Galvanized Corrugated Steel Shelter

I have had some interested in how my galvanized corrugated steel shelter was constructed, so I will give a brief description.

Basic Materials (From Engineer's Description):
1 78" DIA X 10' LONG CMP (16 GA) W/ (2) END CAPS
1 30" DIA X 4' LONG CMP (16 GA) LATERAL W/ (1) CAP

These materials were provided and welded together by Texas Corrugators in Round Rock, Texas, but any fabricator could duplicate it. Basically, it is a 78" x 10' pipe that has end caps welded on each end, and is then braced with angle iron across the vertical axis and horizontal axis of the end cap. A 30" hole is cut in the larger pipe, and the 30" pipe section is welded to the larger pipe as an entrance over the hole. A 30" plate was also cut to cover the entrance, and
given a handle so that it can be lifted into place by hand. My goal being to later fabricate a more secure entrance hatch. All welds were requested to be water tight and spay panted with a galvanizing coating. I later welded hooks on each end so that it could be lifted with the backhoe. I did not request any penetrations for air ventilation or other services, because I planned to incorporate those in the hatch design, but you must have some plan for this, because each person needs at least 3 cfm (cubic feet of air per minute) to breath and up to 10 cfm to feel ventilated and cool when it is hot.

As for the installation, we used a rented backhoe to dig a hole about 6 inches wider in all dimensions and then set the shelter in the hole and encased it in concrete that we ordered from our local concrete delivery company. In the end, it turned out that the hole wasn't a perfect fit, and we ended up using more concrete than planned, so you may want to get your shelter and hole the way you want them before you order your concrete. After this was complete, we covered the shelter with a concrete foundation and garage.


This was my first complete underground shelter. I am currently constructing a new shelter in a different location that is about 8 times larger. I am of course stocking my shelters with enough food and supplies to support myself and my family for a length of time that I feel is needed.  


-Richard