Storm Shelter

[workmytractor]

I am slowly but surely working on a storm shelter. I bought a Conex box and put it about 3 feet in the ground and covered the sides with the dirt I dug out of the hole. We plan to somewhat finish the inside with a small kitchen, a section with a couch and table, and several fold down cots in the back.

This all seemed like a great idea until today's gully washer we had. My drainage system is a 4 in gravity drain and apparently is not sufficient to drain all of the run off from my yard...which just happens to run right down the steps and into my new "swimming pool".

A neighbor suggested I build a berm around it to divert the run off water from my yard, so this afternoon I dumped a few scoops of dirt around the perimeter of the steps. The reality is I probably need to dig it up and put it on top of the ground with some type of a tie down system to keep it from going anywhere, but before I do that I will probably upgrade my drain to an 8 inch line. I am open to opinions... what do you guys think?

 

[EddieWalker]

You can't have too much drainage. While it's pretty obvious that a 4 inch drain wasn't enough, how big, and how many lines you will need is always a challenge. I've seen 12 inch culverts fail from not being able to handle a heavy rain, and I have a 15 inch culvert that is just barely able to handle my heaviest rains.

From the look of your picture, this is something permanent that you are putting allot of effort into. I don't think the berm idea is the solution, but I do think that it will help. How far do you have to carry the water that drains through your pipe? Can you make any of that distance an open trench?

What did you do to protect the metal on the container from rust? There are some pretty good waterproofing paints out there that are like rubber coatings. Same thing with asphalt sealers. If I was to do something like you are, I would either go all out, or not even bother.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[ScottAR]

I'm no engineer, the drain upgrade sounds good.... Maybe change the fill to pea stone.

Is this a shelter for hurricanes or tornados?

Having seen what a twister can do to a shipping box; (with a tractor in it) I'd
reconsider a tie down system for tornados... In short, they found what was left an
1/8 mile away from where they left it. Tractor broke in half inside.

I'm not familar enough with hurricanes to offer anything there...

 

[workmytractor]

This will be a shelter for hurricanes.

How far do you have to carry the water that drains through your pipe? Can you make any of that distance an open trench?

The water has to drain about 75 feet, I could probably trench out about 30 feet worth. BTW there are a few links in the original post that link to more pictures, one being the drainage ditch under construction.

What did you do to protect the metal on the container from rust? There are some pretty good waterproofing paints out there that are like rubber coatings. Same thing with asphalt sealers. If I was to do something like you are, I would either go all out, or not even bother.

Well I would have preferred to go all out, however I did not. Funding is allways the issue . I am sure I will pay for it in the long run, but I am hoping for about 5-10 years of life out of this shelter. I currently live in a manufactured home and staying inside it during a hurricane is just too much of a gamble for me and my family.

 

[monckywrench]

One solution used by the military is Hesco bastion material, but you could use metal or other material to build revetments around the container (which incidentally is an ISO container, not a Conex). The principle is to have a tall externally reinforced earthwork that deflects nastiness away from the container. It need not touch the container, just stop or deflect external forces. Reinforced earthworks are much better than mere piled soil which can blow or wash away.

HESCO

HESCO USA

Classic steel panel revetment behind A-37.

http://www.cessnawarbirds.com/blog/images/a37a.jpg

For hurricane use, I'd pour concrete piers at each corner or a pier at each end and weld or bolt the corner fittings to metal potted in the pier. While tornadoes can toss them, a hurricane is less likely to trash a container (which is much safer than a conventional home).

I'd also make another exit or two in case one was blocked by debris.

Locking two containers together side-by-side would make them far more difficult to shift under extreme winds and double your space. Revet the side you'll shelter in and leave the other container as storage/standoff.

Tandemloc has a very interesting online catalog you can get drawings and ideas from for connecting fittings (or just order the fittings themselves.

TANDEMLOC - Heavy Equipment Lifting and Mobilizing Headquarters

Another option is a tall berm covered by old-fashioned sandbags (make a sandbag filler, it will take hundreds!). Sandbags last for years. An old trick was to mix some concrete in with the sand and let the rain handle the rest.

"I am hoping for about 5-10 years of life out of this shelter"

No reason if you paint it that it shouldn't last for decades. I use three for shop space and storage. I painted the roofs silver (cuts the temp drastically in summer) and camoe'd the rest to blend with my trees. (No structure is an aesthetic improvement over nature, and they don't attract attention to my shop!) 9'6" High Cube types have much more headroom hence are nicer to work in.

ISO containers can make excellent housing, and I wouldn't hesitate to build a home from them. Google "ISO container housing" for examples.

 

[matt_isserstedt]

Couple things...hurricanes can spawn tornadoes...so have to plan for that offchance. You didn't mention storm-surge which is going to inundate up to some point...the low-lying box is not going to help that, depending on how far "up" you are.

Last thing is a metal box is going to get hot, sticky, and miserable to be inside pretty quickly...definitely faster than the storm can pass...just from the body-heating and exhaling of the people inside. Only good idea is a generator and A/C unit...which add other issues...

 

[workmytractor]

I will have power and an AC unit installed in it and will set it up to easily except a generator input. I have three windows I plan to install to serve as alternate exits if necessary. I was thinking I could save the steel I cut out for the windows and use them as steel shutters.

I should be alright as far as storm surge goes...knock on wood. My land is about 32 feet above sea level where the shelter is set.

 

[Lil_FarmerJim]

Just my 2 cents, I would go with the A/C and generator, but the windows would defeat the purpose.

Also, for your drainage problem, whats the topology of your land look like? Is this shelter at a high point in the land? (Is there a high point?) If not I would consider creating an artifical high spot by digging around the shelter to create a mot of sorts and then a dry creek bed to help water to flow off somewhere other than your shelter.

 

[workmytractor]

Just my 2 cents, I would go with the A/C and generator, but the windows would defeat the purpose.

The windows will serve two purposes; one being an alternate exit if the front should be blocked by an obstruction and secondly it will provide more ventilation if there is power loss and generator failure. I have considered saving the metal I cut out for the windows and making a metal shutter on hinges welded to the outside.

whats the topology of your land look like?

The shelter and my house are on top of a small hill, the shelter is positioned in such a way that the run-off from my front yard funnels right to the front of my shelter. I believe that is what has caused the drainage failure to begin with. I do plan to increase the size of the drain to at least 8 inch, but for now I have just built a berm around it.

 

[Chuck K.]

Nice job! Unfortunatlely my City codes do not allow shipping containers any longer or I would have probably went the same route as you.

When and if the budget ever allows I want to install this type of storm shelter in my backyard:







I would not set it quite as deep as I did this one up the country a ways. I have never had a flooding problem on my property but I believe I would allow an additional 12" of "freeboard" just in case.