Before each person who is engaged in the cultivation of various vegetable crops and harvests, the question arises of its storage and preservation prepared for the winter. Most often, cellars were always used for this, but unlike modern versions, they had previously resorted to using ordinary pits lined with bricks. And today more convenient and profitable solutions to such problems have appeared, and they became the caissons for the cellar. What kind of device is this, and how is it more profitable than an ordinary pit? What are the caissons, and how to make them with your own hands?
Caisson. What is it?
Storage of pickles, vegetables, root crops and fruits is usually carried out in underground, cellars, sheds and storages. Preference is still given more to cellars, the construction of which has always been a lot of options, but each of them has its drawbacks. Whether it is a pit made of brick, wood or concrete, the durability and tightness of these materials leaves much to be desired. Over time, brick and concrete lose their properties and deteriorate, and the tree is exposed to mold and fungus. And often there is the problem of groundwater, which can penetrate the cellar and spoil the reserves.
But the modern world does not stand still, and today an excellent solution and a worthy alternative to old structures has been invented - a caisson for a cellar. It is a completely sealed dry chamber, which, being in the soil saturated with water, or even under water, creates an air pocket.
The cellar caisson can be round or rectangular with a neck and a hatch. To withstand groundwater and soil exposure, the wall thickness of the caisson can be up to sixteen millimeters. Inside the structures ventilation is arranged to protect against excess moisture and dampness.
Caisson Benefits
Caissons have several advantages:
- complete tightness, which allows you to install the device even in place with high groundwater, without fear for the safety of products;
- Do not undergo fungus, which constantly happens with ordinary cellars;
- do not give products stored inside a specific smell.
The cellar for the cellar can be equipped anywhere under the house, shed and garage, as well as in the open. Correctly carried out waterproofing will guarantee protection against rains, sewage or water supply accidents and groundwater. And also the caisson has a more reliable level of protection against theft than a conventional cellar.
Varieties of caissons
So, there are several types of caissons:
- The most expensive and time-consuming is considered to be a caisson made of reinforced concrete rings. To install this design, you need a good foundation. Next, the rings are placed and the top cover is installed. Excellent waterproofing should be implemented. The main disadvantage is the large weight, which complicates the installation and waterproofing, and a considerable price.
- The most popular option was a metal caisson. Such structures are made of steel sheets, welding them into a sealed device with a ladder and a hatch. Such caissons are necessarily treated with a coating against corrosion and equipped with an overflow valve, in case of entry into the pit of groundwater. In such a design, the optimum temperature for storing pickles and crops is always maintained.
- The cellar for the cellar plastic does not need a treatment procedure against corrosion. Due to the fact that the design is lightweight, the involvement of equipment for installation is not required. Models of plastic caissons are characterized by exceptional tightness and do not require the establishment of waterproofing protection. A plastic caisson for a cellar will serve its owners for more than fifty years.
Do-it-yourself caisson for the cellar
Gaining popularity and fame, the caisson is increasingly used by summer residents. Since periodically the groundwater level may rise and threaten the safety of the crop, the owners construct caissons for reliable protection from water. And besides, the correct storage of the crop will allow it to remain in its original form until the next season, and the pickles will be stored for more than one year. The caisson can be purchased in the form of a finished product along with the installation service or make and install it yourself. For those who are inclined to an independent solution, we will tell you how to make a caisson for a cellar.
Caisson Location
When choosing a location for the caisson, it should be remembered that for constant blowing of the walls with fresh air, it is desirable to place the device in the middle of the underground. A more common option is underground under the kitchen, with entrance through the floor. It should be noted in advance that the caisson hatch must be closed with a tight lid placed on the same level with the floor.
The most successful is the caisson equipment on the site before the construction of the main room. It is necessary to carefully study the place where it is planned to install the caisson with your own hands. If the terrain on which the site is located is elevated and dry, problems with the arrangement should not arise. If the soil is swampy, you will have to make an effort and work hard. Recommendations of experts are inclined to install metal caissons due to their greater reliability. But a large number of owners choose a plastic caisson for the cellar, which also has good user reviews.
Production of caissons for a cellar from metal
To become the owner of a good storage box, there are two solutions. In specialized stores you can buy a ready-made metal caisson. And also you can order a model according to its size. But if certain skills and abilities are available, it is quite possible to independently make a metal caisson for a cellar. There are many options for the shape of the future caisson. The main thing is to remember that all seams should be boiled inside and out to exclude the possibility of water ingress. Poorly welded joints threaten quick corrosion damage and laborious repairs. The walls and floor of the caisson should be made of metal, and the upper part may be made of concrete or wood.
Foundation pit for caisson
After the caisson is ready, you need to calculate the dimensions of the pit and make markings on the territory. A metal caisson is installed at a depth of at least 2.5 meters. When marking, it is worth considering that between the walls of the caisson and the pit there should be a distance of 0.5 meters around the entire perimeter.
To avoid shedding the walls of the pit, when digging, try to save the turf. During the work, after removing the top layer, problems with groundwater may occur in clay. If this happens, in the middle of the pit they dig a hole deep in the bayonet of a shovel to collect water. After digging, the bottom of the pit is covered with sand with a layer of 10 centimeters. Tar sprayed on the walls and bottom of the pit will provide additional protection.
Caisson waterproofing
Since the metal is subject to corrosion, before installing the caisson in the pit, it must be treated with an anti-corrosion coating. Or, having acquired a special composition, use paint waterproofing. After it is necessary to cover the caisson with bitumen. To do this, you can weld bitumen mastic yourself in the boiler. Taking the amount of bitumen equal to one third of the volume of the boiler, set it on fire. After the bitumen has ceased to foam, it is poured with a thin stream into a previously prepared container with gasoline and mixed. To process the external walls, the proportions of one part of bitumen to three parts of gasoline must be observed. For primary painting - in equal parts, for repeated - three parts of bitumen to one gasoline. The coating of the caisson with such a composition should be continuous, with an emphasis on sharp places.
Caisson insulation
So, the caisson is protected from water penetration, but now it has a high temperature, which means that water will drain from its walls, because of which the crop in the caisson will rot. To overcome this problem, the installation of thermal insulation is necessary. It is necessary to isolate the walls and the bottom of the cellar as best as possible.
In order to make the cellar box for the cellar as perfect as possible, it is recommended to make its insulating layer of clay with a thickness of at least 20 centimeters. The same layer of clay should isolate the outer sides. To achieve better reliability, using a cement mortar, the floor and the inner walls of the cellar are plastered with a layer of 2 centimeters. To do this, on a steel wire frame with a diameter of 0.06 centimeters, a steel mesh with cells is installed, fixed and plastered. Then cover the floor with a layer of 3.5 centimeters and allow the composition to dry. The inner walls can be insulated with glass wool or warm blankets.
Installation of a caisson
After completing the preparation, you can lower the caisson for the cellar into the pit. To install the caisson in the center of the pit, logs are first lowered vertically on both sides, which will act as limiters and guides for the caisson. Installation can be carried out using a winch, the cable of which must be constantly weakened and controlled by one person. The remaining participants in the process direct the caisson and keep it from swaying.
If the installation takes place in an area with constantly flowing water, the caisson will pop up. To overcome this problem, a water seal is installed. They fill the distance from the walls of the caisson to the cellar with clay, tamping it well. The water trap should be below the freezing level. But even its installation does not give a full guarantee.
Construction of a caisson
After the caisson is installed, it must be equipped for ease of use. The modern market is replete with a variety of various boxes and shelves for storing products. Installation locations will depend only on the preferences and fantasies of the owners. You can also independently make wooden shelves that are installed on racks made of timber.
In addition to equipping the caisson with various shelves and drawers, you need to take care of its ventilation. Therefore, in each metal box, ventilation pipes must be installed to prevent dampness in the device.
To access the caisson was convenient, you must use the stairs. It can be made of metal or wood, the main thing is its good reinforcement on both sides, which protects from movement and reeling.
Of course, for the convenience of using the caisson, it should have lighting. It can be electric either with the help of candles, a lantern or a kerosene lamp. The main thing is not to forget about fire safety, and if a kerosene lamp is chosen by the lighting method, it is advisable to remove it from the caisson after use in order to avoid the specific smell of products.
After filling the caisson with the crop and pickles, it is recommended to fill the top of the caisson with a material intended for thermal insulation, for example, slag or expanded clay. If moss, peat or sawdust is chosen for this purpose, they should be covered with a layer of earth or sand on top, as they have increased combustibility.