building a 1000 gal concrete block monster tank
- Thread starter wizzin
- Start date
BOTR;656579; said:
The biggest connection is the bottom frame rail to the bottom concrete blocks. There's (38) 1/2" dia by 10" long bolts going from the slab up to tie into the top most part of the frame (look at page 11 i think for the sketch). With the top rail, you're really keeping the rail from falling IN on the tank. The force on the top rail is pushing it into the tank, not out, but yes, you need to brace it to the back wall. I'm using either 4 stainless steel tubes or 4 2x4's coated in drylok to tie the top glass rail to the back wall. Connection at the back wall is similar to the bottom frame connection.
I'll post pics of the frame being set, but in detail it should go like this. The 2x8 and 2x4 is cut to fit. The hole locations are marked and drilled. The all-thread anchor bolts are assembled and placed through the holes in the wood. Next the cores of the block are filled with concrete and the wood is pressed into place with the anchor bolts pushed into the wet concrete. The anchor bolts are bent on the end that is encased. After the concrete sets, the nuts and washers are removed from the bolts and the wood is removed. Finally, a liberal amount of silicone will be added to the concrete/wood connection and the wood to wood will be "glued and screwed" with liquid nails and wood screws at the corners. The wood is replaced and nuts tightened down on the bolts. Same process with the sides. with the sides. The bolts and silicone provide the water tight seal. The sanitred on the inside will encase the wood to prevent rot etc. All wood will be coated with drylok, where sanitred is not.
Hey TheFishGuy. Check out these pics. Hope you don't mind the use of a 10gal to illustrate scale
This tank is the first step in remodelling the basement. We re-did the rest of the house, so this is the last area to be renovated. Excuse the 60's decor. I'm 28 and it IS NOT my thing!!!
10 gal for comparison
different angle (my camera sucks and I can't fit the whole thing in from most angles)
The overflow.
creative photography
keep us postedTheFishGuy;656794; said:
Yes, but after seeing it built and that high, I'm lowering it. It'll be at the bottom of that block row, not the center. I'm sure you can relate that it's nuts going from your thoughts about building something like this to seeing it come to life. It's just bigger than I imagined!!!!
i would think a heavy bead of silicone gently squeezed would distribute the load and keep the glass from resting directly on the metal....which sound like trouble !!!!
wizzin;654412; said:I like your tank. One of the reasons I went concrete. Since I'm using glass, I was a little concerned about any imperfections in the steel, and the more rigid glass to steel connection. Yes, it's stronger, but IMO, I don't want to risk the glass cracking. I think you had that problem on the 2500 right? Plus, this tank is 1/2 the 2500 and 1/5th the 5000. I'm also only filling the tank to 8" below the top of the glass. I guess only time will tell whether I'm right or not
Very nice
Great work so far, thanks for sharing..
Sounds like your helping a lot of people implement their own tank design by your detailed work.
Great work so far, thanks for sharing..
Sounds like your helping a lot of people implement their own tank design by your detailed work.
johnptc;656844; said:i would think a heavy bead of silicone gently squeezed would distribute the load and keep the glass from resting directly on the metal....which sound like trouble !!!!
I agree. Silicone "bed" for the glass to rest on. One option I explored was using aluminum storefront glass channel with a neoprene gasket for the glass, then filled with silicone. The only reason I didn't do it, was I was concerned with the metal to concrete attachment. They have a base track that gets bolted into place, then the frame snaps into it. I don't think it would've been strong enough. Plus, I think I can get a better seal going wood, silicone, concrete.
Since the window is 16" off the ground what will it be resting on?
You might be able to build an inside concrete wall for it to rest on.
For Joes 1700 he rested the panel on a 4x4 that was glassed in. Are you sealing the window directly to the blocks with silicone as a gasket? or coating with Sanitred first then sealing the window to the Sanitred?
You might be able to build an inside concrete wall for it to rest on.
For Joes 1700 he rested the panel on a 4x4 that was glassed in. Are you sealing the window directly to the blocks with silicone as a gasket? or coating with Sanitred first then sealing the window to the Sanitred?
