Mark Zielinski

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since Feb 03, 2013
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Recent posts by Mark Zielinski

Agree, the free-standing Mockmills are an incredible advance for bakers of naturally-leavened bread, but probably not designed for oily inputs, corn, etc.

4 years ago
Thanks, John, see you on the other side!

Steve Sherman wrote:
If I can ask a question Mark, what sort of rain cap to you use on the "exhaust" vent? I have been debating whether I should use a U-turn of pipe at the top to keep rain/snow out, or the more traditional "chiminey" type cap. The concern being that a U-turn might present too much resistance to unpowered air flow.



Steve, I am lucky to have the inlet pipe under an eave and the outlet pipe under a carport, so no rain or snow problems (again, at least so far!). Roberto's comment about a t-shaped fitting sounds great. Also, definitely figure out a way to put screen over the outdoor openings on these airflow pipes so the bugs, shrews, etc. stay outside.
Mark  
8 years ago
Alex, for many food products, storing them in temperatures in the 40's in a root cellar is tantamount to free refrigeration, even better actually because the storage can be drier than what you get in a fridge. And once the root cellar is built, that "refrigeration" is free going forward. Think of all the money and resources that are consumed on this planet by refrigeration.

If one lives anywhere with a short growing season, then you really want a cool temperature place to store lots of the things you raised in the garden during that short growing season (e.g., onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, etc.) You want those things to last into the growing season of the following year, and a root cellar can make that happen. It is also a fabulous place to store foods canned from that short growing season--they will last for many years with no spoilage. So all those strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry preserves we put up this year will be with us for as long as we can resist devouring them or giving them away as gifts.

Also, if one is a baker, milled flour lasts very nicely in cool storage, and whole grains are likely to last for one's lifetime.

Did I mention: I really like root cellars and find them extraordinarily valuable! It's very unfortunate for all of us that they have "gone out of style."
8 years ago
I also live in the Rocky Mountain foothills and used 4" PVC for the two vents in a 12' X 12' root cellar in one corner of our basement. Both pipes were placed in holes drilled through wood just above the concrete basement walls, so both holes are right at the ceiling of the root cellar. The air intake was piped down to maybe 6" above the concrete floor, the air outlet is just a straight pipe at the ceiling. The specs I've seen say the pipes should be larger for my size root cellar, but the 4" pipes have worked pretty well. What I did buy is a rounded cap for 4" PVC and, to keep warmer air in to keep things from actually freezing, I cap the outlet pipe in really cold weather, the type of cold that tries to freeze the water pipes in my basement. Most winters, that's only a few days total at most (so far!).

The typical non-Summer temperature in the root cellar is in the low- to mid-40's. The highest I've ever seen it is 60 degrees during a real hot spell during the record-hot Summer of 2015.

The two walls that are not concrete walls are standard woodframe sheet-rocked walls sprayed with maybe a 1/2 inch of insulating foam. Ceiling is also sprayed that way.

good luck, this is a fabulous project, you won't believe how great it is to be able to store all kinds of fresh and preserved food in stable coolness.
8 years ago