Tip to keep jars from "banging together" in the event of a quake: Go to a liquor store and ask them for the cardboard box insets that come in their wine/bottle boxes that keep the bottles separated. They usually have tons.

I realize this is a old video, but you can help yourself by painting the slab bright white to reflect heat, your problem is it works as a heat sink and because of its thermal mass can retain a lot of heat. If you can run your intake pipe deep in the ground futher away from cellar air coming in will have more time for geo cooling to reduce the temperature of the air before it gets to cellar, make sure you have fall on pipe towards cellar so any moisture can drip out of pipe. Good luck from SC.

Danny, I was born and raised in southeast Louisiana and also went through Katrina. Things changed in my mind about survival and also things physically changed around me, Louisiana never was the same. I moved here to the Ozarks in 2015 and never looked back.

A wonderfully educational video. Love that you speak of the “mistakes” you made when constructing your root cellar. I hope to get a cellar soon.

I've been waiting to build a cellar, I had a vision back in 1998, and what the Lord me was a design a lot liking to this size and all. Thanks for sharing, Danny.

Hello! I worked as a relief worker after Katrina … from Biloxi to Louisiana border. Lived in a interesting state even as a Coordinator! It opened my eyes even more after working Katrina…. But especially w the bureaucracy I fought as I worked to get help to locals. I loved the locals! But was happy to return to South Dakota.

Awesome information Danny. Maybe putting a picnic table over the top of the cellar with a huge umbrella that you can open to help keep the cement cool. We have to do that out in our back area of the home the cement get's so hot it blisters your feet. This last year we broke down & brought the huge umbrella cost us over 500 bucks but it works.. for most of the area .. Our poor puppies little paws was getting blistered too.. It has worked.. for us. I love how you share what works for you.. Great tips.. Have a great day.. :")

We live directly west of y’all in Louisiana. I’ve always heard that our water table to only a couple of feet down. So, I assumed you lived more towards northern Mississippi When you said you dug down that far. But y’all are a lot closer to the gulf than we are. Katrina was very terrible. As y’all know we have had worse since. We are on a new to us property (bought from family) & are looking to do a homesteading lifestyle. My first thought was how to preserve what I grow when the lights are out with using a or multiple gas generators. I’ve never liked using them when our lights are out but having to hunt ice just to keep a free things cold is an all day task with the long lines for everything you need to survive the heat when lights are out. But it’s our way of life. So we just keep pushing on & preparing for hurricane season. Thank you for this video. It’s the only one I’ve found for the actual Deep South. 😉😀

I love to watch you and Wanda. You remind me of my dad. You are so right about God's hand being lifted off America. I pray that people will get back on their knees and bring him back. Love you messages and your videos. Keep them up.

What a project! Thank you for explaining the steps of building so well.

I can remember watching on television the aftermath of Katrina and how it affected everyone but especially the South. What horrible devastation was left behind. I live in Indiana and our church sent people with supplies and Manpower to Louisiana and Mississippi. They came back with stories that we could only Imagine. So after living through something like that I can see how a project like this would weigh heavy on your heart. Thank you so much for sharing, because I know how something like this can bring back memories. But because of the passion that you and Wanda share for helping others. We as your subscribers can glean from your experiences. I especially like the Nugget on dipping your canning lids and wax. In HIS grip JunkinJodi

A floor drain is always recommended, just in case. It could be tied into your perimitter french drains, for your dehumidifier, if nothing else. The rest sounds like a great build. And yes, ball recommends not stacking smaller jars. just in case one goes bad, the jar on top would prevent it from popping up the top to show its bad. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

Thanks, Danny. I really learned a lot in this video. Everyone had root cellars where I grew up in Alabama. My grandparents had one similar to yours, but not as large. We only had benches to sit on and the canning goods lined the walls. You don't see them too much anymore.

Thank you! I hv gleaned so much from your cellar build. Hv a great day!

Oh wow 😮 this is awesome!

Maybe you could cover the top with a picnic shelter. That would give you the cooling effect of having a building above it without having it totally enclosed and having that extra weight on top of the cellar.

Thanks Danny, I appreciate the time you take to explain things.

Good info. Gramma always did her jars of things that she canned for specials with the wax until about 1968. Great Gramma did it too. But they warmed in a "too small gravy pan" that was a gift. (9-11kids =too small for their needs)

Thank you for sharing your success and trials... It's a learning experience..... I hope it pays off for you all your hard work is not in vain!

You need to reduce the air flow when you are bringing hot air into the cellar. When the air is cooler or you are actually occupying the cellar open up the air flow. Also a light sprinkling of water at night will help cool that slab during the hot days. Even better put 2x4s arround the perimeter of the concrete slab, cover it with a sheet of plastic and flood it. The evaporating water will carry away heat.

This was a awesome video. I’m in the Deep South too and lived in St. Bernard Parish during Katrina. I’m now in around Alexandria, LA. You gave me a lot of great ideas. I always wondered if a root cellar would work as good in the Deep South as in the north. Radiant barrier instead of black plastic on the inside walls might help ALOT. I’m not a contractor but my best understanding is that for a radiant barrier to work there needs to be an air gap between the barrier and the outside wall which if the black plastic is removed you’d have that. If I do a root caller it may very well be based on this design.

Very good suggestions in this video Danny, thank you!

So informative!

Great! Gods greatness is in you and yours!

Seeing how the weather is changing and they say the gulf is warmer this year, that I'm going to need a shelter right away. I'm not far from y'all so this helped me see that it is possible to have a root cellar plus storm shelter. I have an idea for what I want to do, but not sure how to go about it and then look up all the codes.

Thanks great video I can't wait to start putting my root cellar in only a 10 by 10 in clay....pretty sure we are going with rebar reinforced icf blocks with a lot of drainage stone

Oh Lordy, I do miss Mississippi and listening to you makes me miss it even more!

Oh my, thank you so much for sharing, We are wanting to work on this very same issue...thanks again.

Got my answer here! I can built a root cellar in Pensacola, Florida following your plan. It's sand and red dirt here too. Great advice Danny and the extra info about coating canning lids with wax. Now, I gotta find somebody who can do this for me at a reasonable cost.

When I box up some of my food in jars, I cut up cardboard in strips and put that between rows of jars, and then smaller pieces to cross over the other way.

Putting old socks over the jars is absolutely brilliant. I also loved the wax idea. Thanks for the video.

Educational. Thanks so much.

🙏🙏🙏♥️🙂👍thanks for sharing your thoughts

My Uncle dug a full basement under his 3 bedroom brick home, with a shovel and a wheelbarrel! Hardest working man I ever heard of!! You should have seen his garden. Amazing Christian gentleman. Emerald Riggs.

Great information, thank you for sharing.

Thank you Danny. Earthquake proof our jars is a must.

Great video... will be great to see more photos of the building process . Thanks

I'm always amazed at the knowledge you possess 🙂

Very cool lots of good info. Thanks for your time.

Beautiful cellar. Thank you for sharing. Eventually you may have a building on that slab God willing if you don't already. Great job Danny!

That was a nice video. Thank you. I also appreciated the info on your local sand / clay soil. I am not totally sure why it interests me, except that I do have an interest in national geology. I am in south east Tennessee. I did go through Mississippi on my way to New Orleans, & later Grande Isle. So many trees down along the freeways. I had no idea that early on or during the first month they restricted you all from traveling in or out as well. I knew they had done that in New Orleans. This is one of the things about any kind of a disaster that concerns me. People do not realize they won't be allowed to travel & in some cases there will be curfews that will not even allow them to go outside in their own yards. It changed me. The knowledge specifically changed me forever. Maybe I do know why I am interested in the sand composition being predominant. In Tennessee our government has an emergency plan for a possible 6.6 earthquake on the Madrid Fault Line. According to it because of soil compositions, building materials used in these parts of the country, we would lose most infrastructure. They determined it would likely take out the entire eastern seaboard of the United States. They estimate it would take up to 6 years to replace roads, bridges, freeways, train tracks, & the power grid. So, glad I have loved the outdoors all of my life. Am I a homesteader or a prepper? Or just a little of both. But I am for sure a thinker, a researcher, & a planner.

Really good information. I’ve got our cellar started. Thanks for the tips.

when I built my root cellar into the clay hill side I had cedar logs cut in each side to 8" wide for my wall studs and on the ground 2 deep, and sheeted it with 3/4" treated ply wood. cedar will not root in the ground I put 2 feet of white sand on the clay with 2" foam and plastic between, the roof I cut cedar logs into 8x10" timbers and layer the on top for the roof, and a drain tile around the out side and out the side of the next hill as shown in my videos, I also brought the vent line in under ground from that 2nd hill side to bring air in and a 4" vent out the roof, witch I can also seal off in the even of an bombing, and air tanks. I put 2 layers of rigid 2" foam on the roof and covered the whole root cellar in rubber roofing down to the ground and out 18" and haled sand in to back fill, as red clay don't drain water at all, you can build ponds any were and the water stays. I wanted a sand floor like the old days so I could store things like turnips and other root vegs in the sand with no wax, it stays year round at 36 to 40 deg F, I hang my meat in there for 7 days before cutting up, it is like a walk in cooler, I have 40amp hydro in there, with lights and heaters if ever needed, a PL stove and running water from my presser tank as my drilled well is in the back corner, as well a drain for a sink we don't have and tornados here or earth quakes. or any flooding or bad storms

I wish I had seen this video when you first made it (I didn't watch KZfaq back then). I have a wood wall basement in Michigan and the builders did not build in any ventilation. I'm currently running a dehumidifier constantly and a fan to push air up the stairwell but, of course, it is still always too humid down there. Now I know what I need to do for the vent pipes. (Although, in a full basement, I will definitely need a few more than you did.) Thank you again Mr Danny!

You are an amazing man.

Extremely helpful information you might not realize it but thank you

Thank you for the detail on the cellar build--I have had concerns about building one you covered. God bless you! I know you know what is going on.

I had a humidity problem and that is why I had to redo mine. I could not store canned food. It is dry now, BUT, I have a bag of stuff that the Amish use Calcium Carbonate powder 5lbs. They hang it in a cloth bag to absorb the humidity and then you can dry it and hang it again. I also have a small carry battery (a couple of lbs) with lights and fans that work from it. And, solar radio (and a wind up radio).

We loved the video. We watched it while drinking coffee before Mike went to work. We have a storm shelter (concrete) that we are going to use for some root vegetable storage. Unfortunately we can't store our canned food jars in there because of space. Hey...we have a hill though lol! You both know we have tornados and earthquakes here in Oklahoma so the need for our safety is 1st. After the greenhouse this year...yep root cellar next. We appreciate ya'll for sharing! Tip for ya...if you receive any packages with bubble wrap you could use it between your jars.

Very helpful thanks Danny

Safety from storms plus food storage?! Yes sir! Someday I’d LOVE to build a cellar too.. Gotta find my forever place first though.. Great information! 😊 Thank you!

can use corrugated plastic panels cut into 4"-6"-8" strips to place between your jars so they don't rattle on one another

That's some SERIOUS construction design brother! Whoowee. Respect! Could you please show video of your current as-is root cellar. 'CAUSE I would really like to see all that massive work completed. It makes sense you did that all, considering the huge storms you all been through. Your children will pass that on for generations I'm sure. Outstanding!

Thank you for the information

I like the way you build.

As alway great video. Thanks

Heck of a build. You may help your ventilation heat issue by trenching 4'-5' and re-routing the inlet lines for some distance underground to allow the hot inlet air to cool before it enters. Also just put a raised tarp over the slab for shade.

Great tip on waxing jar tops. Great job on your cellar, seems like almost everything we can look back and see how we could have done better. God bless😀

Could you paint the concrete slab white? Reflect the heat some.

Well it is built well enough for sure. And others have suggested a shelter roof over the slab to solve the heat problem. I grew up in Montana and many people had root cellars to store food in but not so well built. And most people had basements where they stored canned goods...and it was always cool down there.,

thanks so much for this video, i have been wanting to build a cellar in a hillside on my new land, this will help

Paint that concrete slab with reflective silver roof coating, it will reduce the heat transmission tremendously. When you decide to build on the slab you can have the coating sand blasted off prior to building.

Danny, thank you for the great teaching. God bless you with healing. We esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and not comforted,but He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. I claim that scripture in Isaiah for you, in Jesus name!

Maybe painting the concrete slab over the cellar white would help to reflect the heat.. Anyway great video, helpful and to the point as usual. Always a lot of info. in your videos. Thank You!

Would using heavy rubber pond liner over the ceiling with a living roof, have kept the cellar cooler? It's something I've thought about if I were to build one. Or possibly building a pagoda over the pad, to trellis grape vines that could shade and cool the concrete? Ball canning lid info is very helpful. Thanks Danny!

A great video Danny. Gave me some good ideas and some cautions. Thank You very much. God Bless Joe

Fantastic idea on waxing the jar lids. Thank you SO much for sharing that. So much humidity where I live.

This would make a great booklet to sell in your etsy shop.

Food for thought, really enjoyed the video. Long term goal of mine and I will build it to code.

Great idea about waxing canning lids, thank you!💚☘️

Just paint the cement white to reflect the sunlight back....so it doesn't absorb. Or throw dirt on top of the cement and then plant cover crops to absorb the sunlight. You can just scrape it 0ff when ready to build the building

Thank you for sharing your journey on your Root Cellar I will be putting one in here can't say when but I got finish the cabin first and that well be this summer thank you for sharing God bless you

Pretty much the same way we do basements in my part of PA. Except pressure treated probably wouldn't work here. Too much clay in our soil. I think once the clay got wet, the load would be too much, even on 12 inch centers. But, I could be wrong. That is a nice cellar for sure. and, I finally got to see what a hurricane clip is ! I've heard of them, but we don't use them around here. Great video!

Those silicone wrist bracelets might work around the jars?

EXCELLENT! I am just finishing up my tornado shelter which is 8x12' and 8' tall. I have two 'roof' pipes with curved outside pipes with screens. Yes, my pipes are on the front and the back of the shelter and due to the construction, I keep the door open most of the time when had to go there. Mine is a septic tank and has a drain - 2 now - in the floor. You have sand, I was dealing with mud and rock. It needs to be recovered now after the waterproofing is now finished. I need to get the dirt back up there about 4 or 5'. I have the french drains too. I am considering replacing the wood door with a steel one. I am going to put about 3' of roofing over the doorway Wish I had the space you have, but looking for old freezer right now to store food because the critters always seem to have a way to get in there. :-( I do not have electric there, but do have a generator and extension cords. You are a great builder and sure know what you are doing. And, I got some more ideas on how to finish the inside now and defeat any humidity. We have hi humidity in parts of the year here in TN. I am surprised that you need insulation - because ground usually stays around 55 degrees. AWWW, you explained the SOUTH - yes, true.

Great video

Great info! And you are right. Katrina was a huge eye opener!! Thank you for sharing 😊

Thanks Danny, you have a great cellar and like everything you do, it's well thought out and neat as a pin.

Try painting the slab white or with a special sun reflecting paint

Love your video on your cellar. Have you thought about covering the cement with plastic and putting dirt and plants and pot s to keep it cooler.! Love y'all

What if you bury the slab in 6-10 inches of topsoil and plant grass on it? Would the roof of the cellar be able to support the extra weight?

Thanks - Very good info. Could you cover the slab with plastic and put your container pots and maybe shallow raised beds on top till you get ready to build. I've seen great gardening results in big cities built on top of concrete and asphalt. I look forward to all yours and Wanda's videos on all channels. Love and prayers.

I dealt with this after Hurricane Rita, it took me 2 and a halve years rebuilding our home, while we lived in a FEMA trailer.

Love this video, most helpful thanks Danny

Thank you .. I wish I could still do the intense labor that I did when I was young. And had more knowledge of how to build things or still had my sweet step dad to supervise and teach me .. and I would definitely build one ...

You did a great job building your cellar at the time.It will keep you and Wanda safe and fed in a life changing event.I'm listening and learning from you all the time.Thanks,and be well you all.♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡......

When I ever get to the country, I want a root cellar with the same purposes as yours.

Great info!!! Tks and God Bless You!!!

Thank you Danny for sharing your root cellar design. Is the door any special type material or design for this cellar??

Cardboard is awesome for dividers to keep your canned goods. I was born and raised in California so I have dealt with earthquakes all my younger life.

I appreciate that you shared not only what works in your cellar, but also what you would have done different. Thank you! As far as the summer heating for the slab, what if you covered it with an arbor of grapes, luffa, or other such growth that would then be bare in the winter to allow the sunshine to heat the slab? We so want a cellar or basement again. Our previous basement had poured concrete walls and it was always so very comfortable down there.

It might be a little expensive, but it might be worthwhile get a insulation company to spray foam your walls and ceiling with 2x8 and 2x12 you would probably get a Rfactor 40 +

You guys aren't that far from me. We were without power for about 2 weeks after Katrina. I would love to build a root cellar/storm cellar/bunker...lol.

Rubber bands around jars, what a fantastic idea! I never heard of waxing lids. Was interested in the cellar info, finished the video with more great info. :) Blessings ~

Very good. Learned a lot.

Until you can get a building up over it, I'd plant a bunch of squash or other really leafy plant in pots on that slab so they can shade the slab.

Great job!! Thank you.

Thank you Danny very informative

I had a cement patio around the backyard pool area which took up most of the backyard. If you were barefoot you had to hot step on that patio. Ended up painting it with a rubberized paint from Home Depot specifically for concrete or cement ina peachy sand color and you could lay on it all day. Just sharing my experience

Since you've built the"She Shed", on the slab, has the summer temps been reduced in the cellar?