SafeRoom Installation

[coolreed]

For those interested I had a Saferoom intsalled in my Garage Floor. Here are a few pictures of the install.

Basically 8' L x 5' W x 5' D

 

[clarkebd]

Interesting...I can't say it would by my first choice.
Also, seems really small - Is this just for you?

 

[46Nash]

Why did you put that in? Is it for you to go in or valuables?

 

[STANIMAL]

I am guessing tornadoes .

 

[1949 caddyman]

Probably for tornado protection? I see you are in Oklahoma.

 

[signcrafter]

What exactly is this safe room for? I would assume it's for you in an emergency. If so I hate to be critical but I see a lot of potential issues. In a weather emergency like tornado what happens when your house comes down on top of it? I guess it would save your life but how long can you stay in there if you can't open the door? Air vents? If it was for protection from home intruders couldn't they just roll a toolbox or something else heavy on top and leave you stuck in there?

Or is it a safe room for your tools so thief's can't steal them!?

 

[Daddy454]

Hmmmmm......

 

[SMKS]

I am guessing tornadoes .

This was my thought.

I've only seen one of these in real life. It was also installed in the garage floor. It was for tornadoes, since the house didn't have a basement.

 

[coolreed]

If you live in Oklahoma you want one of these or an equivalent. It is important to be below ground when cars start flying around. Tornados happen here and it gives you a place to go just in case.

This unit is actually considered a 12 man unit. My neighbor has a 6 man and is considerably smaller than this. I wanted one that we could actually lay down in a be comfortable in if we so desired.

One could even work on the car if the need arose. This type shelter has become very popular in this part of the world. Safe and cost efficient. The state offered a rebate program and my number came up so that futher reduced the cost.

 

[coolreed]

By the way,..basements do not do well here due to the clay and high water table. The ground will shift alot due to the extreme weather and mositure changes. Almost every basement here will start cracking leaking in a few years.

That's a few of the reasons why they call it The Prairie or Tornado Alley.

 

[shanker]

I've always wanted something similar to put in my living room floor that I could throw a rug over a hide.

I'd like to store my firearms, jewelry, etc. in it when I'm gone or use it for its intended purpose if the need ever arose.

I live on the coast in a hurricane prone area, the biggest downside would be if the house got wiped off the foundation, I'd fear that it would fill with water while my family would be in it for shelter

 

[Falcon67]

My wife wants one of those. Shoot, we could have done that before the pour. Never seen one like that. Have thought about fixing up a closet - but having been to OKC to check on relatives after that big sucker came through, you figure out that above ground doesn't mean squat. That F5 in Jarrell took the house foundations and the roads with it when it came through.

If I put something like that in the shop, I'd store some sort of serious hydraulic jack in there to force the door - you never know, there might be a building and a car or two on top of you after it's all over.

"Grass and soil in fields near Jarrell were ripped out of the ground to a depth of 18 in (46 cm). When the tornado crossed county roads outside Jarrell, it tore a 500-foot (152 m) length of asphalt from the roads.<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated1_2-8" class="reference">[2]"</sup>

 

[46Nash]

In the lower left of third pic it looks like there is another large hole cut in the concrete. Whats that for?

 

[Falcon67]

Looks like a wheelbarrow.

 

[46Nash]

Yeah, thats what it is. Looked weird on my monitors.

 

[Trey T]

looks like it can fit a small family in there. Doesn't look like there's enough ventilation.

 

[Steve from Socal]

My "safe room is my 35K pound Hyster forklift, I talked to a mason about doing a hole, he said here they build double block rooms above ground?

Steve

 

[Fastback]

No way I would get in that thing without a SERIOUS hydraulic ram jack capable of lifting up a house to open it when I need to get out.

 

[STANIMAL]

I've always wanted something similar to put in my living room floor that I could throw a rug over a hide.

I'd like to store my firearms, jewelry, etc. in it when I'm gone or use it for its intended purpose if the need ever arose.

I live on the coast in a hurricane prone area, the biggest downside would be if the house got wiped off the foundation, I'd fear that it would fill with water while my family would be in it for shelter

There are companies that make above ground units . They kind of look like sheds.

 

[Big-Foot]

Very nice... Living on the northern end of tornado alley I feel your paranoia as my own...

My only concern is being trapped inside that thing.. If the building were blown away and the temps soared to 110 the next day, you'd be like lobster boiling in your own sweat..

I would probably want some sort of pent-roof added to that structure where I could open the gable side on either end and crawl out.. Of course that sort of screws up your plans for working on cars there...

 

[brownbagg]

but what do you do when the house fall in on top of the room, it could be years before somebody find the bodies

 

[JimVonBaden]

With the area having so many of these, there would be rescue help within hours of a tornado. Remember, the local authorities are aware of these and likely know who has them. Moreover, a tornado is a very short event, less than an hour, so it isn't like you will be in there long. After an event rescue squads search every house. Someone yelling inside would be heard.

Jim

 

[Jsf721]

I thought a safe room was to lock yourself in if you were being robbed? Did you mean a shelter? I would be afraid you would not be able to get out if there was something heavy on the door? Do you have any communication from within should you become trapped?

 

[SMKS]

With the area having so many of these, there would be rescue help within hours of a tornado. Remember, the local authorities are aware of these and likely know who has them. Moreover, a tornado is a very short event, less than an hour, so it isn't like you will be in there long. After an event rescue squads search every house. Someone yelling inside would be heard.

Jim

+1

I know GJ members love to over think things, but some of the scenarios people are claiming here are a little absurd.

I doubt the door is an airtight seal, so you're not going to suffocate. The door slides and doesn't have any prodtruding handles. So, unless something very heavy lands just right on the door, you should still be able to open it.

Plus, if a tornado is ferocious enough that it destroys your entire home and traps you in the shelter, how well do you think you would have fared without the shelter? Not well, I would guess.

In the very, very rare case where a piece of debris falls just right to trap you in the shelter, you should be rescued pretty quickly. And, if the storm is bad enough to trap you in the shelter, you'll be very glad you had a shelter to get into.

 

[Bronson]

May I ask what that cost to install? I would be interested, Myself, living in Tornado Alley.
Remember, it is not that the wind IS blowing. It is WHAT the wind is blowing. If You get hit with a Volvo.......

 

[VHF]

Looks like you'll have to back in to do an oil change!

 

[john11139]

Why not just go to a place that builds concrete septic tanks and have them build a large one with no baffles, dig a hole in the yard and burry it. Most of them are water proof, install a lid large enough to go down through? What happens if the house should catch on fire (gas) and you are in there with a metal lid?

 

[bdamico]

These are totally common in the area and are preferred over above ground safe areas against tornados. Stop watching so many movies people

 

[Buckgnarly]

What if a plane falls out of the sky after the twister and lands on the shelter?......

 

[JimVonBaden]

What if a plane falls out of the sky after the twister and lands on the shelter?......

Jim

 

[bdamico]

What if a plane falls out of the sky after the twister and lands on the shelter?......

If a plane is anything like a car

hehe

 

[skyking]

My grand mother had one of those inground ones back in the 50's. I would have fought a tornado with a switch rather than go into that snake and spider infested hole to hell !!!

 

[coolreed]

Very nice... Living on the northern end of tornado alley I feel your paranoia as my own...

My only concern is being trapped inside that thing.. If the building were blown away and the temps soared to 110 the next day, you'd be like lobster boiling in your own sweat..

I would probably want some sort of pent-roof added to that structure where I could open the gable side on either end and crawl out.. Of course that sort of screws up your plans for working on cars there...

I understand your concern about getting trapped. However, you have to get a permit to install it, they know exactly where you are. It comes with a come along and hooks in the event you cannot get the door open. My cell phone works inside it. I have no issue getting in it if an F4 or F5 coming rolling down the street ( and you will not either, trust me). There are thousands of these and I have yet to hear of anyone getting trapped for more than a few hours at most. And that has been extremely rare.

 

[Big-Foot]

I will be looking into either purchasing or building one myself this next summer. This state gets pummeled annually and living out in the country, we are even more exposed..

Good for you for taking the initiative to not become yet another statistic!

 

[NUTTSGT]

4 Is natural gas/propane heavier or lighter than atmosphere? I know right where gas fumes from a turned over car are going to go.

Natural gas is lighter than air, it will disapate freely in normal air. Propane is heavier than air, it's possible if a leaking 20 lb LP tank was in the garage, it could leak and find it's way into the safe room.
Word of caution, it might be wise not store store the gas grill in the garage.

I understand your concern about getting trapped. However, you have to get a permit to install it, they know exactly where you are. It comes with a come along and hooks in the event you cannot get the door open. My cell phone works inside it. I have no issue getting in it if an F4 or F5 coming rolling down the street ( and you will not either, trust me). There are thousands of these and I have yet to hear of anyone getting trapped for more than a few hours at most. And that has been extremely rare.

Does the local FD have a list of the safe rooms and where they are buried ? If not, it might be a good idea to suggest it to the local FD chief about starting a program to record who/where has these.

I like it, if I lived in your area, I'd probably do the same. One thing I do wonder about is melting snow or rain for the car in the winter, will that make it's way inside creating a nuisance ?

 

[DIC]

I think I would much rather be in there instead of under the kitchen table

 

[Nostraquedeo]

What happens if a tornado picks up a bus, as it flys through the air, it takes out a UFO, the UFO crashes on your garage?? As the aliens run out of the ship, they find your shelter, but you are already in there. Will you keep a ray gun in there to fight off the martians? What if Obama outlaws ray guns? Aren't you worried about the aliens installing **** probes inside you and your family? I would suggest that you install a level ten force field generator nearby that you can activate in that scenrio. You might post in electrical section to determine the best size wire and type (Aluminum or Copper). Make sure to account for voltage drop and make sure the neutral and ground bar are seperate if it is a sub panel feeding the assocaited generator. I would also put some of those chasity belts down there in the event they penetrate the force field. I am sure members can suggest the best types of welds to use on those chasity belts and the best gauge of steel to use. I am thinking 3/8" steel, but from what I have read lately, 3/8" steel used for rebar is pretty weak. Might wanna go with 1/2". Or some sort of CNC machined aluminum. Oh and build everything using over-priced Snap On tools and not Habor Freight junk.

 

[gayler]

What happens if a tornado picks up a bus, as it flys through the air, it takes out a UFO, the UFO crashes on your garage?? As the aliens run out of the ship, they find your shelter, but you are already in there. Will you keep a ray gun in there to fight off the martians? What if Obama outlaws ray guns? Aren't you worried about the aliens installing **** probes inside you and your family? I would suggest that you install a level ten force field generator nearby that you can activate in that scenrio. You might post in electrical section to determine the best size wire and type (Aluminum or Copper). Make sure to account for voltage drop and make sure the neutral and ground bar are seperate if it is a sub panel feeding the assocaited generator. I would also put some of those chasity belts down there in the event they penetrate the force field. I am sure members can suggest the best types of welds to use on those chasity belts and the best gauge of steel to use. I am thinking 3/8" steel, but from what I have read lately, 3/8" steel used for rebar is pretty weak. Might wanna go with 1/2". Or some sort of CNC machined aluminum. Oh and build everything using over-priced Snap On tools and not Habor Freight junk.

Ok doctor tweedbucket!

 

[JimVonBaden]

I'm sure there is something between 'under the table' and 'Honey! where's the keys to the car! I have to move it to get in to the shelt....'too late.

Tornado warnings excede 10-15 minutes these days.

Jim

 

[Hephaestus29]

There's all kinds of shelters people have built or installed in the ground for various things on you tube. I've seen full size shipping containers buried in the ground & even larger things.