Shipping Containers

[Jerry Bruette]

Anyone here have any experience using shipping containers for storage, like a shed?

Do they get hotter than heck in the summer and have a bad effect on the contents?

I'm thinking about storing stuff like a lawnmower and four wheeler inside.

[Bruce Page]

We used them where I worked to store stuff and yes, in the New Mexican sun, they get hotter than Hades. A modern ATV or lawn mower would have a vented fuel tank so I don't think you would have a problem. I wouldn't store spray can paint in one though. I have seen them with wind turbine ventilators mounted on them that probably help a lot.

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

We use one to store hay for my wife's horses. It works very well.

A couple of points:

1. They do get really, really hot. You can open the doors at either end to vent through.

2. Since they are designed to be lifted by a forklift, there is a gap underneath the container and below the floor. This is an ideal place for wild life (four legged and other kind) to set up house keeping.

[John K Jordan]

Anyone here have any experience using shipping containers for storage, like a shed?
Do they get hotter than heck in the summer and have a bad effect on the contents?
I'm thinking about storing stuff like a lawnmower and four wheeler inside.

I use two, actually one is the back end of a tractor trailer with the wheels cut off. it's bigger, 8' wide x 9' high by 45'. The other is a real shipping container, 8x8x40'.

The container is my hay storage for my horses and llamas and such. It is mostly in the sun and will get VERY hot inside but I did this which works well: I cut six rectangular holes in the sides near the bottom and mounted foundation vents. Then I cut circles in the top and mounted two rotating roof vents.


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The third thing I did was cut some galvanized roofing metal and make some little roofs for the vents to keep the blowing rain out. These I cut to shape, bent, and fastened with sheet metal screws and silicone caulk.

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This all works very well. It is surprising how much cooler it is even in the summer sun.

One thing I HIGHLY recommend is buying aluminum containers instead of steel. The guy selling these warned me that many people buy steel then fail to keep the leaves cleaned off the roof and they will rust through. I saw one like this behind someone's barn and you could see light through the roof - everything stored inside was ruined. If I bought a steel one I would either have to remember to keep the roof cleaned off or construct a slanted roof on top with 2-by lumber and metal roofing.

I was fortunate to find someone selling an all-aluminum container (except for the steel frame) for $1600. No way I could have built a storage shed that big for that. And I can move it if I need to!

The over-the-road trailer I have with the wheels cut off is also all aluminum. I use it for general storage and it is in the shade and I didn't add vents. When I moved to this farm I planned to build a workshop but I knew I would be broke afterwards and wouldn't be able to buy the tools. So I bought tablesaw, jointer, etc and stored them in this until I got the shop done. Maybe 8 years and everything was fine - no rust.

To set these on the ground I level, compact, put down a layer of gravel, then lay 6x6 PT post sections sideways. The delivery guys are extremely good at putting them where you want them within a couple of inches. If necessary, you can scoot one a bit with a tractor or a come-along.

The floors on both of these are so strong I can drive my tractor inside. I sometimes by hay on pallets and carry these inside with forks on the tractor.

JKJ

[Malcolm Schweizer]

We use them all the time down here. We take two containers and space them apart, then build a roof over the whole thing. You get two units plus an open workspace. They do not get nearly as hot with a roof.

[Jerry Bruette]

[QUOTE=John K Jordan;2582868]

One thing I HIGHLY recommend is buying aluminum containers instead of steel. The guy selling these warned me that many people buy steel then fail to keep the leaves cleaned off the roof and they will rust through. I saw one like this behind someone's barn and you could see light through the roof - everything stored inside was ruined. If I bought a steel one I would either have to remember to keep the roof cleaned off or construct a slanted roof on top with 2-by lumber and metal roofing

I've seen some locally that are made from Cor-Ten steel, I shouldn't have to worry about rust through for a very long time.