Planning to place a 500-liter buffer tank in the earth cellar, wall to wall with the boiler room. The floor consists of loose gravel and soil, quite dry. Initially, I was just thinking of placing the tank on a sheet of ground insulation. Would that suffice, or should I pour 5cm of concrete? It would then involve about 80 liters of concrete. Does the substrate need to be packed somehow? I have only cast a little under the wood stove before, it was fun and turned out well, but otherwise, I don't know much about casting. What I used then was fast-setting fine self-leveling compound.
I would have made a bed of 16-32, packed, plastic, and cast 10 cm as long as the tank has feet and is already insulated
Otherwise, foam plastic in the casting and cast a form that you can frame up on with steel studs and insulated
However, I am just a DIY person with all its limitations 😄
Otherwise, foam plastic in the casting and cast a form that you can frame up on with steel studs and insulated
However, I am just a DIY person with all its limitations 😄
You want plastic between the draining layer and the slab, any particular reasons for this?D09 said:
I'm about to cast in my earth cellar to have a fresh floor for a hydropress and radon separator, and I'm wondering whether I should have plastic or not.
To avoid this becoming a right thread hijacking, I should probably advise the original poster to drain, add macadam, and cast a slab over the whole floor.
In my case, I won't use any foam insulation because I want the ground to keep the earth cellar above freezing point, and there's nothing that will provide any waste heat, but you might want it warmer than that?
It seems like there will be casting, my dad is helping me. He has some experience, but can have some quirky ideas sometimes.
The room will accommodate one or two accumulation tanks placed at the far end. The rest will be used as a darkroom, so it will be heated.
I'm just wondering how it should be done. Shovel out two dm of the gravel, lay 10 cm of styrofoam and cast 10 cm on that with a reinforcement mesh in it? Or do I need something like single e.g. at the bottom?
What might the material cost for 6m2 if bought at Byggmax? I guess it will require 600 liters of concrete.
The room will accommodate one or two accumulation tanks placed at the far end. The rest will be used as a darkroom, so it will be heated.
I'm just wondering how it should be done. Shovel out two dm of the gravel, lay 10 cm of styrofoam and cast 10 cm on that with a reinforcement mesh in it? Or do I need something like single e.g. at the bottom?
What might the material cost for 6m2 if bought at Byggmax? I guess it will require 600 liters of concrete.
If it's well-packed underneath, I would have shoveled away a flat surface, laid isodrän, then cell plastic, and then cast. Isodrän to provide capillary breaking, but a foundation that doesn't move. Alternatively, shovel away an area larger than the tanks need, so it doesn't move afterward, edge type.
Do you have plans to cast the rest of the floor in the future?
Do you have plans to cast the rest of the floor in the future?
Tips is to use s200 class on cell plastic, it handles long-term load better.
Why shovel out the gravel, isn't it good if it comes up a little from the ground? 
I'm not a concrete expert but I've only used pure materials when I've extended the concrete, for example, 2-5, 8-16, 16-32, etc.Andreas_H said:
(Perhaps 0-18 works too, have no idea but it feels wrong considering the 0 material)
Then, I haven't counted on all too fine surfaces. Could have an edge sticking up from a stone, like coarse castings under walls, etc.
And then change the foundation of the accumulator tank in a few years?? No thanks, not a good solution.pelpet said:
An accumulator tank should stand on an unyielding permanent foundation (concrete=great) because several steel and/or copper pipes need to be connected to it, and they don't want any movement.