Afternoon from the East Mids

[farnet]

Hi all,

I have to be honest, I'm not a traditional prepper per say, but I am building a bunker under my shed, partly because I can, and partly because I need a storage area.

The initial plan was just a secure area for expensive equipment, but it has now become almost an obsession when I am still digging out the steps (in clay and siltstone) and I'm already down 5 meters below the concrete base of the shed, when I get to the optimal level which I think for now will be another meter I will start breeze blocking and casting the steps in concrete.

At that point I will start considering the 'room element' and what I actually want to do, and this is why I'm here.

I keep telling my neighbours and friends it's going to be an anti zombie bunker, and the more I think about it the more I'd like to carry on the ruse as I think its extremely funny, and also its a really good project and gets you thinking literally and laterally.

I have just completed a 'proof of concept' and a fully working model of a Carbon Dioxide scrubber that with staggered chemical replacement, could make a room breathable for 5 times longer without external ventilation, and the device is capable scubbing CO2 from a contained area with 3 occupants for 10 days before running out of chemicals (about 20KG)...

Also I am thinking about how to create a blast door and deterrants (smoke, Smell, electrification, light, sound and fear) already got the HHO generator to split the Hydrogen and oxygen, so I could A: produce oxygen and B: pump hydrogen beyond the door to create a bubble that could be ignighted (again I have a fully working model as a PoC), it actually can also be used as a small plasma cutter, but those thinking it can save money by plugging into your car and venting into the air inlet, no chance it pulls 30amps when running and would drain you car battery very quickly.... admittedly, for a short time you'd get one hell of a boost in performance and economy.

anyway.... thats me saying hello

Farnet

[preppingsu]

Each to their own, I guess.

How will your bunker help you when the lights go out?

[poppypiesdad]

Hi , just a few points , what when the entire group of neighbours and friends want in , think op sec but thats gone now , and be careful of cave ins and shore it properly or it could become your tomb.

Welcome anyways

[farnet]

Hi,

Well, when I started the dig, I had a secret entrance to it within the shed so that when I pressed a button on a remote fob the floor would raise and lock into place, and when closed it couldn't be see and had a locking resistance of 400kg so it couldnt be easily prised open.

Unfortunately I had failed to take into consideration water ingress and the pit got flooded and killed the mechanics.... getting it out was an absolute nightmare, so I currently have a door sized hole in the floor of the shed

as for neighbours and friends, we live in the countryside and the neighbours consist of 3 people (very elderly and I doubt 2 of them would even be able to get down there, let alone would want to in reality).

the soil is mainly solid clay and siltstone (did a sulfuric acid test to confirm lime in the siltstone). and is unbeleivably solid, so I have to use a concrete breaker to do any digging, which is why it is taking so long, I will soon be blocking and using reinforced concrete to secure the sides, I'm also in the process of designing my own lintel mould (which will produce a 1.8meter long lintel, weighing in at a staggering 70kg each) for shoring up the roof.

as for what it'll do? thats the point, i'm still in the advantageous stage of design and it can do whatever I want it to do, at the moment I'm creating the basics.... ventilation, and cabling the required level. making it also capable of be self contained for airsupply for a period of 2 weeks. secure in the aspect of being covert, any standard form of breaching and protection from natural disasters. other than that, as I'm proceeding in the knowledge that the world is my molusc.

how do you mean each to their own, by the way.... what part of my hobby do you disagree with?

[preppingsu]

Many of us prep to get through power cuts, bad weather, unemployment, ill health etc. these are basic everyday things to prep for.
Some look at the bigger picture - global economic collapse, pandemic etc,

Not many will be able to build a bunker, either financially or space wise.

I personally can't see the point of a bunker - I would rather spend my time and money on becoming more self sustaining and being able to provide for my family.

[farnet]

ahh ok fair enough.

for me this is my hobby, I've been doing it on and off for about 4 years....

I unfortunately dont have a family, so I intend to be a kid myself, and as we are in the countryside spacewise is not an issue.

Financially, the biggest cost so far has been concrete breaker I bought off ebay this year for £50.00. The clay I'm getting from the digging is being used to flatten part of the garden that one day I will put a greenhouse on (our garden is on a slight slope) so in reality I'm saving money for that eventual day.

I believe in elbow grease and patience it's amazing what you can do if you just sit down and think about it and I'm using this as a project with puzzles to be worked out, eg the CO2 scrubber was a great bit of work that cost about £40.00 in total and works amazingly well.

if I was actually prepping for anything specific, it'd be containment of energy generation supplies, and the securing of my property and the protection of my wife, in case of energy breakdown (which is the most likely of all the crysises IMHO)

[Arzosah]

Hello farnet, welcome to the forum.

Um, it sounds like a lot of work when you're not sure what its for. And at 15' down, and you've not yet got into shoring, it sounds about as dangerous as building your own plane with no blueprints All sorts of fun hobby things are underground, however - cinemas, gyms, swimming pools though a secure area for expensive equipment is also on the cards

Plus I suspect your wife might take issue with you having "no family"! She's family, y'know

You sound like you enjoy it - its your own property, you're not breaking the bank - as you say, the world is your mollusc

[farnet]

Arzosah - yes you are right I'm wife is my family, even though she sometimes denies it in public.

Yup, it is a bit mad and I did have a partial cave-in earlier this year which I have now borrow some acros to shore up the sides and the concrete floor above me.... and yes I do have life insurance, and yes my wife know where the papers are.

I have a blueprint in my head and do write it out when I need specific, but mainly at the moment I want to get to the golden 6 meters, then I start the hard work.

It's very theraputic and with Team-Rock playing though my PC in the shed I quite happily reenact the great escape at the weekends.

Could be worse, I could be doing drugs, smoking, heavy drinker etc.... all could kill me

[Arzosah]

Yup, it is a bit mad and I did have a partial cave-in earlier this year which I have now borrow some acros to shore up the sides and the concrete floor above me.... and yes I do have life insurance, and yes my wife know where the papers are.

Okay

In all seriousness, you're putting your life in danger. Please hang on and do some research about load bearing and so on - I know nothing at all about it, nothing whatsoever, but "partial cave-ins" are not to be messed around with!

[farnet]

Hey artisan,

Sorry, I do have a bad sense of humour.

And me being serious for a second, the reason for the cave in was because there was a lot of moisture in the clay.

Since then I've had a dehumidifier on the dry it out. Fixed the guttering on the shed and shored up the upper layers (above a 2 ft seam of very solid siltstone).

Don't worry, I've done a LOT of investigating on issues in such soil and if it stays dry it's seriously strong... Only when it gets wet and heavy does it become a real problem.

I've had a long time to work it out