# Basement food storage



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Can I store foods bought in bulk (I have 50 lbs rice for example) in the 5 gallon buckets in a house basement that can be damp from time to time??
We had a rain storm from the last hurricaine that caused a bit of water to come in from the door, (which we cleaned up) this happens sometimes when there is a really bad storm, and we generally run a dehumidifier in the summer (wintertime the woodburners going, so no problem there)
I have been considering picking up some of the food grade buckets from wallyworld and storing the rice in them in the basement. Or do you think they would be better off in a closet or something?


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

If the container is air tight, then its water tight. I would use anything but an airtight container for long storage as air has fluctuations in humidity.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Our last house had an unfinished basement that was damp, but we didn't get standing water. Even so, I had everything up on wooden pallets, and had clothes, food, photos, etc. all sealed in plastic (ziplocks, space bags, vac sealed, etc). And I ran a de-humidifier year round, to keep it drier. We never lost anything to the damp, but it does take a little preventative care. I'd definitely invest in some buckets, and also put absorbent things like rice, beans, flour in mylar bags or vac seal them. What a tragedy to find out later that you have damp or mold in your food!


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## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

We keep our 5 gallon buckets in the basement and have never had a problem, even when our hot water heater busted and filled the basement with 2" of water. The bottom row of buckets was raised up on 2x4's, and didn't get wet. We also run two dehumidifiers in the summer, but don't usually need to run them in the winter.

Dawn


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## stranger (Feb 24, 2008)

I always use mylar bags and 2000 cc oxygen absorbers inside the pails to store rice, wheat, beans, corn and keep them off the floor a couple inches.


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## Hobbes (Apr 1, 2008)

Why do you raise your buckets off of the floor?


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## Henry (Mar 1, 2006)

You should keep a barrier between your storage containers and any concrete. The concrete will wick [?] up through your plastic, sealed containers and ruin the food. It can be just a sheet of plywood but you need a buffer. As any builder knows concrete will eventually rot any wood it touches. Water and contaminates move slowly but do get threw.


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## neolady (Dec 30, 2005)

Hobbes said:


> Why do you raise your buckets off of the floor?


Plastic seems to "sweat" on concrete and contents get damp. I don't sit anything on my cement basement floor because of it.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I have some woden palletts if I get a huge stash, otherise, I would put them on my steel shelves...I am hoping they will be ok, I plan to get the buckets today and start with the rice, followed by some cocoa....hopefully adding to long term assorted storage


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## Guest (Sep 15, 2008)

The problem with storing buckets directly in contact with the floor or exterior walls is that they are often cooler than the surrounding air. Because of this the portion of the bucket touching the floor will be cooler than the rest of the container. This could lead to preferential condensation of the otherwise acceptable moisture content of the food in the cooler parts of the bucket which in turn could lead to spoilage as that food portion absorbs too much water. If you keep the buckets (or any other containers) out of contact with the floor or exterior walls by use of boards, pallets, or whatever then the entire container will be the same temperature of the surrounding air so the moisture content of the food inside should remain evenly distributed and thus below the danger level. Note that this applies to foods sealed inside of Mylar bags as well.

If the storage atmosphere is damp then you definitely want air/water tight storage containers. Ordinary five gallon plastic buckets will suffice if the lids have good gaskets and you've put them on correctly. The moisture sensitivity of the food and how long you'll be keeping it in the damp atmosphere determines the shelf-life. My experience with HDPE buckets (common plastic buckets) is that past four or five years in a damp environment that enough moisture can migrate through the plastic itself to cause problems with things like sugar, salt, rice, and so on. If you'll be keeping it in the buckets for longer than several years in such an environment you'd be better off to seal the goods inside of Mylar liners.

.....Alan.


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## stranger (Feb 24, 2008)

A.T. Hagan said:


> My experience with HDPE buckets (common plastic buckets) is that past four or five years in a damp environment that enough moisture can migrate through the plastic itself to cause problems with things like sugar, salt, rice, and so on. If you'll be keeping it in the buckets for longer than several years in such an environment you'd be better off to seal the goods inside of Mylar liners.
> 
> .....Alan.


 I use the plastic pails and mylar bags for everything, i just don't use the oxygen absorbers with sugar or salt.


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## WayneR (Mar 26, 2007)

Nitrogen is also used to displace the regular air in the container, as it is inert, dry and will not support growth of insect or fungi.

A small tank will treat hundreds of five gallon buckets. It is economical and refills are more easily obtained, should it ever be needed, especially if part of a group.


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2008)

This is true, but with the advent of oxygen absorbers it has largely become obsolete unless you already have a tank and gauge for other reasons. Gas purging works poorly with fine particle textured foods such as flours, meals, dry milk, and so on.

I do still use dry ice with some grains. It's cheap and drop dead simple to use.

.....Alan.


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