[fullofit]

Anyone ever bury or partially bury a tank like this to use as a root cellar?

I found one that is 10ft high and 12 ft in diameter, it is pretty thick plastic and would make a pretty big root cellar, but I am thinking it could not stand more than a few inches of soil on the top without collapsing?

Maybe a shorter smaller (8ft diameter & only 6ft high?) would be a better choice?

 

[Lord Darwath]

How would you get in and out?

 

[cdvaight]

Mother Earth News had an article last year on building one out of septic tanks. It would be a better then a plastic water tank.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/buildings/root-cellar-plans-zm0z14amzreb.aspx?PageId=1

 

[Nomad 2nd]

I've got a 2k gal concrete cistern with 2 "manhole covers"

It was about $1500 delivered (although I thought we would never get it in here and the delivery guy thought we would never get the truck out!)

I've thought of similar a couple times...

Enclosed pool, storm shelter, etc.

Could set one hole up as a ladder, the other with a pulley system to get stuff in and out...

 

[MattB4]

The water tank pictured is not designed for burial. Especially empty.

 

[ImStillHere]

If buried, after the first rain it would pop out of the ground like..... a basket ball in a swimming pool, or it will collapse, it is designed to contain liquid with atmospheric pressure on the outside.

You could possibly do an above ground on a shaded north wall with some spray foam insulation and a light shed around it stack rocks around it to act as a heat sink. I am assuming you want this due to its integrity? Even buried only a foot down would require 3000 lbs of total (includes tank and material)weight to be neutral (8 foot tank 50cf-375gal-3klb)SWAG.

I have seen empty concrete in-ground swimming pools floated out of their foundation due to groundwater. This breaks the piping, which lets groundwater slowly back into the pool and it settles back down nowhere near its original depth/design/angle due to mud moving.

 

[fullofit]

Hmmmm, the ground water issue is something to think about, the reason I was looking at a tank is because we have a high water table, basically I can't bury it more than 4ft down before getting into water...maybe the right answer is to go shallow like 3 feet, then mound dirt up...or maybe scrap the tank idea and bite the bullet to go with concrete.

 

[Dragonid]

.....or maybe scrap the tank idea and bite the bullet to go with concrete.

Depending on what you're actually going to use if for, you would want it to be porous. Concrete will breathe, and let the humidity stay high, which is generally what roots and tubers need. A plastic or metal container won't do that very well.

 

[Nomad 2nd]

When I put in my cistern I found out that concrete was a small amount (couple hundred) more.

Given the increased lifespan, durability, etc... well worth it IMHO