the fires of class and race wars here at home? Sure. But the fact that we didn't start a single actual war (and he definitely was given opportunities by the military here in the US on many occasions) is a pretty decent legacy if you ask me... even if the guy's a totes narcissistic, self-serving, and manipulative human being.
@@PraxisPrepper I hate him but if I was American I'd have voted for him in 2016 purely to stop Her imposing a no fly zone over Syria, Russia's ally. Bomb time if she had done that
Where to begin, I hate to even comment because I feel like all I am doing is finding fault, I have zero fallout shelters, I am so far behind you in this requard it is not even just funny. The reason of course is financial. You have a significant investment. So even though I am going to say some things I would consider doing differently, I have the greatest respect for what you have accomplished. It is a feat, no doubt. Of course I do have some things I think could have been done in another direction. First I have already told you how I feel about your wiring and I am not you nor am I going to have to live with it. My method does increase costs and may be totally over the top. Who knows. I do hope your battery bank is vented, I have lead acid as well but any lead acid even sealed cells can generate hydogen and oxygen gases. Then your electonics is directly over the battery bank, gases rise and the electornics can spark. So you might want to at least give that some examination. Again, not me nor my family at risk. Then you mentioned that you do have a co2 alarm that is good but I am far from certain you do have enough leaks to the atmosphere for the gases to leave. In one way I hope not as it would defeat the purpose. A one day test would not be good enough. I would do a 2 week test using a tank of co2 and let it leak at about the same rate for 3 people with a periodic cycling of your air pump and be certain, not a just I think, your family is too important for an I think. Did I see any fire extingusers. Did I see any kerosene lanterns as a plan c. Love the bellows, that is good outside the box thinking. Then there is security. You basically have none. While I know it is not likely, you really do need to think about zombies, i.e the maurader class of low life. I would camoflage the air vents and the enterence. that enterance is a whole different topic. You need covers over those light tubes so you do not have a little beacon on your hill, saying here we are, come and eat us. Then I would think about putting a dog lot right up against the enterance and making it just look like a back wall of a kennel. I know from your videos you understand the risk other humans would present in this type of problem. But I think you are just naturally a nice guy and tend to discount that risk. I never do, some people may be nice, but most of em are no damn good. What the no damn good varity will do in a world without the rule of law is going to be horrible. The other thing I would mention. Was there no way to to tie to your septic system or even just install a mini one for the bunker. More money for sure, maybe even wasted money if nothing ever happens but I consider a septic system right up there with water. Not having it just makes life much harder and nastier and even more dangerous. Still I envy you your homestead and the bunker. It takes work and didication to accomplish that. If a war comes and visits our nation, we do not anticipate living through it. We are 67, 63 and 59 and the girls would be helpless without me, so worse comes to worse, I will do my best and let the chips fall where they may. So again, not finding fault even if it sounds like it, simply giveing a point of view. Only a fraction of th population has done as much as you have for your family.
Those are all good points and every one of them is definitely on my mind. First, YES I forgot to mention that we have a fire extinguisher. It's in the kitchen bin and it's very important. I wish that I could have gone through the bins on camera. But no one to help me shoot means I have to make due sometimes. I forgot to mention the vitamins as well... and maybe some other items too. On the hydrogen gas. Yes, that's absolutely a thing. The batteries are NOT sealed batteries, so venting is required. I've been "winging it" for the time being. But that needs to be resolved at some point. On the vent of exhaust air. I DO think I'll need to add one. It needs to have spring-loaded flaps (like the bellows) so it only opens when there's air going out. My plan is to add that to the top of one of the light tubes and turn the tube into a vent. As for the two security-related concerns (the visible light tubes and security at the door), I don't feel that the light tubes are that conspicuous (at least not with all the vegetation around them) but the delightful Hobbit door IS. Your idea of making it look like a dog pen etc. is cool. I've considered placing a deck over the entire entrance so it's very well shaded (and the deck could also be part of a pre-entry system of decon). As for general security, I never discuss that on my channel because it's my feeling that I'd prefer anyone approaching my place to be under the impression that I don't have any security. Do I? Don't I? They'll find out. ;) Septic system question. That would have been great but I was really designing the space as a root cellar that could be pressed into service as a fallout shelter in the "incredibly off-chance" that such a thing would ever be needed. That was about 3 years ago and BOY have we moved pretty far from what used to be an "incredibly off-chance"! So yeah, I'm doing the best with what I got. realistically, while 2 weeks is a good rule of thumb time period, after about 48 hours, it'd most likely be totally fine to at least open the door to toss bags of shit outside if needed. So we have options on that one... and the bags of shit themselves could act as "deterrent land mines" for security??? ;) Thanks for your thoughts, they're always very much welcome and appreciated! If if (like these points) they were things that were already on my radar, just hearing someone else note them as well, reinforces the ideas to me to keep me from slacking off on it.
@@PraxisPrepper On the light tubes, I was just thinking a flap to close them off at night, that way you would not be radiating a signal that even though small, would be visible for a long way. In a grid down world any light is going to be noticable. But I am glad to hear you are just keeping security close to the vest, wise.
@@charlescoffey9523 You know you're now reminding me of something that I'd considered a while ago, but have forgotten about since. I had been thinking that flaps or plugs on the inside could serve that purpose. Thx for the reminder. Far better you here now than a knock at the door in the shelter later! ;)
If we had more time we'd come up with better plans for them... and hopefully we DO have more time. An INFINITE amount of time before nuclear Armageddon would be preferred.
Don't act like your not 🚫🚫 going to see a 🖤💀💜💚💜💚 space 🚀🚀🚀 alien 👽👽 show up in a Tesla or some other expensive car 🚗🛒🛍️🛒 for government handouts the national guard is passing out. We love Boston burgers with government 🧀🧀🧀 🐔🐔🍗🍗 cheese though.
I definitely don’t want to be around this “smart” guy around during a fallout for sure 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. He dosent know anything about radiation and heat-resistant -materials
Poking fun at people feels great (for some), but it's a more noble pastime to help people (which is my attempt here with this video). How about you give it a try. Where are the issues you're seeing specifically? Why would 8" of concrete under 3' of dirt be ineffective for a dusting of fallout above? How could it be improved? I'm always open to critiques. I learn and grow from them when they contain information. Comments like yours don't help anyone. So help. It feels good when you know that something you've passed on has a chance to better those around you. Give it a try.
For those who can't do a big shelter. Survive and thrive during and after fallout at Family Disaster Network. Google it navigate nuclear pages public domain information
If that happens, then I suppose I'd be no better (or worse) off than if if I'd not bothered to do anything at all. This is a common comment on prepping channels. "Why prepare for X because Y could happen and then you'll be dead!" But what if Y doesn't happen? Might it be good to have a plan for if only X happens? Why buckle your seat belt? A missile could hit your car. Why eat healthy foods? A missile could strike you at your dinner table! Why lock your door? A missile... etc. Preventing one bad thing from happening is still useful even if other bad things could still occur.
You need to change the front door latch as someone could block you in on purpose with either a padlock or even a piece of metal or even a wooden stick. Very important if you do not have an escape hatch.
Very good point. One could become stuck in there even by accident if a tree fell against the door. To prep for that possibility, the tools are available inside the shelter to relatively easily escape through that door even in that situation. Good on you for noticing that danger! And I appreciate you caring enough to mention it too - in case I had NOT thought of it. :)
Put your breakers and switches in the SHELTER. That way, you only disconnect power once in it and you can turn on water pressure, etc. from inside the shelter. If you are not downwind of nuclear fallout or you are far away then that same fallout is of much less concern. This is an entire topic for discussion so it is not really a simple rule. You never go wrong by planning for fallout. This vid does a great job. If you live with fallout, get used to a new timeline for a lifespan since you will live but not necessarily to the average of 84-86 years old anymore.
Good tip on breakers inside. For my situation, this is a bit of a retro-fit so not everything is perfect. If I were going to do this from the ground up, I'd definitely have more access to systems from within the shelter.
Awesome shelter info! Consider reconfiguring your outside retaining wall possibly with heavy construction raised bed planters to form a solid wall in front of the door. Also a grapevine like structure over the door area could get a tarp roof to create an outside decontamination wash off area with a solar camping shower. Keep up the great work. 👍👍👍
I've been considering that same idea of building some sort of entry structure. In the same way that the fallout shelter is useful as a root cellar, I'm trying to make any entry structures being dual useful as... not sure yet. I've been thinking of a simple deck out over it as well. So many possibilities.
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you found the video enjoyable.
I really enjoy your videos. My suggestion for raised bed planters and a grapevine structure is to maximize the beauty and usefulness of those during normal times while offering additional shielding and functionally for the worst case scenario.
@@kennethsantos7919 It's DEFINITELY not clear from the video, but the entire top of the structure is heading towards being used as a raised bed. At the moment, it's a bed of weeds and a few sunflowers, but over time, we're definitely looking to develop it as a garden bed of plants that don't want/need watering (because more water over the shelter means more water to be dehumidified out of it).
Love the idea of having something that serves two purposes. Root cellar and a fallout shelter.
AND... a random dry storage area for when we were building our house... and actually just yesterday I tossed some windows destined for my chicken coop in there too. Multipurpose makes me happy too!
Good job. I watched the whole thing. Just a few thoughts. Given the small space, I recommend running the majority of your power needs on 12 volt such as the light and air blower. On day one you may not be too concern about inverter inefficiencies but eventually you be counting every watt. Use the inverter on items that must be on 120V and turn off when not needed. Idling an inverter will waste your batteries. Your inverter is just another thing that might break. In regards to your batteries, store it above the floor. In your case, any water seepage will flood out your battery right away. Space heater and heat plate will suck your battery dry within hours. Get 12V electric blankets and gas burner. O2 is not an issue since you have fresh air coming in. The inverter should be placed in the faraday cage until needed. Can you get more 1/8" Lead sheeting and line the door? If you have people addicted to coffee, stock up on coffee. Get kitty litter or wood chips to absorb bodily fluids in order to manage vomit or diarrhea. Even with trash bags, it's going to be messy. For the shower, how about large drip pan in front of the toilet and a garden sprayer so you're minimizing water waste? Then get a dirty water sump pump to remove the water. This pump can also extract water if starts coming in from the front door or you have a hose burst. One other consideration is fire in the area. Get battery operated smoke detector to warn you especially in middle of the night. Can you talk more about your air filtration solution? if there is alot of fallout, how will you replace the media daily/every other day, etc? Have a simple shortwave radio so you're not powering up the ham equipment all day long. Include a flat screen TV even if it's for videos once a day. I would also recommend a lengthy 4" pipe to run from the shelter down the hill so that it can double as exhaust or a way to flush things out if needed. Have a separate battery for the fan in case your main battery runs out for whatever accidental reason. Having isolation between batteries means you can't accidentally run the other one empty. Hope this all helps.
Great thinking HGW! You and I think alike! I have a lot of your notes actually already covered to some extent. The one thing that you did pop into my head though (when you mentioned kitty litter etc) is paper towels. I'll be adding that. We can discuss more in the livestream about the power plans. As it goes, we have two systems, the whole house system, the backup that's just in the shelter, (and then a bunch of mini systems and manuals on top of all of it). I hope to see you at the live. Your head comes up with on-point questions and concerns!
@@PraxisPrepper Looking forward to your livestream.
"Here are the chickens...good luck to them."
Chickens: "Yeah, I see how it is. See if we ever give you anymore eggs, pal."
I'm not sure what's the best option for them if things went down. Letting them free range would be best so they could at least get food and water - water in their coop might get covered in straw when they kick it up sometimes. BUT... keeping them in the coop would be best for them if it's a false alarm and no debris ends up hitting our area. I'd hate to let them free range, have half them killed by predators and then find out it was a false alarm and we come out after 48 hours to find them ravaged by mother nature. It's all a roll of the dice unfortunately.
@@PraxisPrepper There's no easy answer. But hey, you're doing the best you can with what info you have, so no sweat.
@@PraxisPrepper Do you have a crawl space or basement under your main home? My parents decided that if an event happens the laundry room in the basement (simple cement floor w/drain) will be the chickens home. It's not perfect, but it will provide safety and some shielding. The laundry part of the basement is beneath the master bedroom, so between the bed, closet full of shoes, clothes and massive safe, overhead shielding is something more than just carpeting.
@@Wendy_Blank Your parents sound like they've given this some decent thought. Their idea sounds to me like a best-option reasonable effort for their birds. I don't have a crawl space in my house... though I DID build tunnels under the floor when I built (for air circulation). For us here, if the "wise" humans in charge can hold this insanity off for another year, they chickens should have a nice stone coop sometime next summer when I can get to build it. I'd have built it this year, but I was distracted by... other projects.
Thanks for the comment. It's a good thought that you bring up!
Consider the swiss air filtration that atlas shelter's uses. It's got a HEPA filter but also a large amount of carbon
I'm sure those are great. Mine had the benefit if being a lot less money. If I had to guess, I'd bet his are superior, but I couldn't afford one of those and wanted to have something vs nothing. Ron seems like an honest business man to me though, so I'm sure he's done his research and I bet the Swiss ones are top quality.
@@PraxisPrepper He even has israeli made ones that are pretty much the same as the swiss ones. The swiss ones are like 8k while the israeli ones is about 1.5k. You could also consider an overpressure blast valve which lets air out but not in, so you won't need to worry about not sealing because air will have an escape.
Try living in the shelter for 5 days
Including cooking etc with the doors closed.
Books TV etc might also keep you entertained.
Nice setup.
That's an excellent suggestion and we very much SHOULD do it. I'd be surprised if we didn't discover something that we'd forgotten. I doubt we'll end up going through with a full 5 days though. The one piece of insurance we DO have that makes me feel that our holes will be minimal is that we'd be bringing in our camping bags with us if we ever needed to use the shelter. The camping bags routinely support us for about a week each year and I'm constantly upgrading them all the time. So if we DID forget something in the shelter stocking procedure, my hope is that the camping bags would fill in any holes. Overall though... I really hope we never need to use that shelter as a shelter!
Thank you!! As usual… Awesome video and you gave me some ideas for my place. It’s really sad we have to even think about the threats of nukes.
Yeah, I'm totes annoyed by it as well. So many more fun projects that could be being done... not to mention collectively as a species. If all this war effort were aimed at the advancement of humanity, imagine the world that we'd have right now. It'd be breathtaking.
@@PraxisPrepper Absolutely! It would be
Fantastic space, really good ideas, very thought provoking.
I hope it gets your mental juices flowing for if you'd like to create something for yourself at some point. :)
Shrink your entryways to no more than 20” by building concrete walls. Leave second entry 18-20” wide and started from the wall were your sink is located, this will create dead end to trap radiation. Get solid blocks or pavers to fill 18-20” entryways after you get inside as tight as possible. Cross lay bricks without seams going all the way .
These are good tips. If this structure had been primarily built for this purpose, the entry (and a great number of other features) would have been designed differently. Thanks for the thoughts!
Very well done sir!
I think leaving a well setup place is the absolute last option. I even think, where do I go and I have to leave most things I setup behind (I don't have a second place). It would be a total loss. But if it is unsafe well, you would have to do it.
I've been thinking a lot about this question recently, as the place we're at presently gets buttoned up and finished, my brain has turned to backup location possibilities. It's a BIG step moving from somewhere that you know (and are known) to a place where you're unfamiliar with the locale and are seen as an outsider.
thrre days test. Praxis. cat litter and pine shavings for the toilet. 55 trash can for the toilet bags. Another reason for exhaust vent.
I won't be able to swing a 3 day test with kid scheduling commitments. My main concern is O2 levels and being sure my vents can keep them adequate. I'm pretty sure I have more than enough gear to keep things breathable... but I'll feel better after an actual run-through.
I'd love to have enough room for a 55 gallon bucket for trash in there, but we're running against the capacity now. I wish we had been able to dig a bigger hole. Darn New England ledge!
Great DIY setup. Imagine it would save you in costs, making the majority of your gear yourself. Interesting video.
Thanks David! The DIYing def saves a ton!
Exercise cycle or treadmill will help.
I'm not a big exercise cycle guy, but I AM addicted to a Nintendo switch video game called Ring Fit. It's my every-other-day exercise routine and it's definitely going in there in an event. If the power goes out and we can't play it, then I guess our main exercise would be using the manual air circulation pump. Not as fun as the game though.
Great to see you have made the step to get a shelter, I think as budget allows I'd add a porch with the wooden door and a wash off area, beyond hat where the door is now I'd add a gas tight door and some over pressure value to keep you safer in the shelter. the water idea sounds good until it goes wrong or yu need to go out and come back in, too much of a chore and you need to think safer rather than mistakes on the job. Still, something is better than nothing as we all know
Agreed. This is far from perfect. I would do a great many things different if I were building this exclusively as a nuclear fallout shelter (your suggestions likely being among those things).
That bellow was a great idea 💡
I'm pretty proud of it. It can double as a bellows for smelting metals from ore too.:)
No exhaust vent
I think about your exhaust vent suggestion nearly every day. I really need to do a test to see how much air is allowed in when the door is closed shut (which wasn't possible to do from the inside until recently). My plan (if presumably I DO need more venting out) is to swap the lid of one of the light tubes out for a vent with spring-loaded flaps to let air out. That's the last thing I'll likely need to do before a full test.
Thanks for reminding me about it. I definitely didn't need it because I do think about your words all the time, but I appreciate your making SURE I don't forget them! ;)
If a Atomic war started - you have about 30 minutes just to get inside. Your door is a giant mistake, add a exterior concrete mud room, add a steel blast door. Add a room just for vittles and water to get more family space. being crammed into a box with little room can increase stress for every one. Build a real bathroom! I thank you for posting.
I agree with a lot of your points, but had some thoughts on them as well where I think I disagree with some points too. It's mostly 3 points that pop up in my head.
1. When you say, "If an atomic war started, you'd have 30 mins to get inside." That presupposes that the moment that the war started, one would be alerted and know that it had started. That's very unlikely to be the case. The first warning that an atomic war begins (for the general population) is likely to be an atomic explosion occurring. For the people in the blast zone, they won't have 30 minutes. For people outside that area, rumors will start to slowly swirl. At first it will seem like a possible psy-op, cyber attack hoax, or the real thing. So people will need to make a decision. For the vast majority of those people, they'll have well over 30 minutes unless they're in targeted areas. So I just wanted to comment on how clear any of this would feel if it began. I really don't think it's as simple as a ticking clock starting up and counting down. I know you didn't mean 30 mins exactly or anything like that, but I wanted to comment on the likely ambiguity of those early moments.
2. On my shelter, I agree that it would be nice (in the event of a war) to have MUCH more space. We 100% agree on that. But most people (myself included) have limitations in terms of resources. So we have to work with what we have. This is what I was able to swing when I was building it back several years ago. Most people that see this video suggest that they can't even swing this. And I don't think they'd need to. People could make less than this work too. It'd be less comfortable, but it could be done.
3. Last, on the door to the shelter, yes, it's not a blast door at all. In fact, the entire shelter is not a blast shelter. It can't take a bomb strike anywhere nearby. What this is is a fallout shelter. It's a shelter from drifting fallout from other areas. Again, building an actual blast shelter would be great, but with limited resources, it's not in the cards for everyone. Someday I might like to try building one though. It's a lot more required in terms of depth and that door you mentioned. Also, the air intake of our shelter wouldn't withstand a raging fire above either.
All very well thought out, I'm guessing you wouldn't show it if it was in place but is there no CCTV to keep an eye on the outside world? Although some may stay indoors for 2 weeks if told a lot of people would most likely be starving to death and so not care any more.
I wish it were less of a bad idea (imo) to talk about security on here. I think it's important, but i never discuss it for yhe reasons that you alluded to. But yes, we're planning on the idea that people might very well be out and about after 48 to 72 hours and we have plans for that for sure.
@@PraxisPrepper Completely get it, if there wasn't a need for security then there'd be no need to prepare as there'd be no wars. It's certainly harder for most in the UK to prepare in that sense compared to the US. Luckily there's a lot of army surplus and the likes of airsoft that can come in handy here.
Awesome video.
I'm glad you found it useful. Thanks for letting me know! :)
I should note that I neglected to mention one very important item in the shelter - a fire extinguisher. Very important... potentially.
Great video Praxis. Thank you! What about just a regular basement? Actually never mind I just started watching your legos video so I’ll check the info there. Thanks!!!
I'm planning to make another set of videos in LEGO format for other environments as well.
@@PraxisPrepper That would be great. I found it helped a lot.
Great video. Very informative. What kind of ceiling is in your shelter?
It's made with thick corrugated steel roofing sheets that had 8"-10" of concrete poured over top. about 3' of dirt is above that presently.
@@PraxisPrepper thanks so much. I'm considering making my own shelter/cellar. I've seen that corrugated steel in schools and commercial buildings just haven't seen it for sale anywhere.
@@thomaswhite5928 I didn't buy it myself. The contractors that did the pour of the concrete supplied it. If you like, I can get specs on it (measurements etc.) so you can have a sense of what to look for. Shoot me an email at praxisprepper@gmail.com if you want me to grab that for you. I can send close up photos too of that stuff as well.
If plastic sheeting is over your garden, what is the probability of getting sick or dieing from contaminated garden vegetables? Sounds like they would be no good to harvest and consume?.. great explanation of the shelter
Probability of illness would be based on how much toxic debris is still present, which one could only discern after the event. As I noted in this video, it's all a matter of weighing bad options in a post nuclear war world.
The lack of ozone is deadly to plants and animal eyeballs. Fall out drops, plastic sheeting is a critical gardening prep for a post war world. Garden at night until ozone recovers
Praxis what are you cooking with in the shelter? Forgive me if you mentioned it I missed it
I mentioned it in passing, but I didn't show it. I'm using a hot plate. I really wish I had had someone else to operate the camera during this video so I could have gotten into the bins more.
What was the link for video in radiation treatment, hoopels-cat?
Huples Cat. Here's the video link: th-cam.com/video/Y3DUC_XvKVc/w-d-xo.html
I would place the mental shelves flat against the walls giving more space. I would go stir crazy in that small of a space let alone 2 children. Space is necessary. I know it’s for imminent events and you have done an excellent job. Much thought and safety , invested time and money. I’m just concerned about mental stability and moral . Space seems a premium .
Both shelves couldn't fit up against that wall. But you know what... I bet that one between the bunks and the other shelf COULD fit if it were rotated 90 degrees and slid up against the wall. I'm not sure why I didn't think to do that when I was setting them up. I'll be out there with a tape measure tomorrow and I think I might see if I can swing that. You're 100% correct about space being a virtue in a space like that.
@@PraxisPrepper Maybe try it out like it is for a day first. I know that I would personally prefer the room divide for some privacy over having a bigger open space, but that is obviously not everyones preference. Whatever you decide to do, wost case scenario you can still empty, rearrange and refill the shelf again, when you are already inside. That will take some time, but it's not like you woudn't have enogh time to do that if sufficiently bored...
@@mar.2 that's a good point. A brain like mine will need some "home upgrade" projects to engage in if I'm ever stuck in there. Best to leave some tinkering as a gift to my future (terribly bored) self. :)
QUESTION. (I keep rewatching this and keep learning new things, thank you!). How do you make that bellow air system? (It's quite brilliant). I imagine I can build something similar with a good plunger but any information you can share will be helpful.
I presume you mean that accordian style of plunger. Cool idea. There would be trade offs though. My design drawns in WAY more air in one cycle than one of those accordian plungers would. So you'd have to cycke it a lot more. But... your designe would be a lot more compact than mine and would probably be an easier build. You could just... You know what, i'm gonna do a video on your idea today and release it asap. We can continue this chat there. It's a cool idea you have here and it'd be great to share it w people. Can i reference your screen name in the video? If i dont hear back from you before i shoot the video, i won't mention your name to be on the safe side.
@@PraxisPrepper Sorry I just saw this. Yes, you can mention me though I'm not sure if it's of any help to others. :) I am VERY interested in your next video tho. Counting the seconds. Thanks bro.
@@drivestorage1779 The video just went live. I didn't mention you in it, but I'll link to your TH-cam profile in the description. Thanks for the concept. It was fun to pick it up and run with it!
In the description, I link to the episodes of my Project Homestead series that covers the beginning of the bellows build.
@@PraxisPrepper Right on bro! U are efficient! M eager to watch it but working at the moment. Let's see if I get a decent lunch break. I'm certain I'll learn something from it. I always do from your content!
20 inches? Minimum is 3 feet for root cellar. Praxis
Yeah, it gets too hot in the summer. I'm adding more material over time slowly. No engineers were willing/had the knowledge to certify the load carrying capacity of the ceiling of the space. So I'm going slow. I actually think it was more like 28 inches too (including the 8 inches of concrete). I looked at my diagrams afterward and I'd had 14 inches of dirt and concrete initially, and I had aimed to add another 14 inches on top of that recently.
@@PraxisPrepper : before adding more dirt and material. Do have three steel crossbeams in the roof? 18 inches of insulation and 24 inches of dirt should keep it cool and warm about 60 degrees for root celler.
Better change that exterior door. It stopping radiation is like paper stopping rain.
Your analogy actually assumes the door would stop more than it would. It's more like a pane of slightly tinted glass stopping sunlight. The door isn't meant to block radiation at all. It's only intended to seal against dust intrusion. The reason this isn't an issue is due to the angle of the entrance corridor. I talk about it in the video about. It's referred to as geometric shielding which isn't really shielding at all, but rather a tactic to prevent the radiation that does penetrate from getting into the actual living area.
There's no radiation with a Hydrogen bomb (fusion).Only a Atomic bomb (fission) has high levels of radiation.
For the poop program….have cat litter to scoop over…good for the 24 hours period before getting rid of it…. Open air poop in a bunker is a fine way to infect everyone and water and food. We are doing that in camping in a poop tent…smell is berable….imagine in a bunker.
Great comment. My "A" plan is to close bags immediately after business is done (one poop per bag). But cat liter could extend that. Question: Do you find that some cat liter is better for this than others? I imagine "scented" cat liter could be nauseating smelling all those perfumes after a while.
@@PraxisPrepper use the one that is long lasting….you could also add wood chip…it does have the effect to neutralize the urea. Cheap and effective.
@@canadianneo-frontiersmen6165 Good tips. Thx. On the urine, I'd go a step further and suggest that all urine be poured out down the drain (if one is available) as soon as it's produced. Mixing extra moisture in with the #2's will be a lot smellier than dumping the urine asap.
Make one more 90 degree turn.. then you stop alot more rads.. at the entrance..
An extra turn wouldn't hurt, but I'm not sure how much it's really needed. There are definitely improvements overall that could be made to my personal setup here though. This was designed primarily as a root cellar with a fallout shelter being a possible secondary use that I had in mind during the build.
@PraxisPrepper rads go in straight lines and rebound in straight lines.. the more it "bounces" the less likely it enters the shelter entrance.. same like bullets or shrapnel ..
And hopefully you don't think I was being sarcastic.. it's from the good spot..
I was in the army and we always did our bunkers/ positions with opposing 90° turns from main area of operation..
They also can be covered as in not exposed..
@@jeffburton4576 I appreciate the thought you were sharing. It had never been my understanding that gamma radiation could "bounce" like that. I'm learning all the time. Thx for the food for thought.
@@PraxisPrepper yes sir.. and I hope it's always the best food bunker only..
@@jeffburton4576 Me too Jeff!
There's no radiation with a Hydrogen bomb( fusion).Only a Atomic bomb( fission) has high radiation levels.
No 45 degree at entry
I'm not sure I get what you're saying here. I have a 90 degree turn at the entry. Were you reinforcing that being better than 45? Or did I accidentally misspeak in the video and call my 90 degree turn a 45?
@@PraxisPrepper : the 45 degree is for a blast protection from the shock wave ( up to 200 miles). Easy fix, Sand bags filled with dirt. this prevent the door to cave in. Praxis
@@Diebulfrog79 Thanks for clarifying. I might make some tweaks there. I had never intended the door to act as a blast door, but if a few tweaks can add that functionality, I might go for it. The only military target in any reasonable proximity actually IS directly in the line of that open door.
@@PraxisPrepper You have a fall out shelter not a blast shelter. The main thing is distance and what you have is fine. If anything build an extension with another 90 degree turn. Radiation moves in straight lines.
@@HuplesCat Yeah, blast shelter was a bit "next level" for me when I was building this monstrosity.
This was a great video and I fully agree with the ending. This is disgusting that our leaders have decided to restart the Cold War. Chickens in the house with a large gravity food and water dispensers? Give them a chance. Eggs will be gold.
I'm hearing your suggestion. I'm not disagreeing with it at all. It's a good idea, and more humane for our bird (who are definitely our pets and all have names and we know all their unique personalities). But I'm going to be a bit flip in my response because birds living in my house for a few weeks might lead to a SHTF (shit hits the floor) scenario on par with, or worse, than the nuclear Armageddon around us. ;)
For real though, I should come up with a better approach for them. Maybe we get them into one of the greenhouses and give them all the food and water possible. Realistically, after a few days the radiation (situation dependent) might be low enough for me to pop out briefly to check on their food and water sitch (mostly the water would be the issue) and to take a few actions before heading back into the shelter.
By the way, I'm not going to "thank" you for letting me know that you felt that this video was good - because I know that you're a guy who always tells the truth about his opinion, and that's all you're doing now - telling me how you see it (that the video was good). But what I AM going to say, is that coming from you, that statement gives me a great deal of confidence in my planning here. If HC approves of a plan, it's gotta be a pretty damn decent plan. :)
@@PraxisPrepper Mosaicmaster 1 in Puerto Rico is currently building a concrete hurricane proof chicken coop. Tiny channel but a great one for mega hurricane prepping.
I'd use a room in the house and tarps rather than let them loose if war had started.
I don't think i could stay in such a small place (with 2 other persons) for 2 weeks. Neither I think the radiation could be such a threat (could it be?).
Even if a bomb detonated 5 miles from me, i would probably stay in that shelter for 1-2-3 days top, than i would move to (airtight) house. If the bomb hit 10+ miles away I wouldn't even bother with the shelter (that's why I don't even try to have one, and I'm from Poland, I just want my home airtight, with ventilation/filtration, and protected against shock/heat wave to reasonable degree, you should probably also consider some protection of windows, and all that wood, in case of attack in extreme drought).
Also, what kind of filters are you using in that air intake box? Professional ventilation systems (for personal use, family shelter, or basement, for $2000-$3000 before 2020) got filters for like 2 weeks max. In case you are forced to move to that shelter you would probably have to replace filter after a week, or even faster (and than the second one will last longer). Next month i will most likely finally be buying some filters, 4" fan and tubes, or something similar (can't decide yet, there are some ventilation/filtration solutions for military vehicles, similar specifications from what i read, maybe i will choose those).
I still think we (or Europe) are 2-3 years from war (2025). But, USA could be attacked faster than Europe (because of the hegemon role it plays), could be next year. USA could be attacked by Iran and Korea (backed by China and or Russia), and, or by some russian submarines (stealthy). Obviously New York and other coastal cities will be primary targets. It won't be 3WW immediately (no direct involvment of any superpower), and only several nukes may actually hit. I think this is now most probable scenario.
You're clearly giving this some serious thought - and it shows. I agree that 2 weeks in a shelter would be tough, and maybe not necessary. That's what the Geiger counters are for. maybe it's a half week in the shelter and then we pop out a bit for this or that (mental sanity etc.) and spend half or more of our time (including sleeping for sure) in the shelter. It all depends on what's outside.
I like to hope war is staved off, but I like to be ready for things to move faster than I might hope. For me, once I have my preps in place, I feel like I can move on to other things feeling that I've put in the best effort possible.
I have one of those thick green plastic green houses. I believe it’s 6ft by 8ft. Would that work to protect from fall out or at least I would have an area of ground that doesn’t have fall out on the ground beneath it?
Are you asking this question for use as something to prevent the soil from being contaminated? I'm not sure what you're asking. The rule of thumb for all fallout is to:
1. stay away from it as far as possible.
2. put as much between you and it as possible.
3. reduce the amount of time where you're exposed to it.
The distance note is actually the most potent of all of them. Doubling distance reduces radiation by more than half.
@@PraxisPrepper So the ground underneath the greenhouse would be contaminated by fall out? Because I heard you mention putting plastic on the ground. Sorry I wasn’t clear about my question.
Wow you ran your water through an electrical conduit.
I'm not sure how it came off that way, but I did not. I ran my water through a potable water hose that was run through a 4" ABS waste water drain pipe. There's electrical PVC in the shelter, but that's for the wires, not for the water.
A white globe on one or both of the light tubes on the right would brighten it up. You could even make some out of paper. I can see leaving them off to save space if you already have some.
Yeah, those tubes aren't finished yet. They actually have a 4 inch gap in the mirrors at the top where there's 4 inches of black (worst possible color to be there). I'm interested to see how much better they work when finished.
Two questions (Not fully through the video yet, so sorry, if they're already answered): 1. If strong winds or anything of that dimension rips out your antennas, will it also rip a hole where the antennas are lead ito the root cellar? 2. Is it possible for you to take the chickens into the root cellar with you? I might be imagining this as far to easy, carrying them over, keeping them entertained and being able to sleep next to them, but it would come with the benefit of entertainement for the humans inside and not loosing the chicken.
Two really good questions. I dont have any intentionally designed failure points in the antenna line, but a possible point of tear could be the coupling right before they head underground, or even more likey, at my solder point 5 feet above the ground. But you're right, a strong tug could do "who knows what". Obviously, that could damage gear if a radio were attached at the moment of the incident.
As for the chickens, bringing them inside would be a nightmare. The pooping is nonstop, and the teo roosters scream on and off all day as if they're being paid to do so. I'm working on their permanent coop next summer that would offer them more protection. Good questions.
QUESTIONS . (1) How do you build your "roof" of the bunker so that it doesn't cave in on you? (2) How do you build your air filter systems so that you can get air from the outside while filtering out radiation? Thx.
Very good questions.
To the first, I made a (very long) series about building the entire house, shed, firewood shed, and fallout shelter/root cellar. The series is a daily vlog of everything going on to accomplish all that. The best I can do for you on your first question, is to direct you to that series and suggest that you look through the thumbnails to find the "giant black shiny box" that looks like an alien spaceship landed in a crater. That's the shelter before it was buried and episodes leading up to that point should document that a bit.
SERIES PLAYLIST: th-cam.com/video/lXN8yET09w0/w-d-xo.html
As to your air intake question, that's also in that series, but I can direct you more easily to a video that will answer your question: th-cam.com/video/tOO2SS85djo/w-d-xo.html
@@PraxisPrepper thanks, I will check them out.
If you turn the power off to your house for 2 weeks, you will lose any frozen (and uncontaminated) food stored there. If you are actually generating enough power anyway that would be a big loss for no reason.
You're right. My plan is to kill all the power to the house (except for some essential things). The well pump, and refrigeration will be kept on - for exactly the reasons you mentioned. The only thing that I'm on the fence about is whether to keep the pantry cooling going.
OK, how about first aid? You forgot all about that. I’ve got four duffel bags of first aid and it’s just the basics.
I guess if someone else has more than me, I must not have enough for my needs.
Preparedness isn't a comparing penises sort of thing. The only important metric for people is whether tomorrow they can be more prepared than they are today. That's true for me and for you. Just try to up your game each day and don't worry about where other people are (except in so far as you might find their example inspiring).
Where are you getting your information at if we have a nuclear attack it’s gonna last longer than two weeks so what are you gonna do go to your neighbors house and take his food really
You read way too much between the lines to the point where you're seeing things that aren't there. That's a liability. I don't say in this video that a nuke war only last 2 weeks, and I also don't say that I only keep 2 weeks of food.
I suspect if you're making very basic mistakes of inference while watching my video, you're probably making similar mistakes in a lot of other situations as well. Be careful with that. It can be dangerous to think you know things that you don't actually know.
If a bomb goes off .your not going to internet.
Bombs go off all the time and plenty of people still internet.
Thanks for the shoutout. You are far too kind. I’m a soya boy socialist that makes Praxis seem like a Trumper so be warned 😂
As a Trumper, I WILL say... (and HAVE said in one of my videos from last year) that one shining light of our time under Trump was that he didn't start any new wars... at least not any international ones. Stoking the fires of class and race wars here at home? Sure. But the fact that we didn't start a single actual war (and he definitely was given opportunities by the military here in the US on many occasions) is a pretty decent legacy if you ask me... even if the guy's a totes narcissistic, self-serving, and manipulative human being.
@@PraxisPrepper I hate him but if I was American I'd have voted for him in 2016 purely to stop Her imposing a no fly zone over Syria, Russia's ally. Bomb time if she had done that
Where to begin, I hate to even comment because I feel like all I am doing is finding fault, I have zero fallout shelters, I am so far behind you in this requard it is not even just funny. The reason of course is financial. You have a significant investment. So even though I am going to say some things I would consider doing differently, I have the greatest respect for what you have accomplished. It is a feat, no doubt. Of course I do have some things I think could have been done in another direction. First I have already told you how I feel about your wiring and I am not you nor am I going to have to live with it. My method does increase costs and may be totally over the top. Who knows. I do hope your battery bank is vented, I have lead acid as well but any lead acid even sealed cells can generate hydogen and oxygen gases. Then your electonics is directly over the battery bank, gases rise and the electornics can spark. So you might want to at least give that some examination. Again, not me nor my family at risk. Then you mentioned that you do have a co2 alarm that is good but I am far from certain you do have enough leaks to the atmosphere for the gases to leave. In one way I hope not as it would defeat the purpose. A one day test would not be good enough. I would do a 2 week test using a tank of co2 and let it leak at about the same rate for 3 people with a periodic cycling of your air pump and be certain, not a just I think, your family is too important for an I think. Did I see any fire extingusers. Did I see any kerosene lanterns as a plan c. Love the bellows, that is good outside the box thinking. Then there is security. You basically have none. While I know it is not likely, you really do need to think about zombies, i.e the maurader class of low life. I would camoflage the air vents and the enterence. that enterance is a whole different topic. You need covers over those light tubes so you do not have a little beacon on your hill, saying here we are, come and eat us. Then I would think about putting a dog lot right up against the enterance and making it just look like a back wall of a kennel. I know from your videos you understand the risk other humans would present in this type of problem. But I think you are just naturally a nice guy and tend to discount that risk. I never do, some people may be nice, but most of em are no damn good. What the no damn good varity will do in a world without the rule of law is going to be horrible.
The other thing I would mention. Was there no way to to tie to your septic system or even just install a mini one for the bunker. More money for sure, maybe even wasted money if nothing ever happens but I consider a septic system right up there with water. Not having it just makes life much harder and nastier and even more dangerous. Still I envy you your homestead and the bunker. It takes work and didication to accomplish that. If a war comes and visits our nation, we do not anticipate living through it. We are 67, 63 and 59 and the girls would be helpless without me, so worse comes to worse, I will do my best and let the chips fall where they may. So again, not finding fault even if it sounds like it, simply giveing a point of view. Only a fraction of th population has done as much as you have for your family.
Those are all good points and every one of them is definitely on my mind. First, YES I forgot to mention that we have a fire extinguisher. It's in the kitchen bin and it's very important. I wish that I could have gone through the bins on camera. But no one to help me shoot means I have to make due sometimes. I forgot to mention the vitamins as well... and maybe some other items too.
On the hydrogen gas. Yes, that's absolutely a thing. The batteries are NOT sealed batteries, so venting is required. I've been "winging it" for the time being. But that needs to be resolved at some point.
On the vent of exhaust air. I DO think I'll need to add one. It needs to have spring-loaded flaps (like the bellows) so it only opens when there's air going out. My plan is to add that to the top of one of the light tubes and turn the tube into a vent.
As for the two security-related concerns (the visible light tubes and security at the door), I don't feel that the light tubes are that conspicuous (at least not with all the vegetation around them) but the delightful Hobbit door IS. Your idea of making it look like a dog pen etc. is cool. I've considered placing a deck over the entire entrance so it's very well shaded (and the deck could also be part of a pre-entry system of decon). As for general security, I never discuss that on my channel because it's my feeling that I'd prefer anyone approaching my place to be under the impression that I don't have any security. Do I? Don't I? They'll find out. ;)
Septic system question. That would have been great but I was really designing the space as a root cellar that could be pressed into service as a fallout shelter in the "incredibly off-chance" that such a thing would ever be needed. That was about 3 years ago and BOY have we moved pretty far from what used to be an "incredibly off-chance"! So yeah, I'm doing the best with what I got. realistically, while 2 weeks is a good rule of thumb time period, after about 48 hours, it'd most likely be totally fine to at least open the door to toss bags of shit outside if needed. So we have options on that one... and the bags of shit themselves could act as "deterrent land mines" for security??? ;)
Thanks for your thoughts, they're always very much welcome and appreciated! If if (like these points) they were things that were already on my radar, just hearing someone else note them as well, reinforces the ideas to me to keep me from slacking off on it.
@@PraxisPrepper On the light tubes, I was just thinking a flap to close them off at night, that way you would not be radiating a signal that even though small, would be visible for a long way. In a grid down world any light is going to be noticable. But I am glad to hear you are just keeping security close to the vest, wise.
@@charlescoffey9523 You know you're now reminding me of something that I'd considered a while ago, but have forgotten about since. I had been thinking that flaps or plugs on the inside could serve that purpose. Thx for the reminder. Far better you here now than a knock at the door in the shelter later! ;)
will thought out plan ... too bad about the chickens' ... fresh eggs or a source of protein would just go to waste. oh well such as life
If we had more time we'd come up with better plans for them... and hopefully we DO have more time. An INFINITE amount of time before nuclear Armageddon would be preferred.
Who poops a couple times a day. Dam you people eat to much
Two is one and one is none. It's a prepper thing.
Don't act like your not 🚫🚫 going to see a 🖤💀💜💚💜💚 space 🚀🚀🚀 alien 👽👽 show up in a Tesla or some other expensive car 🚗🛒🛍️🛒 for government handouts the national guard is passing out. We love Boston burgers with government 🧀🧀🧀 🐔🐔🍗🍗 cheese though.
I think you just won the award for most emojis ever used in a comment on one of my videos. :)
I definitely don’t want to be around this “smart” guy around during a fallout for sure 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. He dosent know anything about radiation and heat-resistant -materials
Thanks but no thanks. You should be looking for another hobby bud
He will love for 2-3 weeks for sure 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Poking fun at people feels great (for some), but it's a more noble pastime to help people (which is my attempt here with this video). How about you give it a try. Where are the issues you're seeing specifically? Why would 8" of concrete under 3' of dirt be ineffective for a dusting of fallout above? How could it be improved? I'm always open to critiques. I learn and grow from them when they contain information. Comments like yours don't help anyone. So help. It feels good when you know that something you've passed on has a chance to better those around you. Give it a try.
For those who can't do a big shelter.
Survive and thrive during and after fallout at Family Disaster Network. Google it navigate nuclear pages public domain information
Thanks for the tip - it's best to keep a LOT of options in mind for when things get difficult.
When a thermo nuclear bomb blows that house away, what then?
If that happens, then I suppose I'd be no better (or worse) off than if if I'd not bothered to do anything at all. This is a common comment on prepping channels. "Why prepare for X because Y could happen and then you'll be dead!" But what if Y doesn't happen? Might it be good to have a plan for if only X happens?
Why buckle your seat belt? A missile could hit your car.
Why eat healthy foods? A missile could strike you at your dinner table!
Why lock your door? A missile... etc.
Preventing one bad thing from happening is still useful even if other bad things could still occur.