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Tank placement on carpet

finalphaze987

finalphaze987

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Well, it looks like ill be moving, luckily the new spots not that far from our current place, but this brings the stress of moving the tank along with me. One thing i was wondering was, is it possible to have a 200 gallon w/ a stand on carpet without having the stand ripping through? How do you guys do it? Any inout is appreciated..TIA
 
The indentation will be as bad as your contact surface area. If your stand contacts the carpet in a flat way, it won't be too bad. If your stand has support rails so that your stand presses the carpet with a few 3/4" edges of plywood etc, while you won't tear through the carpet, you might permanently press the fibers down.
 
We have used a board (plywood with melamine from Home Depot) under our Gorilla Rack with two tanks on it. The larger the suface area of contact, the more spread out the weight will be. At least that is our hope. It has been a year; and although there is a depression in the carpet (and probably pad), it is not cut in by the metal legs.
 
I would recommend cutting the carpet around the stand and nailing tackless strips around it, the carpet will be destroyed by the tank's weight anyways so if you place the stand on the bare subfloor and water gets on it at least the subfloor will dry out, if the carpet gets wet under the stand it will mildue and could possibly smell.

BTW how will you be supporting the subfloor under the tank? My 225 will be getting new 4x8 cross members between the girder and the foundation. If you would like me to give you some advice or would like me to look at it (If your not too far) I happen to be a General Contractor.

As a side note Lyn, and anyone else reading this Melamine is particle board wrapped with formica if water gets between the seems it will blow up like a balloon and crumble into powder not a suitable substrate for supporting or even resting a tank on.
 
Thanks for the info on the melamine. We knew that it was particle board and are vigilant about keeing it dry. It is only a temporary fix; as are the gorilla racks. We needed something we could easily break down and move. Once we build our dream home (and it is currently just a dream), I want a wall tank too! :)
 
2000 lbs is a lot of weight to put on carpet in one spot . You will damage your carpet no mater what the question is how bad .

That being said , I too am a contractor and have my 100g on carpet . To minimize the impact to the carpet the bottom of my stand is 1 1/8" plywood . The only thing I should have done was put a large throw rug under it to catch all the little drops that hit the carpet . To help spread the weight out use the plywood you can get . NO OSB ,NO PARTICLE .
 
[quote author=corals b 4 bills link=topic=4076.msg48825#msg48825 date=1215803690]
I would recommend cutting the carpet around the stand and nailing tackless strips around it, the carpet will be destroyed by the tank's weight anyways so if you place the stand on the bare subfloor and water gets on it at least the subfloor will dry out, if the carpet gets wet under the stand it will mildue and could possibly smell.

BTW how will you be supporting the subfloor under the tank? My 225 will be getting new 4x8 cross members between the girder and the foundation. If you would like me to give you some advice or would like me to look at it (If your not too far) I happen to be a General Contractor.

As a side note Lyn, and anyone else reading this Melamine is particle board wrapped with formica if water gets between the seems it will blow up like a balloon and crumble into powder not a suitable substrate for supporting or even resting a tank on.
[/quote] Not to mention particle board releases a decent amount of chemicals....IIRC things like formaldehyde (think FEMA trailers + Katrina). I don't use any paticle board at my house :D Marine grade ply all the way!!!!
 
Thanks for all the input...i was thinking of mounting a sheet of plywood along the bottom with routered edges...increasing the surface area to distribute the weight more makes sense...kinda how people are able to lie down on a bed of nails..our stand currently measures in at 76''x27''x39'' (LxWxH) maybe making it 85x30x39 might distribute the weight more? the extra space inder the tank would be pretty sweet...

i havnt done anything to support the subfloor...i assumed houses built in this area have solid foundations, so never bothered to modify it in any way...we do anchor the stand to the floor and wall however..

I looked into it and particle board really does contain a load of crap we wouldnt want around our tank...pretty crazy.

i would also like to know where you can get some marine grade plywood though Gresham..TIA
 
[quote author=Lyn link=topic=4076.msg48847#msg48847 date=1215827681]
What is marine grade plywood and where do you get it?
[/quote]I've found it at Lowe's look for MDO, (medium density overlay).

IIRC, (Mikeys not around), look for plywood that has brown glue it is the non formaldehyde type.
 
marine grade or just furniture grade is even fine. Just get one of the hard wood faced ones and you'll be fine. It should be over $30 a sheet.
 
Anytime I want good strong ply, baltic birch is where I go. High density and low void hardwood throughout unlike normal plywood which, even hardwood faced, tends to have a softwood core.

also
Plywood for indoor use generally uses the less expensive urea-formaldehyde glue which has limited water resistance, while outdoor and marine grade plywood are designed to withstand rot, and use a water resistant phenol-formaldehyde glue to prevent delamination and to retain strength in high humidity.
Click to expand...
 
AFA plywood grades go you want anything that has an exterior raiting that is a multi ply . the suport is better and the formaldehyde is lower/ not to worry about . ALL of the shelf plywood has it but the content of the brown glue is what I prefer to use . here is what to ask for : 1 1/8" square edge "CDX" plywood. In a perfect world they would have "ACX" wich is smother and prettier but "CDX" works . what town is this in?

And yes , reinforceing the floor joist is a must unless your on a slab .
 
Thanks for the info...ill check the local lowes...

Mikey, Were located in union city, moving a couple miles down into hayward...would the people at Lowes understand if i asked for "CDX" or "ACX"?
Im pretty sure were on a slab at the new house, as we are here in the current one.

Thanks Steve, ill be sure to let you know when the move date is once we find out.
 
they arent the smartest at LOWES but they should know . find a mom and pop lumber yard if you can . or check "Golden state" lumber . I think they are over there .
 
[quote author=hooked link=topic=4076.msg49136#msg49136 date=1216094718]
they arent the smartest at LOWES but they should know .
[/quote]

"Should" being a subjective word here :) Last time I asked a simple question I left pissed. I've learned to "get it done" yourself when doing the Lowes or HD deal. I'll climb the friggin racks to get my own back stock down :D
 
[quote author=GreshamH link=topic=4076.msg49140#msg49140 date=1216136502]
[quote author=hooked link=topic=4076.msg49136#msg49136 date=1216094718]
they arent the smartest at LOWES but they should know .
[/quote]

"Should" being a subjective word here :) Last time I asked a simple question I left pissed. I've learned to "get it done" yourself when doing the Lowes or HD deal. I'll climb the friggin racks to get my own back stock down :D
[/quote]

A couple of weeks ago I made the biggest mess at HD, no one would help my little short butt, so I climbed the racks, and chucked all of the plumbing stuff into my basket. None of it made it in the basket, and a LOT more came down then planned. On a positive note, I got help right away :D

BTW, there's a golden state here - 38801 Cherry Street Newark, CA 94560
 
I find cutting your own trim, getting 60' of it and the checker only hearing 6' and charging me as such is kind of cool. If they can't hear 60' and only hear 6' it's not my fault. The pile was standing right in front of her. 10x 6' sections :lol:

I really did say 60'....I would never guess in a million years a checker would confuse such a large stack of lumber for only being 6' :D
 
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