Air supply in covered pit ... a concern? (23)

The pit is now incorporated into a house so it's in the living room (now intended for storage!). It's covered with a layer of polystyrene and then wood, then has a rug over the top. There's a trapdoor at one end.

If someone were to go in the pit, could they have air / oxygen level problems at any point? If so would leaving the trapdoor open help?

Many thanks in advance for any input!

your air supply would be quite consticted if the trapdoor where shut if in the trap door there were two holes one in the manner of a vent in the top of the trap door and another being a conduit to the other vent hole running along to the oppesite side and to the floor,

ensureing the conduit is a say 4-5 inch's on the inside

you then will create a manner of limited but breathable air circulation,,

helped along by body heat given the warm air would escape via your top vent cooler air desends the conduit,,

idealy a little extracter fan off a computor fitting on the intake to push air in would be best,,

you need to have breathable air throughout,

obviously haveing the trapdoor open is a different senario and then is down to stale air aculmelating away from the trap door end but probley wouldnt cause a such problem,,

but on saying that

But Carbon Dioxide is heavier than air,, that means that stale unbreathable air could build up.

Please excuse crap spelling cause i,m rubbish

Edited 8 Jan 12, 11:00 AM by MisstressvsSolicedog

grammar police = a pearl pendant on the chest of IC

lining it may be a good call..

Have clingfilm, will travel

You would need two openings, or perhaps one would suffice so long as you also had an opening in to the room as the vdog chap described. How you could achieve the ventilation would depend the location of the pit in relation to external walls, type of floor in the room, external ground levels, construction method used for external walls.

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Thanks to everyone for the info.

This link from Anne Marie is well worth looking at.

I think the answer is a fan of some sort.

The pit I'm thinking of is in a rented property so drastic modification is not possible. I could probably put a wall staple or two down there without any problems.

I think simply putting a mains operated desk fan down there and probably leaving the trapdoor open would make it safe for longer periods, I guess a black cloth could cover the aperture but still let air pass. I think it'd be ok for shorter periods (a few hours at a time) with the trapdoor shut, I'll have to see how well the lid seals.

This thread contains some well thought through advice from somebody who safely achieved a live burial.

http://www.informedconsent.co.uk/posts/190620/3

P

Please excuse crap spelling cause i,m rubbish