Storage and Heat

[AzDak]

I'm wondering if perhaps you gents have some ideas that can help out...

Our wee starter house is not blessed with a lot of storage space. Aside from a spare bedroom being taken up temporarily by our niece, storage is limited to a 8'x8' storage cubby.

I have a fair amount of garage space available but I'm unsure what can be put into long term storage when you have to take into account 115 degree Phoenix weather. Cool and dry are the watch words of food storage and my garage is neither during monsoon season.

So what can be sealed and stored at those temps? A few 55 gallon plastic water drums should be ok with regular rotation. But how about food stuffs? Can bulk packed grains survive? Can you keep canned goods for long under those conditions?

Much obliged,
AzDak

[Da Nerd]

Temp of the water would not be a factor, but 115 degrees would kill food pretty fast.
Do you use a swamp cooler or central air?
A swamp cooler could be directed to exit air via the garage mabye

[mosbysmen]

how about digging a root cellar ? temp stays the same year round a few feet down .. dont have to worry about hitting water.

[win308]

If Phoenix is anything like Idaho, just dig a celler out in the back yard. My uncle in Rexburg did this, lined it with creasote boards and covered it with some planks....covered that with a tarp, then filled it in. He built some shelves that didn't touch the walls, and stored all the bottled choke cherries, hucklyberries and other canned goods he could down there.

Try it and see.

[olsarg]

If you own the property a small storm celler in the back yard might be easier to build and explain to nosy neibours. might also let you slide under the almost universal zoning and building laws.