Cheap Storm Cellar?

I live in a mobile home, and want to build a storm cellar..... for CHEAP.

Anyone have any ideas? Using a septic tank is about the best I could come up with. Also thought of using concrete blocks....but it would take me forever, I just know! (and would probably be expensive....having to pour footings, floor and roof)

Anyone have any better ideas? Any one ever use a septic tank?

• Storm Shelters

Thanks to everyone who has answered so far!

"He who farts in church.....sits in own pew!"

Even in heavey clay soil?

Yep it will in any soil.

Back in the days of the "old" gold miners they would put there blacksand in a bucket with water into a wagon for the trip down the mountain. What they found is the flower gold would seperate out of the blacksand to the top of the bucket. The other sand particles would push the gold to the top even tho it was heavier thus the term "floating the gold".

They also have experminted with building ships out of concrete as it's water displacement that causes a boat to float. A concrete culvert is nothing more than a land bound boat waiting to float if given enough water!

T_Bone

>>>"the vacuum when a twister passes overhead is something fantastic"<<<<

Yeah.....I hear that. A local guy was telling me about his friends' experience during a tornado in this area a few years ago (before I lived here). The guy went down his basement, where he had built a re-inforced concrete shelter. His dog was just in the regular basement part, and the house took a direct hit- the poor dog got sucked up and away- and the out-swinging door on the shelter part of the basement almost got sucked away. I love my dog.....and you can bet, when I'm in my shelter, she'll be in there too!

Piece of 5' culvert, 6' long.. vertically buried 5' in the ground. (1' sticks abover ground to prevent flooding). Simple plywood floor over some gravel.

Steel plate door and a sturdy inside latch. Vent holes cut in culvert 6" above ground level.

Couple of ladder rungs welded on the inside.

Sealed plastic box of emergency stuff (lights, water, candy bars, blankets first aid kit).

Paint door emergency orange and put some reflective stickers on it so it can be easily found in a power outage.

Culvert you say? .....Hmmmm....now that gives me some ideas!

Where can one purchase 5' culvert? I think I would try and figure out a way to use it horizontal-like..... as the ladder thing would be difficult for my elderly mother and my dog. Maybe stick it into a hilside, with one end exposed.....build end walls.

This has possibilities!

Thanks!

In tornado alley septic tank builders make precast shelters.

I think I've also seen plastic (strong plastic) ones as well.

Pressure treated basement lumber would be pretty easy to work with to make a 8x8 box.... supposed to last for 50 years.

--->Paul