Using a container to store implements

[marhar]

Yesterday I asked about modifying an old barn. Thank you for your responses.

You have me thinking about buying a high cube shipping container with side swing doors. The container would be off gird and I would like to have electricity. Does anyone have experience with solar panels and a battery to store electricity? I only need 110; I would have a few lights, a battery charger, and a few tools (grinder, circular saw, ect.) maybe a block heater for the few cold days.

All thoughts about containers are welcome. How high should it be elevated; I can pour a concrete ramp?

 

[scootr]

I have a container. It's very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's small...access is difficult.
Plus side is it's watertight and secure. I got a once used container which was very clean, like new. But I soon realized it needed shade here in the SW or it would be about 140º inside. My solution won't be yours.

 

[workinonit]

You'll end up with more invested in electrical than the container cost. I've wanted one of those containers for years but just never pulled the trigger on one and now they have gotten so expensive. At one time I could buy a new 40' for $1500 and Saturday I saw 40' units bring almost $5k. I can build a shed for that.

 

[3Ts]

The things stored inside it are prone to rust, corrosion, rot, etc. moreso than if they sat outside under a carport. Gotta keep it ventilated! It must be level side to side or the doors will bind. They come standard without a box over the lock area. You'll need to get one if it doesn't have one.

As for a ramp, you'll want to do that after the container is set to be sure it doesn't interfere with opening the doors. I never drove anything into mine. However, my neighbor did and his ramp stopped a foot short and used a removable plate to cover the gap.

 

[RjCorazza]

I have had a 40' box for the past 25 years, and have had no rust or moisture problems with just the existing ventilation. I suspect environment plays a role, so my experience may not be the rule.

It sets on 8 railroad ties leveled with concrete pillars that were poured in 5g buckets. For a ramp, I layed gravel into a 3 sided box (RR ties) which has worked out well. The tie that butts up to the box has finally worn out from driving my previous tractor and current mowers in and out though.
As another poster had mentioned, solar is not going to be cheap. Light would be an easy job, but power tools and the block heater is a whole different ball game. When I need power at my box I haul down a small 2kw inverter generator.

If I were to do it over again, I would get a high cube and doors on both ends. It can be a real hassle with doors on just one end.

 

[Rustyiron]

Containers are difficult to use for floor space items. There's always something in front of what you need that needs to be moved. A set of doors on both ends would be very helpful but they're rare and more expensive.
For a secure workbenches with shelving enclosure they are great and cutting in some ventilation make it more comfortable inside. All it takes is a couple of RR ties or 4 solid 8x8x16 concrete blocks for it to sit on. (Placed under the extreme 4 corners)
They are also a good sturdy "structure" to build on like a lean to along one or both sides. A lot of guys will take 2 of them set 20' or more apart anf set roof trusses across them and have a building.

 

[ArlyA]

Seems a fellow could add a man door and better venting. If you covered the walls with 5/8 plywood and insulated behind that, then you could then hang junk from the walls. Of coarse by the time you're done this and that, maybe you could have built a garage?

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Some good info. here. I have a 40' HC I only paid $1700 for 5 years ago, but they are pretty expensive now. If this is something you are doing to save money, I think you got the wrong idea. If you just need lockable storage NOW, it is good for that.

 

[i7win7]

You have me thinking about buying a high cube shipping container with side swing doors.

For members who don't knoe these exist

40 FT Side Opening Shipping Container | Aztec Container

A 40 ft side opening shipping containers are an excellent choice for portable onsite, secure storage. Can be customized to your specs. Buy shipping containers here.

www.azteccontainer.com

 

[ovrszd]

You'll end up with more invested in electrical than the container cost. I've wanted one of those containers for years but just never pulled the trigger on one and now they have gotten so expensive. At one time I could buy a new 40' for $1500 and Saturday I saw 40' units bring almost $5k. I can build a shed for that.

Around here they are $2700 for a 20ft. Rarely see 40s here.

 

[WranglerX]

Have you looked into something like this....

VersaTube - DIY Steel Building Kits

VersaTube

www.versatube.com

 

[nyone]

I only need 110; I would have a few lights, a battery charger, and a few tools (grinder, circular saw, ect.) maybe a block heater for the few cold days

For those uses get a generator.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

For members who don't knoe these exist

40 FT Side Opening Shipping Container | Aztec Container

A 40 ft side opening shipping containers are an excellent choice for portable onsite, secure storage. Can be customized to your specs. Buy shipping containers here.

www.azteccontainer.com

Super cool! But do you know how much something like that would cost? Especially anywhere far from a major port.

 

[DaBear3428]

Have you looked into something like this....

VersaTube - DIY Steel Building Kits

VersaTube

www.versatube.com

my neighbor got one of those and i helped him partially install it until he gave up and hired some one. i looked at those and the kit cost as much as a assembled tube building and then you have to put together. also did not like that the trusses are in like 20 pieces and just not as sturdy as the welded tube truss building that are the same price (actually less considering labor).

 

[DaBear3428]

Yesterday I asked about modifying an old barn. Thank you for your responses.

You have me thinking about buying a high cube shipping container with side swing doors. The container would be off gird and I would like to have electricity. Does anyone have experience with solar panels and a battery to store electricity? I only need 110; I would have a few lights, a battery charger, and a few tools (grinder, circular saw, ect.) maybe a block heater for the few cold days.

All thoughts about containers are welcome. How high should it be elevated; I can pour a concrete ramp?

all depends on the cost of the container, I see adds for 18 x 21 buildings with 2 roll up doors and a man door for less than 7k installed, the roof slopes so no rust out issues and roll up doors are a lot easier to use.

2 Car QUALITY 100% Steel Garage Metal Building Equipment Storage...

Go for Quality, Strength and Longevity on your new garage, barn or carport, GO WITH SOUTHERN STEEL BUILDINGS! ENGINEER CERTIFIED AT 140 MPH! SOUTHERN-STEEL-BUILDINGS.COM...

victoriatx.craigslist.org

 

[jjeff]

I have a 20' on my hobby farm yard the inlaws use for storage when they downsized. Possible ideas for utilizing wall space? Imo it can utilize a smaller spaces using 8' walls being some what organized however it won't be very useful if it's unorganized and stuff ends up piling in there making it ramped. 5 Tips for Organizing Your Shipping Container Shed

 

[Vigo327]

I am powering my whole house 100% off grid with 10kw of panels and inverters and a 3000lb pile of deep cycle lead acid batteries. So i can confidently say, yes powering a shipping container from solar/inverter/battery will be very easy and even fairly cheap. You could potentially piece together a minimalist setup that would do that stuff for under $300 (highly dependent on how much battery you want), and by the time you hit $1000 you could even include a $150 ac window unit in the $1000 and sit in front of it taking a break when the sun was good. Seriously! Go for it!

Edit: I should elaborate i suppose.. the key is mostly in USED solar panels. A used solar panel that isn't broken is basically 95-99% as good as new and depending on how old it is it might be 1/10th the cost of new. I bought my 240w panels for ~$36/ea. The battery in the setup only needs to be large if you intend to actually power things overnight. The block heater overnight is a lot more expensive to build around, than a circular saw that's only used when the sun is up. During the day the battery will mostly serve to give brief surges of power during motor starts for your saws etc, but if you have at least several hundred watts of panels (which is possible to do for $100 depending on your patience watching the local facebook marketplace, craigslist etc) it will not do much else and thus doesn't need to be very big at all.. UNLESS you want to power a bunch of stuff overnight. Lights barely count. If they are LED you can light up a half acre with a car battery overnight. But electric heating elements could be a big deal depending on how big they are. If you're talking about a 40w heater running for 8hours a night, that's 320 watt-hours and again even a car battery could comfortably do that. If you're talking about a heater way over 100w, and ive seen some coolant heaters up to 1500w, then you are getting into buying a bunch of battery to support that and it will get expensive quick. If you give up on the block heater idea this goes right back to being cheap.

Somewhat unrelated and a little pie in the sky: My old 2009 Prius had a coolant 'thermos'. It was a highly insulated canister that stored hot coolant, and when you started the engine cold it would release that hot coolant into the system and heat the engine much quicker. It could keep coolant hot for 3 days. A diesel would need to be heated BEFORE it started, but still thought that was a cool anecdote..

I bought my 20' container for $1600 and i WISH they were still that cheap. I'd buy more.

 

[ArlyA]

Seems last fall I found them priced for 20ft ones on criags L and FB marketplace they were advertised as just $1999!! But they shipping to here was another $1000. Not really low cost storage.

 

[BlueKnife]

Yesterday I asked about modifying an old barn. Thank you for your responses.

You have me thinking about buying a high cube shipping container with side swing doors. The container would be off gird and I would like to have electricity. Does anyone have experience with solar panels and a battery to store electricity? I only need 110; I would have a few lights, a battery charger, and a few tools (grinder, circular saw, ect.) maybe a block heater for the few cold days.

All thoughts about containers are welcome. How high should it be elevated; I can pour a concrete ramp?

I live off grid full time and use a solar system for our electricity. I also regularly work on and do construction projects (including solar system installation) for others in the area who are also off grid. What you describe could not be done practically with a small solar setup. Lights and battery charger are doable. Running power tools and/or a block heater is not, particularly the block heater, which is almost always going to be used when the sun isn't shining or high in the sky. For those things, a 2000-3000 watt inverter generator is the way to go. For lighting and for charging cordless tool batteries, a panel or two, charge controller and battery/batteries would work well, but might be more expensive than it's worth. For lighting, a very simple, inexpensive solution is to get a wire adapter for your cordless tool batteries and some RV lights that are compatible with the voltage. Charge the batteries at home or in your vehicle and plug it into the adapter. Works great for small sheds and outbuildings.

 

[DaBear3428]

I am powering my whole house 100% off grid with 10kw of panels and inverters and a 3000lb pile of deep cycle lead acid batteries. So i can confidently say, yes powering a shipping container from solar/inverter/battery will be very easy and even fairly cheap. You could potentially piece together a minimalist setup that would do that stuff for under $300 (highly dependent on how much battery you want), and by the time you hit $1000 you could even include a $150 ac window unit in the $1000 and sit in front of it taking a break when the sun was good. Seriously! Go for it!

Edit: I should elaborate i suppose.. the key is mostly in USED solar panels. A used solar panel that isn't broken is basically 95-99% as good as new and depending on how old it is it might be 1/10th the cost of new. I bought my 240w panels for ~$36/ea. The battery in the setup only needs to be large if you intend to actually power things overnight. The block heater overnight is a lot more expensive to build around, than a circular saw that's only used when the sun is up. During the day the battery will mostly serve to give brief surges of power during motor starts for your saws etc, but if you have at least several hundred watts of panels (which is possible to do for $100 depending on your patience watching the local facebook marketplace, craigslist etc) it will not do much else and thus doesn't need to be very big at all.. UNLESS you want to power a bunch of stuff overnight. Lights barely count. If they are LED you can light up a half acre with a car battery overnight. But electric heating elements could be a big deal depending on how big they are. If you're talking about a 40w heater running for 8hours a night, that's 320 watt-hours and again even a car battery could comfortably do that. If you're talking about a heater way over 100w, and ive seen some coolant heaters up to 1500w, then you are getting into buying a bunch of battery to support that and it will get expensive quick. If you give up on the block heater idea this goes right back to being cheap.

Somewhat unrelated and a little pie in the sky: My old 2009 Prius had a coolant 'thermos'. It was a highly insulated canister that stored hot coolant, and when you started the engine cold it would release that hot coolant into the system and heat the engine much quicker. It could keep coolant hot for 3 days. A diesel would need to be heated BEFORE it started, but still thought that was a cool anecdote..

I bought my 20' container for $1600 and i WISH they were still that cheap. I'd buy more.

agreed the big issue is block heater. the rest is easy and cheap