Coal chute solutions?
I just moved into my house and in the basement there is the old coal chute. Really, it's not much of a chute, just a door (roughly 18 x 24) that opens to the outside that has been sealed (poorly). So, my question is 2-fold: 1. How do I better seal the outside of it to help cut down on critters getting in through the gap? 2. How should I go about enclosing and insulating the inside to try to make the basement a little more secure in the case that somebody does manage to pry the thing open? Right now, it's just a hole in the basement wall at the same level as my basement windows. Can you post a couple pictures? http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html No problem. I'll take pictures tonight and get them posted (at work right now). Photos of the inside and outside of the coal chute door: I'd probably just fill the area on the inside with congrete and leave the outside door as a historically correct decoration. Use a hammer drill to drill a few hole into the sides of the opening and drive in some one quarter or three eighth rebar. The pins wouldn't need to go in more then an inch or so or stick out more then an inch or two. I'd connect the rebar pins on each side with rebar long enough to go all the way across. Wire that rebar to the pins. Then I'd block off the opening to with in two inches of the top* and fill with concrete. Tap the form board with a rubber mallet as you pour to be sure you don't leave air pockets. The last two inches can be filled with no form just by forcing in a stiff concrete mix. Force in till it starts to run out then let it set up and add more. *You seem to have plaster over concrete block on the inside so it should be easy to screw your board for pouring the concrete to the wall with Tapcon screws. Unless you can match the decorative block - I'd leave the chute door! As Ray said you can concrete or brick up the opening from the inside. You could even frame it up and use insulation and plywood. I was considering trying to seal up the door real well (caulking, etc.), and converting the opening into a cabinet of some sort. I need to figure out what that ground wire that's attached to the door goes to. I could probably find a better place to tie it in, anyway. You could just build the cabinet and slide it in then use trim around it to hold it in. Make the cabinet about two inches shallower then the opening and glue in about two inches of foam board before sliding the cabinet in. Excellent suggestion. Now I just need to learn properly make a cabinet. Should be simple! (famous last words) Basically you are just building a box. Four sides and a bottom which will become the back when installed. The corners don't have to be 45ed because they won't show. Just use carpenter's glue and drywall screws.Drill a clearance hole (slightly larger then the screw) in the top board and a pilot whole in the edge of the board it fastens to. The grounding wire is probably required for coal delivery, as coal dust could ignite with a spark of the door opening or closing. I would put 2 inch thick piece of rigid foam against the door and seal around it it with soem great stuff. Then make your cabinet. If you build that cabinet, use screws that are not brittle nor susceptible to corrosion, such as deck screws. Not drywall screws. That's interesting. I didn't know that. Strange that it would still be there, though. I don't think this house has used coal in a very, very long time. I was using dry wall screws before deck screws were common or maybe even invented so I still use them for most purposes except what OSHA would define as life safety use. Nash and I could probably debate this issue but he has a valid point and I will agree, use deck screws.
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