Root cellar info?...

[sixdogs]

A root celler sounds appealing but I live on the flat ground of central-south Ohio in a newer house with central propane heat. The basement is too warm, I think--- and that takes me outside. Water does not drain well in clay.
I fear if I dug a hole and built a block root cellar it would merely fill with water. I suppose I could backfill with gravel and dig a drain trench into a "french drain" hole and fill it all with gravel it would help but I don't know.
Does anyone know of maybe a plastic drop-in root cellar where I could just dig a hole and drop in with some gravel and such? Then again, would the plastic reduce the moisure needed? What about a plastic drop-in tornado shelter or a new plastic ag container? I don't know.

The wife says the basement is 65 degrees in the middle but against the outside walls it's 53 degrees. There is no insulation on the outside basement walls so maybe I could build an enclosed room in the basement with lots of insulation on three walls or even fit it in a corner, maybe one with a basement window. It certainly would be cooler.
Has anyone done a basement root cellar in a newer house or know anything about a drop-in outside cellar? This topic did not search well and I'm looking for a direction on a root cellar..

 

[randy41]

i built a root cellar in my basement. the interior walls are EPS and the exterior walls are the poured concrete foundation. i installed 2 4" pvc pipes...one opens at floor level and the other at the ceiling. they lead to the outside. its supposed to cause a cooling air flow. search for basement root cellar and you'll get a hit for plans to build one. mine doesn't seem to get cold enough until the middle of the fall so it doesn't really work out as well as i had hoped. ideally it would be in the 30's, which is the generally the recommended temperature for storing most veggies.

 

[tdibar]

Hi , you didn't mention what the root cellar would be used for. I have one that is built out of laid up field stones on 3 sides. With poured concrete cieling and floor. Has air comming in at bottom of door and air going out at top corners. Its ground level. And In dead of winter or 90 degree of summer , it keeps great from 40 to45 degrees. But I use mine strictly for Homemade wine.
Your wife has a good idea about using the outside wall, Maybe utilize a space of 10x10 area. First build it up with studs, green board on outside Insulate between studs.Now here is where things are a little different. On inside of room, put up plastic vaper barrier on the wooden walls,Next lay up 8 inch blocks to ceiling on the 3 sides that you built. Put at least 6to 8 in. on ceilng. Then cover that with a 4 or 6 mil plastic. The door just glue a piece of 2 in. foam on the inside. Make sure that you have air coming in and going out.
With all this done, The dampness coming from the outside wall plus the concrete floor, It will drop the temp into 38 to 45 degree. As long as you keep the door shut.

 

[sixdogs]

Hi , you didn't mention what the root cellar would be used for. /QUOTE]

Just the more rugged and basic garden veggies. Potatoes, squash, carrots, turnips, beets, cabbage, onions and maybe pears or apples. Plus other things I can't think of right now.