tank on an uneven surface: levelling it out. need advice

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 23 May 2004, 12:05

hi.
my new 5 foot tank is ready to go, but the only place where it will sit is not level. i've used a spirit level and one end is 2 inches higher that the other.

a) will this be a problem structurally if it's not corrected?

b) how can i safely correct it and spread the load safely across the floor without warping and stressing the glass?

dimensions are

60" X 18" X 15"

it will sit on a purpose built cabinet of the same dimensions.

any advice??

cheers.

hastatus · Post by **hastatus** » 23 May 2004, 13:28

Hi racoll

'2 inches in 60 inches' that is some slope, you say the tank is going to be on a cabinet, is this tank going to be indoors and a piece of furniture to be admired? if so correct the slope on the base of the cabinet making sure the horizonal lines, doors top, etc. are just that 'horizonal' otherwise it will not look very good what ever you do.

Steve

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 23 May 2004, 13:51

yes it is indoors, in a rather wonky flat without a straight line in sight!!
i'm not THAT bothered about how it looks. it would obviously look better horizontal, but my main concern is any stress it may put on the glass (10mm) if it's left on an angle or if it's incorrectly corrected!!!

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 24 May 2004, 16:51

has anyone encountered this problem? any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks.

jurassic_pork · Post by **jurassic_pork** » 24 May 2004, 17:51

What about using wooden wedges pushed in from the sloping side,Make the wedges aslong as needed so that there is no gap between wedge and tank stand/furniture.

Only thing i can think of i hope it helps

Mark

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 25 May 2004, 10:44

thanks mark,

that's exactly what i'm thinking is going to have to be done. one of the problems though is that the base is also on a slope from front to back AS WELL as right to left!! only by about 8mm though. it will make these wedges pretty hard to make. i just know it's going to smash!!!

Stevetd · Post by **Stevetd** » 25 May 2004, 11:34

Hi there,

have you considere using a metal frame stand, with adjustable feet?
You could then enclose the frame with a 'dummy' timber cabinet?
Personally, I can't see the wedges working as the slope is 3 dimensional!!

Using steel shims under the feet of a timber cabinet may work, but settlement over time,l may result in a sloping tank again!

good luck

Stephen

Post by **Barbie** » 25 May 2004, 15:33

You should DEFINITELY shim the cabinet itself, not just the tank. It's going to be nearly impossible to get shims consistent enough to not end up with pressure points along the tank frame if you try to just shim the tank. Shimming under the cabinet to level should be no problem.

Barbie

Stevetd · Post by **Stevetd** » 25 May 2004, 15:40

I would also add that rather than attempt some solution you are uncomfortable with, it might be a case of sticking with an even water level. With a weight of about 250kg - 10mm glass is more than adequate for a tank of that size, and any additional pressure onm the glass as a result of the tilt would be very minimal

(ottom line - a bodged attempt to correct it will be worse than having an un-even water level)

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 26 May 2004, 17:21

thanks ever so much for your help.

what exactly is a shim? and what's the best material to make them out of? my diy skills aren't really up to much!! the bottom of the cabinet is flat chipboard so it shouldn't be too hard to put "shims" underneath.

although i really like stevetd's idea of leaving it as it is and getting some water in it asap!!! are you sure this is ok?

i'm also thinking of a second layer of plywood under the cabinet to iron out any imperfections.

cheers.

Stevetd · Post by **Stevetd** » 26 May 2004, 17:29

A shim is also known as a packer i.e. a piece of material used when adjusting the position of another material.
They are thin slips of say timber, steel etc and can be any plan size you want.

If you used shims, I would suggest thin steel plate as the pointloading would cause failure in most other materials.

The wedges are a no-no, as I said previously a metal frame with adjustable feet would probably be the best structural solution.

If the tank is to be sited on polystyrene, say 20mm thick, a small degree of self-levelling will take place.

Cheers
Steve

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 28 May 2004, 14:21

thanks. that's what i thought they were. i think the metal stand's out of the question. the tank's gone way over budget allready!!

what i aim to do is:

under the flat based cabinet will go a 60X15 inch plywood board to stop the cabinet bowing.

under this will be a a solid block of wood (what type?) 2 inches thick and about 20 inches long as i want to spread the load across as much of the floor as possible.

the gap could be filled with polystyrene perhaps?

can anyone foresee any problems with this?

thanks for your help.

BK · Post by BK » 28 May 2004, 20:03

i have heard of people building a frame and using that liquid level stuff to help level out the base were the tank stand will go

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 29 May 2004, 09:41

wow! sounds a bit too hi-tech for me!!