Converting a shipping container to underground grow space

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Frankster

Frankster

Never trust a doctor who's plants have died.
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Yes, I am spoiled to some degree. We all are to one extent or another. Americans have not had to endure public beatings in over a hundred years. Americans throw away more food than some countries eat. The American way of life is to be spoiled, its just part of the culture. I'm not picking on any one person, just that without realizing it, most Americans have no clue what hardship really is.
Well it's good you can admit up to that, I do admire this....

Now your seeing things the way they truly are. Were all flawed to some degree or another, and constantly need to keep ourselves in check. Personally I've languished sleeping under bridges, and in bushes for years on end, because I've had nobody, or no one I could fall back on. So I fully understand what hardship looks like. I've had 5 friends die the first half of this year, and I struggle daily with my wife who's confused and sometimes can't even walk, or stand up without falling over. I've also lived making $80k per year.

I refuse to leave her, because it's not in me to do so, so I muddle though somehow everyday. I seen thousands of dead bodies, and human suffering on levels that many never witness. Those are the facts of my life. But I won't cut and run from it. It's who I am, I can see that now, it's a choice we make in this world.

You either stand as one with the suffering of this world, or you stand against them. Everything in this life is a battle of spirit, and will.
Never lose your objectivity, it's a shield for discerning truth...
 
JustGrowWithIt

JustGrowWithIt

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I would suggest using something like pvc... It's cheap, and you can do lots with it. Say if you want to run your electric, run it though the pipe, so you can always fish another line in there, (pull lines) later down the line. If it's wide bore enough, and you keep a fish line in there, you can always pull another line though in the future. ie. upgrades to your unit. Something to think about.

With venting, I would take a similar approach. Running pvc will hold up indefinitely, and you could run them off in any directions, and simply make them into stealth airflow chambers. I would think there's a multitude of ways they can be hidden. For example, pipe it up, cap it on top, with vents on the sides, then pile big rocks around it. ie. looks like a rock pile. I think having at minimum, a input, and an output, maybe at both ends of the container, and I would go for at minimum, (2) 6 inch lines (or bigger) on both sides, that way you've got plenty of reserve for increasing air flow.... Especially when conditions are optimal, and your not wanting to use active cooling measures.

Another idea would be to have a line from the house going in, so you could pump dry/cool air from within the house or basement. Maybe run a dehumid unit on the inside of the house, and force the air out into the container. There's so many possibilities here, but at the end of the day, the more hookups you have, the more options you'll have at your disposal later down the line.

Same thing could be done for an ejection line, so that if you ever get some ground seepage, your sump will auto fill, and eject it somewhere, and it will be absorbed by the ground in a area graded away from the container....


When you back it in, maybe leave air spaces, (all around) so you can circulate into the space, and use the soil itself as heatsinks. Although, you would need to devise a method to keep the walls from collapsing during freezing, thawing, rain... ect. You'll likely get better results by simply making direct contact with the container and the soil, IMO. If you have excellent weather coating, you could even water the area, so that you improve your heat dispersal.

The thermal conductivity of water is 0.598 W/m·K at 20 °C. Water is an excellent conductor of heat, it conducts heat about 20 times better than air.
The problem I had with using PVC was actually getting some big enough haha.
12" in my area is hard to come by for some reason. You will see in the thread that I got 12" smooth interior double walled culvert.
I like your idea to put pvc in the ground for running my electric so I can always fish more line in if necessary. I am tempted to NOT run my exhaust into my crawlspace for fear of the filter not doing a sufficient job are removing the odors.
 
iX_Lazy_Xi

iX_Lazy_Xi

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When we objectify the government like it's a person, or in your case a "stripper", I think it's a rabbit hole. How do people even go here? The government isn't "someone" it's an organization, just like any other, and it's run like any other business or corporations. It's always going to do what's in it's "perceived" best overall interest, (at the time) and it's orchestrated by millions of individuals, all with competing interest and agenda's..... Government is the side rails of a society, without it there would be nothing besides anarchy and chaos.

I think the viewpoint is simplistic, and not based in reality.

I'm the last person to defend much of what the government is currently doing. But at the same time, at minimum want to wrap my head around it correctly.
How can you even fight it, if you don't understand it?

I think you completely missed the joke....

The "government" does what is in "its" best interest not ours

Either way not here to talk about that just want to see a badass bunker
 
JustGrowWithIt

JustGrowWithIt

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I think you completely missed the joke....

The "government" does what is in "its" best interest not ours

Either way not here to talk about that just want to see a badass bunker
I imagine 90% of the people here are all on similar levels of agreement of how they view todays government.
 
Frankster

Frankster

Never trust a doctor who's plants have died.
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I think you completely missed the joke....

The "government" does what is in "its" best interest not ours

Either way not here to talk about that just want to see a badass bunker
Probably did iX, I'm not pushing an agenda either. My views are simply my own, and sometimes I share them with others. No agreement required. I'm somewhat slow with some jokes, I suppose and maybe take things too literally sometimes. I've always been that way to some degree or another, it's my analytical nature, always challenging different ideas. Nothing more.




The problem I had with using PVC was actually getting some big enough haha.
12" in my area is hard to come by for some reason. You will see in the thread that I got 12" smooth interior double walled culvert.
I like your idea to put pvc in the ground for running my electric so I can always fish more line in if necessary. I am tempted to NOT run my exhaust into my crawlspace for fear of the filter not doing a sufficient job are removing the odors.


Well 12 inch would be great if you can get hold of it. and culverts are certainly good, if they'll hold up over the long haul. The only problem I have with that culvert, is if you look at it, I think it's porous, so you'll have some seepage into it from above. so in that context, it's not sealed, I don't believe. You might get away with wrapping it with pvc if that's the case and you need a sealed vessel for the task as hand.

I also think that leaving it unsealed will create more humidity issues for you, and/or possibly spore issues later on. Sure would be cool if you had a system that had smooth walls, so you could run a snake though ever few years and clean it out, so you don't get mold or spores built up in there, that would be very bad, and certainly black mold is going to be the bane of this exercise. You need to have some sort of plan for mitigating these potential issues, I think... unless it's simply an exaust line. That's why I like the idea of venting your positive end from the (basement) or crawlspace of the house, because if your blowing shit out from that point, you can control it, by installing filters, ect....

I would caution against bringing any of the return next to your dwelling. Not only the smell, but in case you want to someday use CO2 to enhance growth, or to mitigate an infestation that could occur at some point. Clearly having Co2 under your dwelling is a silent hazard, a disaster in waiting... A leak, anything could happen, you just need to be wise in approaching things and go though your list of hazards, then plot them out one by one and develop a game plan for each.

Build a rock garden, a fence line, a stone BBQ with a plants growing around it... (anything) camoflauge it, and plant a bunch of flowers, ie. Lavender, mixed with Rosemary.... Peppermint, Spearmint, ie. stuff that smells... Install your pipe into what you've created....


I can not stress enough that as you build these lines, and/or put that thing in the hole, you need want ROCKS UNDER IT, AND A LAYER OF SAND OR GRAVEL. You need a place were water can go without it creating a stand right up next to your shit. Things should be graded, and you should consider a sump pit, or ejection pump of some type. If nothing more than for emergency use.

Rocks create a holding area under the vessel so that you can remove any standing water. The big rocks will act as a reservoir to draw it away, without further sinking....


What's the nature of your soil? is it mostly clay down that deep?
 
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Frankster

Frankster

Never trust a doctor who's plants have died.
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I helped build this place a few decades back, my dad was one of the expert pipefitters that welded much of the big pipes and installed valves and such... It was a pretty cool experience to see all the engineering that went into this place. The piles that this base sit's on are 1500 feet down, up to around 2500 ft in some spots before they hit bedrock. and the spacing on the piles is like every meter or two.. It took them years to pound them in one atop of another....

When we finished building it, they got us together, and put us in front of the bay... Then a big Trident sub came up out of the ocean, and some of the officers came up on deck and waved, it was a pretty cool moment.. Half of that entire base is build below the ocean. Your only seeing the topside of the base.

The base you create for that thing to sit upon is incredibly important. You need to mitigate any/all possibility of moisture, or possibility of flooding. When it rains, the water is going to the low points, and that's where your sitting.... That entire shipping container will act like a water magnet, and all the water will seek to enter the bottom, or under the bottom. The best plans should be keeping it under the bottom, and something to separate it. For instance, 2 foot of coarse rock... I would suggest 10-12 inches minimum, even if your in a semi-arid region, plus a sump hole (use a culvert turned on end) Right at the front door.... You could even build a spiral staircase going up.... have your sump house located under the stairs.

 
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JustGrowWithIt

JustGrowWithIt

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Probably did iX, I'm not pushing an agenda either. My views are simply my own, and sometimes I share them with others. No agreement required. I'm somewhat slow with some jokes, I suppose and maybe take things too literally sometimes. I've always been that way to some degree or another, it's my analytical nature, always challenging different ideas. Nothing more.







Well 12 inch would be great if you can get hold of it. and culverts are certainly good, if they'll hold up over the long haul. The only problem I have with that culvert, is if you look at it, I think it's porous, so you'll have some seepage into it from above. so in that context, it's not sealed, I don't believe. You might get away with wrapping it with pvc if that's the case and you need a sealed vessel for the task as hand.

I also think that leaving it unsealed will create more humidity issues for you, and/or possibly spore issues later on. Sure would be cool if you had a system that had smooth walls, so you could run a snake though ever few years and clean it out, so you don't get mold or spores built up in there, that would be very bad, and certainly black mold is going to be the bane of this exercise. You need to have some sort of plan for mitigating these potential issues, I think... unless it's simply an exaust line. That's why I like the idea of venting your positive end from the (basement) or crawlspace of the house, because if your blowing shit out from that point, you can control it, by installing filters, ect....

I would caution against bringing any of the return next to your dwelling. Not only the smell, but in case you want to someday use CO2 to enhance growth, or to mitigate an infestation that could occur at some point. Clearly having Co2 under your dwelling is a silent hazard, a disaster in waiting... A leak, anything could happen, you just need to be wise in approaching things and go though your list of hazards, then plot them out one by one and develop a game plan for each.

Build a rock garden, a fence line, a stone BBQ with a plants growing around it... (anything) camoflauge it, and plant a bunch of flowers, ie. Lavender, mixed with Rosemary.... Peppermint, Spearmint, ie. stuff that smells... Install your pipe into what you've created....


I can not stress enough that as you build these lines, and/or put that thing in the hole, you need want ROCKS UNDER IT, AND A LAYER OF SAND OR GRAVEL. You need a place were water can go without it creating a stand right up next to your shit. Things should be graded, and you should consider a sump pit, or ejection pump of some type. If nothing more than for emergency use.

Rocks create a holding area under the vessel so that you can remove any standing water. The big rocks will act as a reservoir to draw it away, without further sinking....


What's the nature of your soil? is it mostly clay down that deep?
Clay is literally 8 inches under the top soil where I live. It's some super dense clay as well. I have four ton of 1" gravel in my drive that I was going to use when I put in concrete here soon. I imagine I will simply use it for this project and pick some more up from the quarry down the road.
The culvert I got was specifically nonperforated for that exact reason. I like your idea of cleaning those pipes out from time to time. I think a great way to clean it would be find something just under 12" inches that I can wrap in cloth that I drenched in a bleach mix then pulling it through the culvert with a rope. Do it a few times starting from either end, should probably just make it a routine between harvests and transitions of plants through the rooms.

I have a propane tank out in my back yard that I have been meaning to fence in with a gate and all just to sorta hide it from sight. Tonight I was thinking about having my exhaust come up behind it and let the weeds grow over where the exhaust comes out of the ground. If any funky smells do get through from time to time it is 50 feet from the house and near propane so most would just think it was a small leak of gas.
 
JustGrowWithIt

JustGrowWithIt

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I helped build this place a few decades back, my dad was one of the expert pipefitters that welded much of the big pipes and installed valves and such... It was a pretty cool experience to see all the engineering that went into this place. The piles that this base sit's on are 1500 feet down, up to around 2500 ft in some spots before they hit bedrock. and the spacing on the piles is like every meter or two.. It took them years to pound them in one atop of another....

When we finished building it, they got us together, and put us in front of the bay... Then a big Trident sub came up out of the ocean, and some of the officers came up on deck and waved, it was a pretty cool moment.. Half of that entire base is build below the ocean. Your only seeing the topside of the base.

The base you create for that thing to sit upon is incredibly important. You need to mitigate any/all possibility of moisture, or possibility of flooding. When it rains, the water is going to the low points, and that's where your sitting.... That entire shipping container will act like a water magnet, and all the water will seek to enter the bottom, or under the bottom. The best plans should be keeping it under the bottom, and something to separate it. For instance, 2 foot of coarse rock... I would suggest 10-12 inches minimum, even if your in a semi-arid region, plus a sump hole (use a culvert turned on end) Right at the front door.... You could even build a spiral staircase going up.... have your sump house located under the stairs.

I can understand rocks for water accumulation but one thing some mentioned was a footing or pad for the unit to sit on. I simply do not see the need for it considering my depth and the surface area of the container already will be significant, I anticipate some shifting over the years yes but I also will only be living here for a matter of years before I build my forever home. So this is just like a little play project that I have been wanting to do for some time.
 
ComfortablyNumb

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I can understand rocks for water accumulation but one thing some mentioned was a footing or pad for the unit to sit on. I simply do not see the need for it considering my depth and the surface area of the container already will be significant, I anticipate some shifting over the years yes but I also will only be living here for a matter of years before I build my forever home. So this is just like a little play project that I have been wanting to do for some time.
I always herad that the footings were for earthquake protection. I never did ask how.
 
Rooke

Rooke

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Hey there! Have you considered using screw anchors? They work great for something your size and weight. Saw many used on towers as well with minimal shifting 10-15 years later. Just a thought
 
Frankster

Frankster

Never trust a doctor who's plants have died.
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Clay is literally 8 inches under the top soil where I live. It's some super dense clay as well. I have four ton of 1" gravel in my drive that I was going to use when I put in concrete here soon. I imagine I will simply use it for this project and pick some more up from the quarry down the road.
The culvert I got was specifically nonperforated for that exact reason. I like your idea of cleaning those pipes out from time to time. I think a great way to clean it would be find something just under 12" inches that I can wrap in cloth that I drenched in a bleach mix then pulling it through the culvert with a rope. Do it a few times starting from either end, should probably just make it a routine between harvests and transitions of plants through the rooms.

I have a propane tank out in my back yard that I have been meaning to fence in with a gate and all just to sorta hide it from sight. Tonight I was thinking about having my exhaust come up behind it and let the weeds grow over where the exhaust comes out of the ground. If any funky smells do get through from time to time it is 50 feet from the house and near propane so most would just think it was a small leak of gas.
bingo, and if you got some polypropylene rope, or wire or whatever as a go between, you can even use something wereas you clamp things on there ,then pull it though. (make sure it is double long) then go to your other end, attach another cleaner, and go back the other way. You could even put wenches in, if you like, and want it automated. Think along the lines of maintenance-free, or how everything can be adapted somehow. It really boils down to how much dough you want to put out there. Then if you got good filtration, your probably good for some time. Keeping you bug and mold free...

This is investment in your own health as well, or anyone that spends time in that space. Keeping it clean is a worthwhile endeavor.

But yea, I think the gravel iis a very wise investment, it will solve lot's of problems if you have a virtual drain table underneath the entire unit, and it's sloped to a drain pit with a sump. I would try and stay above 2-4 inches minimum. A foot would be wonderful, but maybe a bit overkill. It's all dependent on the pumphouse, and if it can eject things faster than the rain can fill it in.... Cause when that rain meets that clay layer, it' going to stand for long periods, or it's going sideways and down.

All your major issues with this project will revolve around controlling moisture, I think.
 
CurtisBlow916

CurtisBlow916

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Well it's good you can admit up to that, I do admire this....

Now your seeing things the way they truly are. Were all flawed to some degree or another, and constantly need to keep ourselves in check. Personally I've languished sleeping under bridges, and in bushes for years on end, because I've had nobody, or no one I could fall back on. So I fully understand what hardship looks like. I've had 5 friends die the first half of this year, and I struggle daily with my wife who's confused and sometimes can't even walk, or stand up without falling over. I've also lived making $80k per year.

I refuse to leave her, because it's not in me to do so, so I muddle though somehow everyday. I seen thousands of dead bodies, and human suffering on levels that many never witness. Those are the facts of my life. But I won't cut and run from it. It's who I am, I can see that now, it's a choice we make in this world.

You either stand as one with the suffering of this world, or you stand against them. Everything in this life is a battle of spirit, and will.
Never lose your objectivity, it's a shield for discerning truth...
All I can say is this .. as a black guy living in America even with all the BS going on .. the killing.. the virus.. even with it all .. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.. I mean I don’t really know a lot about rights and regulations in other countries and granted i only just turned 25 so maybe my views are curved but damn seems like everyone born in American have it pretty good relative to other countries.. I mean people risk their lives everyday to try to get into this country.. Even they get a fair shake .. THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY.. Shit even the prison system gives you 3 hots and a cot w reasonable medical attention 😂.. Shit we got people like a lot of you that are willing to go to war for people like me and honestly for that yeah I do feel a bit spoiled .
 
JustGrowWithIt

JustGrowWithIt

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I would have ripped out the floor. There is no telling what kind of whatever is under there.
I only left it because it will be a good surface for screwing into for mounting lights and such. It will have concrete bellow it or what will be above it once I flip it and pour in the channels.
 
ComfortablyNumb

ComfortablyNumb

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I only left it because it will be a good surface for screwing into for mounting lights and such. It will have concrete bellow it or what will be above it once I flip it and pour in the channels.
I was thinking more about what might be living in there..... Critters, viruses, germs, other yuckies I don't want in my grow.
 
gashouse

gashouse

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I admire the grit, and the audacity to take on a project such as this actually. I would be looking at putting some rocks/gravel/sand underneath, grading it in a direction, and creating some sort of pit in which you can remove any water that might become a problem at some point. Even a single freak rain could really screw things up, so getting your drainage specs in line here is really something you want to consider well, before backing that thing down into the pit. I would have your sump area off to the side, and not totally underneath, so that you can access it, and service it.

There's a lot that can go wrong here, so you need to consider the most extreme forces at play, and make sure you've got a plant for it. Coarse rock covered with sand is how we used to bury things when I worked with my father doing plumbing projects, I think you should consider what the shipping container will be sitting upon very carefully.

I am eager to see the result, because I have a very similar situation, a 40 foot trailer, and an entire canyon of dirt to fill over it. I've also got a backhoe front loader, if I can ever manage to get it into the spot. Just seems like a daunting project from where I stand. Will be very cool, but as they say, the devil is in the details.
u got a backhoe, a 40 foot trailer and a canyon where? in the parking lot of your "small apartment"(your words)
 
JustGrowWithIt

JustGrowWithIt

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Entrance is nearly built and got one of my vent holes cut.
Started to install the steel plates for the chute for the top of the entrance but forgot to get pictures.
To do list:
Create a door/hatch
Cut exhaust vent
Finish chute
Install ladder
Install plywood floor and paint
Weld doors shut
(One or two other things that I'm sure I'm forgetting)

I'm checking my tracking for the lights constantly. Not that it matters once they come in.
 
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