Cellar plastic round: how to do it yourself + photo

Traditionally, in private courtyards, we are accustomed to building a rectangular basement. Less common is a round cellar, and it seems to us unusual or too cramped. In fact, there is nothing outlandish in this repository. The walls of round basements are much stronger than their rectangular counterparts, they are built faster, and less material is spent on them. Now manufacturers have begun to produce round plastic caissons equipped for a full-fledged cellar.

Plastic round cellar

A plastic round cellar is an ordinary vertical basement for storing vegetables and preservation. You cannot do it yourself. Only factory-made caissons are used. A person buys not just a round barrel, but a ready-made cellar with all the amenities. The caisson is completed with shelves, aluminum ladder, ventilation system, electrical wiring and lighting. Usually the height of the chamber is 1,8 m. The airtight hatch is located on top, but there are models of caissons with a side entrance.

According to the production method, the round-shaped plastic cellar is divided into two types:

• Suture cellars are made of plastic sheets. Separate fragments of the caisson are connected by welding.
• Seamless cellars are produced by rotational molding. Such caissons are considered the most reliable, since the possibility of depressurization at the seams is excluded. For the manufacture of a round cellar, a special form is used, inside which a polymer is poured. Special mechanisms begin to rotate the form, while it is heated. The molten polymer spreads evenly, forming a perfectly round shape of the caisson.

Of the well-known manufacturers of plastic cellars, the firms Triton and Tingard can be distinguished. For example, let’s briefly get acquainted with the caisson from the manufacturer “Triton”.

The plastic cellar of this brand is characterized by 100% tightness and long service life. Seamless technology made it possible to obtain a solid structure that will not burst at the joint from soil pressure. The walls of the caisson are made of food-grade plastic 13–15 mm thick. Stiffeners help resist ground pressure.

The video shows a plastic cellar:

Positive features of a plastic cellar

In many cases, it is more profitable to use a plastic caisson than to build a stone storage. Let’s look at the positive aspects of such storage:

• Cellars are made of food-grade plastic, harmless to humans. Cheap caissons of unknown manufacturers are made from poor raw materials. Low-quality plastic constantly emits unpleasant toxic odors that are easily absorbed by stored vegetables. It is better to refuse such products.
• Robust housing up to 15 mm thick, and additional stiffening ribs help withstand earth loads. A round plastic caisson is not inferior in strength to a brick storage.
• All wooden shelves and other details are treated with a special impregnation that protects the wood from the harmful effects of dampness and destruction by insects.
• The round plastic caisson is easy to install. It can be used even in areas with high groundwater levels.
• The storage is equipped with effective ventilation. It prevents the appearance of condensation, and draws out all the unpleasant odors, if suddenly the vegetables have gone bad.
• Thanks to ventilation and food-grade plastic that does not emit bad odors, the caisson can be used to store food.

The disadvantages of plastic storage include its high cost and fixed standard size.

Requirements for the installation of a round plastic cellar

Before you start installing a round plastic cellar, you need to consider a few important points:

• When marking the dimensions of the pit on your site, you need to take into account that they must be larger than the dimensions of the caisson. Usually the depth of the pit is approximately 2,3 m, and a gap of at least 25 cm is left between the walls of the pit and the cellar.
• Despite the fact that the caisson is plastic, it has an impressive weight. Lifting equipment is required to lower the round cellar into the pit.
• From above, the caisson is covered with soil. In order to maintain a constant microclimate inside the storage, it must be insulated before backfilling.

Having learned these few rules, you can proceed with the installation of a round storage.

The process of installing a plastic caisson

Despite the fact that the storage resembles a large plastic barrel that you can install yourself, it is better to entrust its installation to specialists. They know all the weaknesses of this design. The installation process of the caisson looks something like this:

• dig a pit in the selected area;
• the bottom of the pit is poured with concrete or a reinforced concrete slab is laid;
• the caisson is lowered into the pit using a crane;
• slings and anchors fix the cellar to the concrete bottom;
• backfill with sand-cement dry mix.

Once again, we must recall that we have considered the main details of the installation. In addition, there are many more nuances related to setting up ventilation, supplying electricity, etc. All these issues should be dealt with by specialists.

And finally, two important questions:

• Is it necessary to insulate plastic storage? This is a personal matter, and there are a lot of opinions on this matter. The caisson can not be insulated, but then temperature drops will be observed inside. Natural ventilation may not be able to cope with the exchange of air, and condensation will appear inside the storage. In general, plastic walls perfectly pass the cold emanating from the ground. If vegetables are stored in the caisson, then it definitely needs to be insulated.

  

• Is it possible to redo the ventilation yourself? Then you have to ask a second question. What for? The manufacturer has provided a natural ventilation system consisting of a set of air ducts. An unreasonable change in the design will lead to depressurization of the caisson. In some cases, it happens that when storing a large amount of vegetables, condensation forms inside the storage. The natural ventilation system is not doing its job. In this case, hire specialists to install forced ventilation.

It is impossible to make any changes to plastic caissons on your own. In case of problems, it is better to consult with specialists.

Stone round cellar

You can build a cellar with your own hands in a round shape only from a stone. Moreover, the manhole can be made from above according to the principle of a plastic caisson. Although a side entrance is more acceptable for makeshift cellars, as shown in the photo.

So why do owners sometimes prefer the round shape of a stone cellar? To answer this question, let’s look at the positive aspects of this basement:

• round brick walls withstand more earth pressure;
• the construction of a round basement requires 12% less building material than a rectangular cellar;
• the absence of corners allows the storage to evenly maintain the required temperature and humidity;
• laying out a circle of bricks is easier than driving out the corners of a rectangular basement.

Before you figure out how to make a round stone cellar, you need to decide what requirements are placed on it. Firstly, the area and volume of the storage must accommodate all the stocks, plus you need a free approach to the shelves. For example, for four family members, a storage area of ​​6 m² and a volume of 15 m³ is required. The thickness of the walls must withstand the pressure of the soil. When using bricks, this figure is at least 25 cm. Secondly, it is necessary to provide for the location of the entrance, stairs, artificial lighting, ventilation and other details that facilitate the use of storage.

You can independently build a round cellar from cinder blocks, bricks or pour monolithic concrete walls. The most profitable option is to use red brick, since all work can be done alone.

The only disadvantage of all round cellars is the inconvenience of making shelves. In the factory caissons, they are already provided by the manufacturer, but inside the brick storage, the shelves will have to be done independently. But, if this suits the owner, a round basement can be safely installed on your site.