Cellar on the balcony

Reserve the autumn vegetables - fragrant, useful and tasty - the desire of every mistress. But, unfortunately, not everyone can afford their own cellar( especially when you live in a city apartment), where you could store food all winter.

One can not but agree that the cellar on the balcony is an excellent solution. But also it is necessary to say that the process of its arrangement is not simple and requires certain knowledge, which you will get from this small but useful article.

So, how to make a cellar on the balcony with your own hands? To begin with it is necessary to be defined with type of a cellar which will suit you both on the sizes, and on the spaciousness. If in the case of the first floor there are no problems, because all you need is to dig a basement under the balcony and equip it, then in case you live on the floors above, all you have to do is take advantage of the balcony area.

There is something to choose

You do not have to bother with the arrangement of a homemade cellar, because there is always a simpler option - to buy a ready-made cellar-box. Such designs most often have a volume of liters of 300. Of course, they are equipped with ventilation, electric awnings and thermostat constantly maintain the temperature, ideal for storing vegetables. This is a good option, but not for those who want to build a self-made cellar on the balcony.

Also on sale to date, there are soft electrical containers. They are large enough, but they can not be called convenient to use. In such "bags" there are also built-in heaters that control the temperature.

Usually, if people are not satisfied with any of the proposed options, they choose the mini cellar on the balcony, which you can do by yourself.

How to choose the size?

Decide on the size. No one can call you any standard size. It all depends on the area of ​​your balcony. Therefore, it will be reasonable to use as much as possible a large area, leaving, of course, a place for convenient movement through the balcony. The most frequently chosen sizes are those approximating to the following: 1200x1000x600 mm( HxWxD).

Where to start?

1. To arrange the floor of the cellar, you will need a heater, which can be expanded polystyrene foam. It is quite firm, it can withstand the load well( and vegetables, as you know, do not differ easily).On top of a heater put sheet ДСП( it is possible to use and a plywood).Pre-it must be dried well. This will ensure the cellar longevity, protect against the influence of parasites, putrefaction.

2. The box itself, in which the products will be stored, is made of plywood: first the skeleton is assembled from the uneven bars, which is then assembled. The walls are insulated with expanded polystyrene, usually in two layers. Mounting foam will serve as a seal on the joints of expanded polystyrene boards.

3. After the box is installed on the bottom, on one of its long sides fasten the hinges, to which the lid is later attached( it is insulated with mineral wool, it is lined with waterproof plywood).It should be noted that, depending on the height of the cellar, the cover can be planned from above or from the front. That is, the higher it is, the easier it will be to open the box from the front.

4. It is compulsory, as in every cellar, there must be a thermometer. If the box you have with the lid, you need to attach the thermometer to its inner side. If you decide to build a cellar with drawers, saddle a small window in one of the walls of the case, glaze it, and from the inside, attach a thermometer. Thus, the temperature will always be in sight.

5. For heating the cellar it will be sufficient to install small electric bulbs( power 40-75 W).Place them on the corners, as it is in them that cold air is collected. The wiring is usually output through the bottom of the box.

Now you know how to make a cellar on the balcony with your own hands cheaply and angrily, at no extra cost and to your taste. For more detailed acquaintance, you can view photo of the cellar on the balcony, presented on our website.

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