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Havent you heard of people buying brand new tanks and they end up leaking?
What kind of floor does your tank sit on?
- Thread starter kayakatl
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Back on topic, im not offended... (dustins a good guy). I just have bad luck as the first leak was a seam on a custom sump, then a tank, then replaced the tank/sump with a new tank, water tested, and boom, another leak. Its alright, ive been lowering the ac to help and using murphy oil to coat my floors which has def helped reduce some of the stress on the wood...but if anyone has any other thoughts on how to help that would be great.
You know I wasn't picking on you specifically man.....I was just pointing out that people should focus on preventing water from ever touching the floor, rather than worrying so much about how waterproof their subfloor is. It's almost like some people assume a water disaster and home damage is part of owning an aquarium, and it shouldn't be that way.
Smallblock, here's my best advice for preventing water leaks:
1) Water test tanks/sumps before putting them into permanent use. Water testing doesn't mean filling the tank with water, waiting 5 minutes, then assuming the tank is good. You need to fill it with water and let it sit (full) for several days for any pinhole leaks to show themselves.
2) Don't use a protein skimmer that sits outside of your sump. If (when) it overflows, water gets on your floor. If you do use a protein skimmer outside the sump, plumb the overflow cup to a drain.
3) Install any plumbed equipment (Phosban reactors, carbon reactors, UV, etc) such that they sit over your sump. That way, if (when) they leak, the water drips into the sump rather than onto the floor.
4) Install an overflow bulkhead on the top of your RODI water reservoir and plumb it to a drain. That way if (when) you forget to turn off the RODI filter, the water spills into the drain rather than onto the floor.
5) Ensure your sump can accommodate the extra volume of water that falls into it during power outages.
6) Make sure your ATO system has two float switches in the sump, rather than one. If (when) the first switch gets stuck, the second switch will turn off the ATO pump before it has time to flood your floors.
Accidents do happen, and we all understand that. But that doesn't mean negligence should ever be common practice.
Dustin
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I am lucky to have my tanks in basement room with tile flooring over a concrete slab.
Bruce
Bruce
I'm on a slab, but I've got experience with crawlspace construction (lived on one for 25 years)
the right way to fix the issue would be to open up the floor, remove any water damaged particle board and replace with tongue and groove plywood (typically, BC). There are a number of subfloor specific products on the market, many of which are great, but they're almost ALL more expensive (but T&G, B/C plywood will be fine). Make sure that you match the thickness of the rest of the subfloor - either 5/8" or 3/4"
USE DECKING SCREWS AND CONSTRUCTION ADHESIVE when you re-install the subfloor (you don't use the liquid nails on the edge of the T&G plywood, only at the joist/subfloor contact points) Screws should be at least 2.5" long
to beef up the floor (when you run your tanks parallel with the joists) use 2X8s with joist hangers and "fill in" between the joists using the same on center spacing of the existing joists. It will look like a checker board when your done. use a couple 4X4's as posts under the new built up area for support/load distribution. (make sure the new framing and the joists actually bare on top of the 4X4's - you can use a 2X12 on it's side as a "top cap" to the 4X4's to run under several of the joists)
it will be easiest to do all this when you take out the damaged subfloor (if the future tanks are going in the same area) because you will almost guaranteed need to compact the soil in the areas where you're installing the deck footers
the right way to fix the issue would be to open up the floor, remove any water damaged particle board and replace with tongue and groove plywood (typically, BC). There are a number of subfloor specific products on the market, many of which are great, but they're almost ALL more expensive (but T&G, B/C plywood will be fine). Make sure that you match the thickness of the rest of the subfloor - either 5/8" or 3/4"
USE DECKING SCREWS AND CONSTRUCTION ADHESIVE when you re-install the subfloor (you don't use the liquid nails on the edge of the T&G plywood, only at the joist/subfloor contact points) Screws should be at least 2.5" long
to beef up the floor (when you run your tanks parallel with the joists) use 2X8s with joist hangers and "fill in" between the joists using the same on center spacing of the existing joists. It will look like a checker board when your done. use a couple 4X4's as posts under the new built up area for support/load distribution. (make sure the new framing and the joists actually bare on top of the 4X4's - you can use a 2X12 on it's side as a "top cap" to the 4X4's to run under several of the joists)
it will be easiest to do all this when you take out the damaged subfloor (if the future tanks are going in the same area) because you will almost guaranteed need to compact the soil in the areas where you're installing the deck footers
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Good info Dustin I just felt that way because no one does it on purpose and it really was stressfull to him and he cared about it. I do apologize for coming across a lil poed. Keep up the good woodwork man
