Remote Warm Storage

[North Run Grader]

We work 45 kms (28 miles) west of town. Our grader only comes into town usually twice a year, to put the snow wing on in the fall, and to remove the wing in the spring. So between our 2 trucks we have most of the tools and spare supplies we need, but not always. So we needed storage out in the field, but we can't build a permanent structure.
So we bought a 20ft single use sea can at auction in Acheson, AB for a decent price.
View media item 53200 I had to build up our Bob Cat trailer with some 2x10 and 2x6 cribbing so we could haul it. With lots of chains and cargo strapping it was secure, but pulled like a pig empty. I literally felt each and every crack in the highway till we got to Barrhead, AB. The best price I got for the materials was at the CoOp Building Center in Barrhead, without having to pull this inside Edmonton city limits, well worth the marginal cost savings.
View media item 53201 Here you can see some of the drywall that I was dropping off in Swan Hills, AB for my home garage. We picked up everything we needed for a 7ft x11.5ft warm room, excluding the heater. All told it was approximately 250 kms (155 miles) and once filled with building materials, it pulled like a dream. Safely delivered to our site in Virginia Hills.
View media item 53202 We set it up on the ground on 3.5 rig mats that we had previously leveled and placed. We used our Cat 160M Motor Grader to unload and place it, unfortunately I didn't get pictures of that. A combination of dozer, wing, and moldboard, a few paint scuffs but it worked.
We cut in a steel man door frame and a small privacy window for ventilation and a little natural lighting and framed the openings with 1.5" angle iron. Then we framed in the interior walls, leaving a small air gap around the interior perimeter to allow some air movement. The window was a cheap vinyl special and the door was a self closing sealed unit left over from my father's old acreage shop.
Almost all of the cutting and framing was done outside with the aid of my uncles old welding truck. I miss that old Miller 200 AELD welder/generator, the low idle generator was sure nice to work with. I set up 2 halogen work lights outside along with the truck work lighting.
View media item 53203 It averaged -20 - -30 Celsius (-4 - -22 F) throughout all the outside work, once we were doing all the straight inside work, naturally it warmed up to -15 (5F). Some framing and electrical pics.

View media item 53205I'll post more pictures and info shortly.

 

[North Run Grader]

Remote Warm Storage Part 2

All the framing was 2x4 on 16" centers. We used Roxul ComfortBatt R14 for the walls and R22 for the ceiling. Naturally it was -30C that day, so out came my Helly Hansen winter suit. It's so warm, that I usually can't use it till -30 - -45C. Yes, in a past life it was used at -45C, brrrr.
View media item 53206View media item 53207All of the interior sheeting is GS1 1/4" Fir. All the framing is with 3" decking and pl400 construction adhesive. The sheeting is attached with 1-1/4" screws. Because this is on an oilfield plant site, I went overkill on the framing and attachments, because likely the next time it moves it'll be on the back of a bed truck or a lowboy trailer. If you've every seen them loading or unloading, you'd understand why I spent the extra time.
View media item 53208View media item 53209View media item 53210 All joints and screw heads I used Dapp wall spackle and corners I used a kitchen and bath latex caulking. The paint is 2 coats of kitchen and bath latex paint. White to get maximum light and the shelves is a light gray, also kitchen and bath latex.
View media item 53211View media item 53212 That "bench" is actually a recycled solid wood fire door for between the warm and cold sides. Unfortunately it warped on me from the temperature/humidity fluctuations, so I'll likely replaced it with a cheap steel insulated door this fall.
This is the love of my life, and the best damned Lady who loves to help out with my projects, and was with me almost every day of this project. I'm an extremely lucky man.
View media item 53213Test fitting the shelving for the front wall, 2 2x10's wide. My father had quite a few left over from his old shop. This was also the cribbing from the trailer. shelving with first coat of paint, and the small work bench. Another reason we chose a light gray color is that heater is a Catalytic flameless radiant heater, so it actually heats the shelves and contents. It only requires jumper cables to start the unit at the beginning of the heating season and is compliant with being on a oilfield site. The hood actually serves dual purpose , it vents what little exhaust there is, but more importantly draws in fresh air because my building envelope is so tight.
View media item 53214View media item 53215View media item 53216 This corner has since changed, I've installed an upper cabinet, and the bottom is still open for either bolt bins or a flammable storage cabinet. I made sure I sourced all 3 units before framing those side wall shelves. Those shelves are 15" deep, just big enough to hold pails of oil.
View media item 53217View media item 53218 I've misplaced the finished pictures, so I'll grab fresh ones next time I go out to the field, right now we've had 4 days of rain, so I haven't been out lately.

 

[North Run Grader]

Remote Warm Storage Part 3

I'll add some more info. You'll notice that some receptacles are gray and some black. The gray ones are for straight 120V from a generator. The black ones are for a solar based system, using solar panels, batteries and an inverter. Not ideally wired with solid copper wiring, but I figured it would be handy to be able to have a couple of deep cycle batteries with a solar tender to power a couple of led lights for when it's just a pain to pull out and fire up the generator. I still haven't put together a system so for now that circuit will just plug into the generator also. Also on the to do list is finding a cell based security camera for that blank box above the coat rack. Where we have the sea can placed is just outside of the plant site wireless, so we are covered by their exterior video surveillance, but if we move to another location I'd like an option of deterrence.
I know this project doesn't quite fall under a garage, but for relatively little money I think excluding my time and that heater I'm under $5000. I'll be adding a rooftop whirly bird to the cold side this fall, because it does get hot, but the insulation keeps the warm side nicely cool even at +30C (86F). Also I have to redo the flashing above to man door and the window, but now that I've picked up my Lincoln 210MP it'll be much easier that that arc welder.
I forgot to mention, all of this took place from Dec 21, 2014 to Feb 15/15. It's not unheard of to have snow in September here, but not in such amounts that it lasts.

 

[bczygan]

Very nice work.

 

[North Run Grader]

Thank you.

 

[KGB Pilot125]

That is awesome. Hats and gloves off to you for working in that temperature. Not only do I not have anything made for that type of cold but even if I did I know I wouldnt last !

 

[North Run Grader]

Thanks. I had a friend in Utah, after visiting twice, I discovered that I'm definitely not built for warm climates. 39C (102F) the last day I was in Layton, UT and I was sure glad to be coming home. I can always add another layer of clothing, but once it gets hot, there are only so many clothes that you can remove before being arrested . Air conditioning is mandatory on all of the new equipment and vehicles since I was diagnosed with Graves Disease last summer. Just booked my latest 6 week check up to see if the medication levels are dialed in. But I'm feeling much better this summer then last, not a single case of heat stroke, Yay! I'm still looking forward to the snow season though, we average over 4 ft up here, and I'm not sad to see even more. We haven't averaged 15 days a month this summer, winters we usually average 40+ running 24 hrs when needed.
I'm in the midst of auditing our Health & Safety Program so I have to go out to the field today to upgrade some of the manuals and signage so I'll grab some pictures

 

[North Run Grader]

Just an update, didn't make it out to the field today, because my father stopped by and wants heat in the garage this winter . So that led us to exploring the buried electrical line, which led to other electrical gremlins... So I have a buried 8/3 cable out to the garage, powering 2 light circuits, 1 wall circuit, and 1 mystery circuit. All of this from a 4" junction box, no circuit breaker, just a single 15 amp breaker in the house... If that leaves you scratching your head, trust me, it's no better at this end. Way back when the earth was young and rocks were soft, as my son refers to my youth, I started the process to become an electrical apprentice. Let's just say personality clashes with the electrician led me to other careers, but I know enough to be dangerous, lol. I know enough to say that the main panel in the house with be upgraded by a licensed electrician cause what I found when tracing circuits to the garage reaffirms my belief that the basement wiring and the whole garage involved a **** load of beer, and ahem, questionable supplied supplies, lol. I'll start a whole new thread on the garage and electrical reno.

 

[captain14]

Nice project. This will inspire others to do something with a container if they can find a cheap one.

 

[North Run Grader]

Thank you. I was contemplating insulating the whole thing, but we have an older Miller Big Blue 20 welder that I'm likely going to build a trailer for, that we could just back into the cold side. The reason we didn't buy my uncle's old truck was the simple fact it was only 2 wheel drive, and if we need a welder in the field, we can't wait for the roads to dry up. 45 km (28miles )the shortest route, or 87 kms (54 miles) the better route just to our base. Add another 60+ miles of roads of our maintenance area, and a trailer is much simpler. Plus we can place the pipe racks and spare blades in the cold side, chain them down, and transport the whole kit and kaboodle in one shot.