Schedule 40 Can Be Your Friend--long term storage of goodies!

[Alex Hidell]

Here's the best way for long term storage of ammunition--or anything else of interest or importance....

PVC pipe--large diameter PVC pipe.

10" / 12" or larger inner diameter PVC. Schedule 40 pipe is great (white PVC). In the larger sizes, the wall thickness is slighly more that 1/4".

Large diameter PVC is easily available at plumbing supply warehouses--that kind that tradesmen and contractors use. Here cash is king--so walk in, know what you want, and wave cash... you will not be turned down.

PVC is easily cut with a hand saw. Just make sure your ends are square, this done by wraping a string around the pipe--measuring from the end for alignment, then marking with a pencil or marker. Cut along the line as you roll the pipe.

Your containers are then sealed using PVC (same schedule) end caps, plugs or screw caps. Make sure you use lots of PVC primer, before you apply liberal amounts of glue.

End caps are recommend because they provide a completely sure-fire seal. Allow a few inches of room between the end-caps and your stuff. This is because when you want to open it later--you tap the stuff to one end by tilting up the container. Then you saw around the end cap. Voila! It's opened.

I would suggest using lots of desecate (sp?) packs inside your containers. And before you seal it up--use a hair dryer on low heat... with it aimed into the container for a half an hour or so. This will drive out excess moisture.

Hidding your containers? Burrial of course. But not off your property--or property you cannot control. Crawl spaces under houses, sheds, etc.--sprinkled with lots of scap pipe of course to throw off metal detectors. Do not burry you container in ground that has a shallow water table--don't push it. Or on a potential flood plain--it may float up. Do not burry your container on ground that has vehicle traffice (tractors, cars, etc.) --you don't want to crush it.

If you need a BOC (bug-out-container) off property, then you have to be very clever where you place it. Again take in all the considerations above. Formost you need security. Un-trodden space. Unseen. Away from the obvioius places where treasure hunters with metal detectors would ply. No abandoned homes, ranches, etc. But it has to be accessable. This is the conondrum! Also... you need security when placing your container. You don't want to plant something under the watching eyes of a theif--who will wait for you to leave and dig up your goods. Put some thought into this process, with the thought of how you are going to re-locate your cache rain, night, day, snow or whatever. Also--if you should go down--make provisions for someone else to take up the flag.

Ammo cans--not good for burrial. Yes they are water-tight, but they rust. I believe a 50-cal ammo can will fit into a 12" dia PVC. ---this would be optimal. Ammo cans would be good in a walled-up hide-hole, false floors, etc. where fast availability is necessary. Also when storing metal items (ahem!) inside PVC--oil, oil, oil and seal in plastic. Break items down if necessary.

Storing ammo only--2" diameter PVC is readly available at Home Depot. A lot of ammo can be stored inside a 2' x 2" PVC container.

Sky's the limit using PVC--thank God for Dow Chemical.

AH

[upgrayedd]

nice post! dessicant gel packscan be found in almost anything nowadays from shoes to toys to electronics to prevent moisture damage. i've been keeping mine in aziplock bag along with some uncooked rice to keep them from absording premature moisture.
rice is also a good short term alternativee/poor mans alternative to dessicant packs.

no need to be fancy with the riice. as long as the food/batteries/whatever are packaged in something, the rice can be poured into othe pvc tube. you'd better hope that water never gets into that tube though. becausethe rice will act as a sponge once submerged.

still, if you ever get your cell phone or cell batterywet, stick it in a bowl of uncooked rice for 24 hours, the rice will wick out the moisture.

also, if yourmaglite needs that one extra c battery and you just dont have it, try using a stack of quarters, they'll work just fine.

[Gunco]

Great post thanks for sharing! Only thing I might add would be to throw in a shit load of baby daipers in case of moisture and they also make good filler/padding.

[rbthntr64]

[Alex Hidell]

This thread is worthless without pics.

If you're a dope and cannot follow simple instruction--it is worthless.

Here, I'll simplify it for you....

A: Big diameter PVC shedule 40 pipe. 10", 12" etc. inner diameter PVC--it's measured by the inner diameter.
B: Saw it into shorter lenghts--36", 46" etc.
C: Cap off one end with a PVC cap purchased from the supplier--at the same time (buy two).
D: Put your stuff in it.
E: Cap off the other end.
F: Hide it where no one will see it--which means out of sight!

If you use a purple hot primer before your apply the glue--and lots of it, there will be no, absolutely no leakage--not unless the container is crushed, slammed real hard to crack it, etc. PVC is real tough stuff.

Be sure to use lots, and lots of PVC glue. The cans come with an aplicator--a fuzzy ball. Get this sucker sopping, and go to town. Apply the glue on the purple primer (inside the cap should be primed also and glue applied also).

If you really want to make sure--double container it... a container within a container.

But one tube will suffice. This is why I say don't burry it in a place with a shallow water table. You want to look for sandy soil that has good drainage. Dig a hole first and pour in a bucket of water. It the water drains rapidly (less than a minute) this is a good spot. This is the way they test soils prior to installing a septic drainage line.

If the water backs up--no, go. You've probably got clay layers, etc. Look for a better spot.

If you put something under your floor space. Save the top layer of dirt aside. Discard the deeper dirt. To layers have a different color. You want to match and camouflage your location as good as possible.

Any other ideas???

AH

[upgrayedd]

LOL.

[Alex Hidell]

I posted this thread on another site, and it got 2,000 reads and over 44 responses from people who got it.

How come you don't without photos?


Oh come on please--are you kidding me?!
You are pulling my leg/s!!! Right!?

Do you guys own large coffe table books with big picutres in it?
That must be the case.

Anyways I don't know how to post photos--uploading doesn't seem to be an option.
And I don't want to load to photobucket or the like--registering to post photos of my goodies is against my religion.

[upgrayedd]

I just wanted to throw fuel on the fire.LOL.(being a smart ass) No doubt that its a GREAT post and wish that I'd thought of it first!!!
I dont need no stinking pics. the other fella, I guess, just wanted to connect the dots?

Simple enough and no need for pics IMO. DEF NOT worthless!

Good post!

[Alex Hidell]

Okay, I forgive you....

Here's an addendum to this post--you can also try PVC welding. Containers can be custom made by this technique. It's just a hot-air tip and PVC welding rod--like regular welding, but with hot air. Polypropoline sheets or PVC sheet make great waterproof containers.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

You can make all sorts of bitchen container with thermo-plastic sheets (thermo-plastics can be reheated over and over). Polypropoline is the material used for gas cans and custom gas tanks--easily welded. PVC can also be welded, but with both materials you have to have the corrrect rod--which is sold by the pound.

The material is simply cut with a table or hand saw.

ST

[kurts_armory]

very helpful post, thank you