Guidelinesforcontractors

Theholeexcavation

SpiralCellarsgenerallyonlyinstallthecellarinto
thepreexcavatedholeatfirstfixstage,i.e.just
beforefloorscreedingetc.
Thebuildingstructuremustbecompleteandfully
watertight.
SpiralCellarsrequirearoundholeofthegiven
diameteranddepth.Anylargerexcavationwill
resultinadditionalbackfill&henceincur
additionalcosts.
Thedimensionsfortheholedepthanddiameter
willbesuppliedwithourEngineeringCalculations.
DONOTEXCAVATETHEHOLEUNTILTHESE
CALCULATIONSHAVEBEENSUPPLIED.
Theholemaybeexcavatedduringthefoundation
stageitisimportantthatthesidesofthe
excavationaresupportedwiththesteel
shutteringpanelearthsupportsystemsuppliedby
SpiralCellars.Itcanbedeliveredtositeat1
weeksnotice,allboltswashersandnutsare
supplied.Alternativesolutionsbycontractormust
bereviewedwithourconsultantengineersand
approvalgainedwiththeLocalAuthorityBuilding
Control.
Wewillnotfitacellarintoanunsupported
excavation.
Thetopofshutteringshouldbesettobaseslab
level.

Analternativetothesteelshutteringpanelearth
supportsystemsuppliedbySpiralCellarsistoinstall
precastconcreteMiltonRings(orsimilarsupplier).
TheMiltonRingsarenotsuppliedorinstalledbySpiral

Cellars.Theringsusuallysitonaconcreteslab.Note
thata2.4mdiameterringx500mmdeepweighs
approx1.05tonne.Thestepironsneedtobecutoff.If
thismethodisselectedpleasecheckwithusforadvice
ontheminimuminternaldiameteroftherings
generallya2.4minternaldiameterringisrequired,but
weneedtoconfirmthedetailsforeachparticularjob.

WewillsendaProjectManagertoreviewthe
preparationworkswherepossibleandhavesome
communicationaheadofourarrival.Wewillexpectto
beabletoarriveatthesiteontheagreeddate,
removetheholecoverandfitthecellar,reinforce
concretering(ifrequired),makefinalconnectionsto
theventilationandelectricsandthenfinallyfitthe
trapdoor.

Anydelays/incompleteworkswhichcausetheproject
torunbeyondthescheduledprogrammewillbe
chargedinaccordancewithourtermsandconditions.

Ifthereareanydoubtsconcerningtheinstallation
procedureandrequirementsyoushouldcontactthe
mainofficefordirectreferraltoyourProjectManager
fortechnicalguidance,ortoarrangeasitemeeting.

Wewillexpectgood,clear,safesiteaccessandan
areaformaterialsinlinewiththediscussionsand
agreementsatsitesurveystage.TheHSEdonot
considerotherteamsworkingoverheadorobstructing
scaffoldtopbeasafeworkingenvironment.

OtherpreparatoryworkspriortoSpiralCellarsarrivalonsite.

1.

VENTPIPES
Therearetwoventilationpipesrequiredtoenterthecellarwhich
willrunwithinthefloorconstructionorbelowtheblockand
beamfloorifapplicable.Contractortoprovideandinstall2No
50mminternaldiameterwhiteUPVCwastepipesbetweenthe
cellarexcavationandtheagreedoutsidewall,withalljoints
solventwelded(notleftaspushfit).Depthofpipeswithinfloor
constructioniscriticalandistobeagreedwithSpiralCellars.At
theExternalend,thepipesaretobeeither:
Protruding100mmpastexternalwallfaceforSpiral
cellarstocomplete.OR
Extendedupwithinnewcavitywallandturnedthrough
90degreestoexit100mmpastexternalwallface.Lower
venttoexitat300mmaboveexternalgroundlevel,
Upperventtobe2000mmaboveexternalgroundlevel.

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2.

3.

4.

OrTurnedupagainsttheinternalfaceofexternalwall
andleftprotruding100mmaboveslablevel,forSpiral
Cellarstocomplete.

AttheCellarend,theventpipesaretobeextendedapprox
300mmintocellarexcavation,ontheoppositehalfofthecellar
towherethecellardoorwillbe.Allpipeendstobetapedup.
Ventstobemarkedupper&lower.

Donotrunthepipesacrossorintotheareawherethe
proposeddooropeningisplanned(example1).Ifnecessary
makepipebendsaroundthecellar(examples2and3).

ELECTRICALSUPPLY
Thecellarrequiresapowersupplyforlightingandforthe
motoriseddoor(ifapplicable).Thelightswitchisnormally
positionedinternallywithinthecellar.Themotoriseddoor
openingswitchissituatedexternallyinapositiontosuitthe
Client.Thiswillgenerallybea2gangswitchalsoincorporating
thecellarlightswitch.Anelectricalfeedtothecellarwillneed
tobeinstalledwithinthefloorconstructioninconduitwithno
junctions.Leaveapproximately3.5mofcablewithinthecellar.
Tapeends.Providea3ampfusedspurforcellarsupplyandto
makefinalconnectionsoutsidethecellar.

FLOORCONSTRUCTION
Groundbearingslab
Foraslabfloorlaytheslabandfloorscreedaroundthecellar
tothetopofthesteelshutteringpanelearthsupportsystem.
SpiralCellarswillsetthetrapdoorwithintheshuttering
frameworkwhenSpiralCellarsaremanagingaFullInstall
option.
Block&Beam
Forabeamandblockfloorsetthebeamstoleavethe
excavationareafreeofbeams.Oncethecellarhasbeen
installedyouwillneedtotrimyourbeamsandfitaccordingto
theshapeofthecellardoorset.NBThedoorsetmustrun
parallelwithbeams(example6).
FINISHEDFLOORLEVELDATUM
AdatumlevelmarkonawallorsimilarindicatingFinishedFloor
Level(FFL)istobeprovidedwithin3mofthecellarlocationon
DAY1ofourinstallation.

SpiralCellarsmethodstatement.
1.
2.

3.

Theteamwillchecksitedatum,inparticularthefinishedfloor
levelandthattheholeisattherightdepthandshape.
Uponcompletionoftheexcavationageotextilebasediskwillbe
laidintheground.A50mmthicksharpsandblindingwillbe
pouredintothegeotextiledisk.Thiswillpreventany'sharps'
risinginthegroundinahighwater
tableenvironmentandcausingdamagetothebutylliner.A
geotextileliningsheetwillbeinsertedintotheexcavation.
AheavydutyButyltankinglinerwillbefittedinsidethegeotextile
andbothwillbeclamped/supportedatthetopoftheholeusing

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scaffoldingplanksasasafeworkingplatformthuskeepingthebagtaut.Abaseslabofconcrete,specifiedbythe
engineerwillbepouredintothebagandlevelled.
4. Themodulesareloweredintothebagviasupportsandonemanwillbeatthebottomofthebagssetting
out/fittingthemodulesandstepmodulesinbrickbondpattern.Themodulesareinterlocking.Asthe
constructionrisesabovewaistheightaseriesofscaffoldingboardsareusedforsupportandstanding.Thetop
ringisfittedjustbelowfinishedfloorlevelandonehalfoftheringiscoveredbyatwosoffitboards(oneflatand
oneangled).
5. Thering/voidoutsidethebagisthenbackfilledwithwetconcreteandstruxfiberreinforcement(refertoStrux
engineeringbulletinforStruxtechnicalspecification).
6. Theplasticventilationpipesarefitted.Onelengthofpipeisfitteddownthecentrecolumnandonepipeisfitted
throughaprecastholeintheflatsoffitboard.Bothpipesarethendirectedtothenominatedoutsidewall
(alreadychannelledbeneathfloorleveltothiswallbythecontractor).Thepipeswillriseupeithertheinsideor
outsideofthewallwithanyjointsbeingsolventwelded.Thepipewillexitthewallviaaholepreparedwitha
55mmcoredrill.Thisisthensealedandmadeweathertight.Onepipewillberaisedto0.50mheightandthe
otherpipewillberaisedtoaminimumheightof1.5m2.0m.Thepipeswillbeclippedtothewallandtheopen
pipewillhaverodentguardcoversfitted.
7. Electricbulkheadlightswillbefittedtothetopandbottomofthecellar.Theywillbelinkedandaswitchfittedat
theheadofthecellar.Afeedforconnectiontoanexistingringmainwillbelinkedfromasockettothecellarlight
switchandallcablingwillberoutedinconduitunderground.Afusedspurmaybefittedwhereapplicable.LED
lightingisalsoavailablefortheWhiteCellar.
8. Thetrapdoorisfittedontotheopenhalfsideofthecellar.Itissetona25mmbedofmortarandthefinished
detailinsideishaunchedintoleaveasmoothfinish.Agasstrutarmisfittedtoabracketontheframeanda
bracketontheundersideofthedoor.
9. Arecessedhandleisfittedtothetopsideofthedoor.Thedooristestedforopeningandclosure.
10. Thereafterthefloorareaaroundthecellarisreconstructedasdirectedandinaccordancewiththeorder
specification.
11. Thesiteisthenclearedofwasteandcleaned/washeddownasrequired.
12. Allprotectivecoveringsareremovedanddisposedof.

Theteamleaderwillcompleteajobcompletionformillustratinganydifferencestothepreorderrequirements,risk
assessmentvariations,incidents/accidents,snagsrequired,difficulties,incompleteitemsorother.Atstagesthrough
theconstructionprocesstheProjectManagerwillhavevisitedthesite/haddialogue/clientconsultation.

AlsowewillhaverequestedthatthelocalauthorityBuildingInspectorvisitsthesitetoensureapprovalofthe
constructionmethod.

Followingtrades.

Thetrapdoormustbeleftopenforaminimumoftwoweekstoallowthecellartodryout.
Donotallowrubbishandsitedebristofallintothecellarthisincreasestheriskofthecellarbeingdamaged.
Underfloorheating.Ifthereisunderfloorheatinginthesameroom,thenNOUNDERFLOORHEATINGpipesor
mattingtobelaidwithinthecircularareaofexcavationPLUS300mmallround.Ventpipesaretobefully
wrappedandinsulatedifshallow,ormayhavetorunundertheslab.NOOTHERSERVICESSUCHASHOTWATER
PIPESTORUNACROSSCELLARAREAORVENTPIPERUN.
Thetrapdoorshouldremainprotecteduntiltheaftersalesvisitiscomplete.

Within6weeksofthecompletionofthecellarorwhenallbuildingworksarecomplete,wewillcarryoutanafter
salesvisit.Thecellarwillbecheckedintermsofitsperformance;humidityandtemperaturelevels.Anyextrassuch
asstepcoveringsorsafewillbefitted.Thenoncesignedoff,thecellarwillbereadytostock.

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GuidelinesforcontractorspreparationoftheholeforaSpiralCellar

Locationandsizeofhole

Markouttheproposedcellarlocationinaccordancewiththesitelocationplandrawingsprovidedbyourconsultant
structuralengineers.

OriginalSpiralCellar
WhiteSpiralCellar

Excavationdiameter
2300mm++
2500mm++
Shutteringdiameter

2300mm

2500mm

Cellardiameter

2000mm

2180mm

Excavationdepth

DepthoftheSpiralCellarordered

DepthoftheSpiralCellarordered

+250mm

+250mm

(IfBlockandBeam,addadditional

(IfBlockandBeam,addadditional

250mm)

250mm)

NBThelevelsmustbetakenfromthefinishedfloorscreedlevel
Pleaserefertoourengineeringcalculationssuppliedfortheexactdepthofexcavation.

OriginalSpiralCellar

WhiteSpiralCellar

Whilstusingmechanicalexcavationitmaynotbepossibletoexactlyshapetheholebelow1mdeepbuteveryeffort
shouldbemadetodosotoaccommodatetheshuttering.PleasenotethatSpiralCellarsallow1houroftheirschedule
tocompletethefinalfinishoftheholemanually.Thereafteranoncostchargewillbemadeof75perhourforany
holeshapingthatisrequiredtocompletethecylindricalexcavation.Thischargewillbemadewithoutprior
notificationtotheclient.

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Excavationofthehole

ThesteelshutteringpanelearthsupportsystemissuppliedbySpiralCellars.

OriginalCellar:Fora2.3mdiameterhole,6predrilledsteelpanelsbolttogethertoformacompleteringof
effectiveheight750mm.

WhiteCellar:Fora2.5mdiameterhole6predrilledsteelpanelsaresupplied.

AllboltstobeinstalledfacingINSIDEtheshuttering,withthenutstotheOUTSIDEagainsttheearth.

1. Markoutexcavationwithchalkorspraypainttotherequireddiameter,(slightlylargerthantheoutsidediameter
oftheshuttering.)
2. Excavatedownto1m.
3. Fixtogether1completeringusingbolts/washersandnutssuppliedinALLoftheholesintheshuttering.
4. Lowertheshutteringintotheexcavationandpropundertheshutterssothatthetoprowofboltholesarestill
abovegroundlevel.
5. Fixanothercompleteringandofferittothetopofthefirstringoverlappingandbolttogether.
6. Lowerdowntothebottomoftheexcavation.
7. Diganother800mmleavingsomeofthesoilundertheshutteringtosupport.
8. Fixtogetheranotherring.
9. Attachstrapsorropestothetopoftheshutteringthroughtheboltholes.
10. Digoutthesoilholdingtheshuttersinplace.
11. Lowershuttersandfollowsteps46.
12. Dig800mmatatimeuntilrequireddepthisachieved.
13. Thebottomoftheloweststeelringshouldbeset50mmbelowexcavationleveltopreventearthseepageifwater
present.

Ifthereisgroundwaterpresentintheexcavation,itisnecessaryfora225mmdiameterpipetobeinstalledvertically
downtheoutsideoftheringsforthefulldepth.Thisistogivewidthaccessforasubmersiblepumptoremovewater
inthecellarduringtheconstruction.Iftheexcavationisthroughatimbersuspendedfloor,thenthetopofthesteel
shutteringistobesetatjustunderthetimberfloorstructureitself,ieextendedupacrossanyunderfloorvoid.

Anexampleofashutteringringinsitu
Theringhasbeenbackfilledexternally.Furthernoticethatthering
iscontainingwater.Thisisnotanissuetothesoftgroundand
thereisnoconcernofcollapse/undermining.Watermaybeeasily
pumpedoutatthetimeofcellarinstallation.

Finallynotethattheringheightissubstantiallyhigherthanthe
groundlevel.Thetopringmaybecutbackwithananglegrinderto
anappropriateheight.

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GuidelinesforcontractorselectricalrequirementsfortheSpiralCellar

Electricalsupply

Thecellarrequiresapowersupplyforlightingandforthemotoriseddoor(ifapplicable).
o Iftheswitchistobeinstalledwithinthecellar,2.5mmtwinandearthcablewillneedtobeinstalled
withinthefloorconstructioninconduitwithnojunctionsfromthesupplytothecellar.
o Iftheswitchistobemountedoutsidethecellaronawall,asupplyfroma3ampfusedspurtothe
switch,and2No:1.5mmcableswillbeneededfromtheswitch,withinthefloorconstructioninconduit
andnojunctionstothecellarwith3.5mofcableinthecellar.Tapeends.
Ifamotoriseddooristobeinstalled,andadditional1mm,3coreandearthcablewillberequired,fromtheswitch
tothecellarinconduitnojunctions.Leave3.5mofcablewithinthecellar.Tapeends.
AllwiringwithinthecellarwillbecompletedbySpiralCellars.

ElectricianFees
WerecommendthatIfacertifiedelectricianisonsite,thatheisresponsibleformakingtheconnections.Ifthereisno
qualifiedelectricianonsite,wewillinstructanindependentelectriciantocarryouttheworkrequiredandprovidea
certificateforthecompletedwork.Ourinstallationteamarenotcertifiedforelectricalworks,thereforeweemploy
theservicesofqualifiedcontractors.

Lightinginsidethecellar

Asstandard,ourteamwillfittheSpiralCellarwithtwobulkheadlights.Oneisinstalledontheceilingofthe
cellar,thesecondatthebottomofthecentralcolumn.
Thelightswitchisnormallypositionedinternallywithinthecellar.Astandard
MKwhiteswitchisused.
CustomerswiththeWhiteSpiralCellarcanupgradetoLEDlightingwhichwe
installduringtheinstallation.(Pleasenotethiscannotbeinstalledoncethe
cellarhasbeenfitted).

Motoriseddoors
Themotoriseddoorisoperatedwitharetractableswitch(MKwhite)(seephototo
theright)andissituatedexternallyinapositiontosuittheclient.Thiswillgenerally
bea2gangswitchalsoincorporatingthelightswitch.

Issue:July2009

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