Gerben and Claudia live in a clearing nestled among the woods. For almost a year now, a Groundfridge has been buried in the ground behind their carport. Below, we talk to them about their considerations for buying a Groundfridge and its use in daily practice.
You live in a beautiful, wooded location. What prompted you to look into underground storage? “
We were very consciously looking for alternative cooling options that align with our way of life here. Previously, our supplies were scattered everywhere: potatoes in one place, other products elsewhere. We were looking for one central place to store everything in an orderly fashion. We didn't want a mechanical, air-conditioning-like system. At the same time, we discovered that building a traditional cellar under the house would quickly cost over a hundred thousand euros. That led us to the Groundfridge.
The Groundfridge has been there for almost a year now. How do you look back on the installation and the first months of use?
Fundamentally, we find its use good, although the start-up phase was not without hitches. We couldn't get the ventilation to work. Fortunately, that has now been properly resolved. What we do notice in daily practice is that its positioning behind the carport — separate from the main building — is sometimes a bit inconvenient. You really have to walk to it, which means that you sometimes lose direct overview of what exactly is still in stock at home.
Looking at the contents of your cellar, what do you mainly use the space for?
It really serves as our central stock and storage. Currently, there's a diverse mix of wine, jam, vegetables, and general foodstuffs. Some of these products come from our own garden, and the other part simply comes from the supermarket.
We have almost completed the cycle of the four seasons. How has the cellar held up during the warmer months?
To be honest, we didn't get the Groundfridge as cold as we had hoped during the peak of summer; it got a bit too warm inside then. Also because the soil had just been disturbed by the placement and had thus warmed up considerably. What would mainly help us at this moment is more insight. We currently have little insight into how the internal temperature precisely relates and how the ventilation works behind the scenes. That would still be an improvement for us.
In spring, it's good and cold. We placed it in a very wet spot, where the groundwater is very high. The door is also in the shade of the carport, which works great.
Despite this start-up phase and seasonal influences, how do you weigh the Groundfridge against the option of a classic cellar?
A traditional cellar is complex and costly; you need heavy waterproof foundations and a good, powerful ventilation system. Moreover, with such a large construction project, you just have to wait and see how the final result turns out in practice. Compared to that complexity and the enormous investment a brick cellar requires, the Groundfridge remains for us a much less expensive and more efficient way to realize this storage.
