General Discussion

hootinholler

(26,451 posts) Tue May 21, 2013, 09:10 AM May 2013

Would a steel shipping container make a good storm shelter? [View all]

I'm thinking it could be a relatively cheap short term solution to making storm shelters available. If you drove a piling and anchored the container I think it might fare well as they are made of 1/4" corrugated steel with much thicker boxed corners complete with lift points engineered to bear the entire container load which would obviously serve as anchor points.

Just throwing it out there that maybe 20' containers in a checkerboard pattern so that it's 100-200 yards from the farthest house could provide coverage for a community.

Looking for the image, there are some available used for a few thousand.

28 replies

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Would a steel shipping container make a good storm shelter? [View all] hootinholler May 2013 OP

That actually might work.... Wounded Bear May 2013 #1

Only if you bury it. Cooley Hurd May 2013 #2

+1 MNBrewer May 2013 #7

Agree. ananda May 2013 #13

+10 sinkingfeeling May 2013 #17

I seem to remember photos of some of them flying in the middle of a tornado last year malaise May 2013 #3

Yes, but those weren't anchored hootinholler May 2013 #6

I think the problem there is the wind Marrah_G May 2013 #4

Not in this storm. Greybnk48 May 2013 #5

We have a concrete storm shelter newfie11 May 2013 #8

If its stuck in the ground it will madokie May 2013 #9

In an EF-5, it would make a huge coffin! Uben May 2013 #10

I certainly would not want to be in one MuseRider May 2013 #11

Used ones flood Bosso 63 May 2013 #12

Nope. You'd be spam in a can. n/t cynatnite May 2013 #14

200 mph wind is one thing but IADEMO2004 May 2013 #15

absolutely... wundermaus May 2013 #16

Anchor and reinforce, it should work. Socialistlemur May 2013 #18

have you ever seen a clean foundation... texasmomof3 May 2013 #19

Then the anchoring could tear it apart, I bet. Ilsa May 2013 #20

Good thought... SidDithers May 2013 #21

done this capt Mike May 2013 #22

Welcome to DU my friend! hrmjustin May 2013 #23

The walls are typically 14 gauge (.0747 "), not 1/4". n/t sl8 May 2013 #24

better than a bathtub behind drywall, pine 2 x 4s & aluminum siding SoCalDem May 2013 #25

On containerships Turbineguy May 2013 #26

for sure containeraddict May 2021 #27

welcome to DU gopiscrap Jun 2021 #28