Large Reef vs. Hardwood floor: Has anyone built a good system to avoid water damage?

[ReefMeister2]

I've just gone through some MAJOR remodeling of our home, literally gutted from top to bottom, wall stud to wall stud. Part of this project included laying down about 11g of hardwood flooring that I DEFINITELY don't want to damage prematurely.

Well yea, I know....a floor is just that....a FLOOR. Nonetheless, I don't want to trash it anytime soon due to water flooding, splashing, pooling, dripping, creeping, etc, etc. that is, if I can help it. We even went so far as to move an entire patio slider over 6 inches to accomodate this thing.

The problem is THIS:

L-Scutulatus, Tantus-Concepta, Aquariamaximus

Also fondly known as: "Tank-O-Saurus"


80"x60"x36", 1" thick acrylic, custom box-steel stand, form-fitted oak facad and canopy, corner overflow....

300 US Gallons and Chock Full of Sexy Reefy Goodness!

NOW, what the HECK do I do with this thing????

- plumb sump and all components outside.....yes, got that
- use all schedule 80 valves and plumbing components.....yea
- "pad" or shim the floor to help distribute the weight......uh huh
- use flood alarm and cut-off switches to prevent overflow....yep
- polish up the good 'ole home-owner's insurance plan....Ok

but other than posting a 24/7 French Foreign Legionare in my living room (no potty breaks for you, Frenchy!) what else can I do???

Inquiring Minds want to know

Thank you for your help RC!

 

[Captain Quirk]

I recently put that faux wood flooring in my fish room. It's basically Pergo. The problem with that stuff is that if there is any water that is allowed to stand on it for any length of time (the instructions say to wipe it up "within minutes"), it gets into the cracks and swells the boards.

Since I assume you're talking REAL wood here, I think the characteristics will be slightly different, although close enough to be "the same".

I would ask the manufacturer what their care/use instructions are, and go from there. Honestly, it's not a matter of IF it will get wet but WHEN it will get wet... Even a fish splashing now and then will make that happen.

I'm sure you're already familiar with the "keep lots of towels handy and within reach" routine, but short of that (and knowing what the tolerances are for your particular flooring) the only other thing I could suggest would be to build a "drip tray" underneath that will allow any appreciable amount of water to drain outside (I considered doing that with my last tank; coulda done it, too, but it was just too much work for me to deal with at that point. Life gets busy, you know?).

Incidentally, my tank has been leak free since I installed it.

The RO unit sitting next to it, on the other hand, hasn't been.

When the time comes to move the tank, I'm gonna have a lot of 'splainin to do...

I assume your floor will handle this weight structurally? IIRC your house has a crawl space, so...

???

 

[bigredchair]

i used 1 inch styrofoam type material underneath, however Im not sure how dry under the tank is, I would suggest venting the bottom of the inside of the tank, a few 1 inch drill holes or something, just in case.
I had an overflow that left the foam wet for a few days.
very cool tank you got there though

 

[bobafet1]

I think you had stated this before but I think your best bet is to plumb everything in another room. I also have hardwood floors and so if I was to set up a tank again it would be next to a wall adjacent to my garage. This way I can just drill two holes through the wall for the return/drain and have everything isolated from the main room. So, all you really need to worry about is the bulkheads and piping being water tight from the tank to the other room. Hope your house is set up to where you can do this. Good luck!

 

[five.five-six]

I just upgraded from a 100 to a 180 after 1 year on real cherry floors, there was no damage. in the new stand however, I ran a 1" curb across the back and waterproofed the inside of the stand. I estimate it will hold at least 5 gallons of screwups

 

[ReefMeister2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12545201#post12545201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bobafet1
I think you had stated this before but I think your best bet is to plumb everything in another room. I also have hardwood floors and so if I was to set up a tank again it would be next to a wall adjacent to my garage. This way I can just drill two holes through the wall for the return/drain and have everything isolated from the main room. So, all you really need to worry about is the bulkheads and piping being water tight from the tank to the other room. Hope your house is set up to where you can do this. Good luck!

Mike,
my last tank was setup exactly as you describe:

It SUUUCKED tearing down my pride and joy for the remodel!
Kinda like getting hit in the gut

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

At 11G's I'm going to make the assumption that it is a REAL hardwood floor.

If that IS the case, was it prefinished or did they finish it AFTER it was installed?

If the later, then it shouldn't be that big of a deal, just wipe up any spills.

If it is the former, then you will probably have to treat it the same as a pergo floor, etc because of the gaps between the boards that water can get into. However, I don't think it will as big of a swelling problem as it would be with a laminate floor like pergo.

As for pacing it on the floor, YOU WILL need to insuate it some from the floor. Otherwise you'll hear this anoying little humming rattle coming from between the floor and the stand. Been there, done that.

After several years of mine on a 60 year old solid oak hard wood floor, I had no water problems. Just wiped up any spills and didn't let them sit. If you do have problems when you move the tank, it's an easy sand and refinish job. Or should I say relatively easy.

If my assumption is wrong and you have laminate flooring for 11G's, then all I can offer is tha you got screwed on the flooring and good luck putting your tank on it. I've already replaced the flooring in my new sun/fish room once after a 200g spill only because even though I sealed the frame to the concrete floor with scilicone, it couldn't hold all of the water from a busted pipe and oveflowed onto the floor. .

But as for small leaks, I just wipe them up with no problems. As long as you do it imeaditly.

Now if you can seal the inside of the stand completely with a fiberglass mat/resign to basically make it a water tight compartment, then that will work. I have my skimmer and it's sump in a wooden case made like this and it holds any water that may leak out of it. Works just fine.

Good luck with the monster.

 

[Lightsluvr]

Hmmm...

Hmmm...

I think it would be better to have wood than to have high-dollar carpet like we do...

All I can suggest is poly-urethane the crap out of your flooring and keep a water-vac close at hand...

That is one beautiful tank!

LL

 

[hawaiian_boi]

you can caulk or silicone the edges of each board ..it is time consuming but will work on not letting the water down and under the planks stopping the planks from swelling. i just did this in a house for my friend in his kitchen cause his wife was paranoid of spills . this way the water stays on the surface..the floor was a manufatcured click joint floor not solid . but im sure it would work on both..just my .02

 

[ReefMeister2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12545046#post12545046 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Captain Quirk
I could suggest would be to build a "drip tray" underneath that will allow any appreciable amount of water to drain outside

I assume your floor will handle this weight structurally? IIRC your house has a crawl space, so...
???

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12545046#post12545046 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by five.five-six
I ran a 1" curb across the back and waterproofed the inside of the stand. I estimate it will hold at least 5 gallons of screwups

Both good ideas. In fact the drip pan is something I implemented on my garage sump as you can see in the picture preceeding this post. Any overflow simply drained into the sink below.

But, constructing a drip pan-type barrier on a wave-shaped tank??? AND making it look good??? 'tiss going to be one heck of a challenge!

that's an affirmative on the solid wood (not engineered nor laminate)
9/16" solid Beech (made by Junkers in Denmark)

And no problem structurally. I went under the crawl space and made piers under the floor of my last tank (relatively easy to do with 4x4 treated lumber and a "t" bracket).....I'd do the same for this tank, albeit on a slightly larger scale (perhaps 4 or 5 piers)

 

[ReefMeister2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12545324#post12545324 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Crusty Old Shellback
Now if you can seal the inside of the stand completely with a fiberglass mat/resign to basically make it a water tight compartment, then that will work. I have my skimmer and it's sump in a wooden case made like this and it holds any water that may leak out of it. Works just fine.

HAH! You 'ole farts act as if you've been around the block a time or two! :lol: (just kidding of course)

That is actually an awesome idea! I've done a bit of fiberglass back in my autobody days (yea, I'm an old fart too, lol) The fiberglass would simply mold itself around the inside of the stand with the stand acting as the mold. Freakin' brilliant, Skipper!

err, sorry...."Chief" you actually WORKED for a living I see

 

[savethereef]

Hey ReefMeister looking good. I guess ill be seing you soon about next week. i was going this weekend but its my birthday and gona be busy. But when its time to set up this tank let me know and i can lend you some muscle.

 

[bobafet1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12545310#post12545310 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefMeister2
Mike,
my last tank was setup exactly as you describe:

It SUUUCKED tearing down my pride and joy for the remodel!
Kinda like getting hit in the gut

If your set up was like that before then why not try it again if it worked??? Im just thinking long term, if you do get a leak then are you really going to be able to get all the water out from under the tank??? probably not...so it might damage the wood over time..even if its just a drip at a time. If it were me I would plumb everything in another room if that was an option. Also, you would have more room to space the equipment out instead of messing up your knuckles in a tight space for maintenance..that gets old real fast.. I like your old set up btw...really nice looking..what lighting did you have on that?? that mount was really clean also..

 

[Captain Quirk]

Yeah, that was a sweet tank. Really neat setup, too. Wish I had the layout to allow me to do something like that with the support equipment... And a wife that was that understanding! Think about it: a wife that lets you put a huge monster like that in the kitchen?!

I suspect he's gonna set up a shed, or something, in the back to accommodate the sump/equipment.

As for the "drip tray", you can use thin strips of wood, wet it a bit, bend it and clamp it. I'd also elevate it a bit so you can get towels/whatever under there just in case it overflows onto the floor; my last tank did quite the number on the floor because of a teeny spill (a gallon or so) that managed to get underneath the stand (the 2X4). It... Sucked.

So. A 5/8 sheet of plywood (greater thickness decreases the risk of warping due to moisture, and you may be able to bolt the pan to your frame on the bottom, as well?), some thin strips of wood for the lip, some clamps, waterproof wood glue, some staples/nails... Set up for a bit, then bring on the fiberglass and epoxy.

That was what I had worked out for my other tank; I suspect it would work for yours, as well. The curves are gonna be the hard part, but you're a resourceful guy. I'm sure you can figure it out...

Perhaps use some of that garden edging stuff? The plastic ones? Remember, this doesn't need to be very sturdy, and the seal will be made with the fiber/epoxy...

JMO

 

[CW from the OC]

I have all hardwoord floors, both 55 year old red oak, and new solid cherry. I put in an entire tile shower floor under where the tank is, complete with waterproofing, and raised dam edges around the perimeter. Then I built the stand on top of those raised dams, and wrapped the outside with wood so you don't see any of the tile. I also put in a floor sink with drain, so anything that does spill under the stand simply runs across the tile and into the drain. You can see some of this in this picture of my sump area:

Here is a shot from the outside, you can see the wood floors, and how the siding on the stand completely hides the white tile. The black carpet in front of the tank is just a little industrial rubber throwmat/carpet from HomeDepot to reduce the wear on the wood immediately in front of the tank. I put it away when we have company over.

 

[Captain Quirk]

Man, LOVE that cabinet work! That thing looks awesome!

I actually put a bit of forethought into building my current house with regards to my (newest) tank, but wasn't able to get the floorplan to accommodate something as elaborate as that.

Perhaps next time...

Very nice indeed...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12546194#post12546194 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CW from the OC
I have all hardwoord floors, both 55 year old red oak, and new solid cherry. I put in an entire tile shower floor under where the tank is, complete with waterproofing, and raised dam edges around the perimeter. Then I built the stand on top of those raised dams, and wrapped the outside with wood so you don't see all of the tile. I also put in a floor sink with drain, so anything that does spill under the stand simply runs across the tile and into the drain. You can see some of this in this picture of my sump area:

Here is a shot from the outside, you can see the wood floors, and how the siding on the stand completely hides the white tile. The back carpet in front of the tank is just a little industrial rubber carpet from HomeDepot to reduce the wear on teh wood immediately in front of the tank.

 

[Onesaltydawg]

Re: Large Reef vs. Hardwood floor: Has anyone built a good system to avoid water dam

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12544840#post12544840 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefMeister2
I've just gone through some MAJOR remodeling of our home, literally gutted from top to bottom, wall stud to wall stud. Part of this project included laying down about 11g of hardwood flooring that I DEFINITELY don't want to damage prematurely.

Well yea, I know....a floor is just that....a FLOOR. Nonetheless, I don't want to trash it anytime soon due to water flooding, splashing, pooling, dripping, creeping, etc, etc. that is, if I can help it. We even went so far as to move an entire patio slider over 6 inches to accomodate this thing.

The problem is THIS:

L-Scutulatus, Tantus-Concepta, Aquariamaximus

Also fondly known as: "Tank-O-Saurus"


80"x60"x36", 1" thick acrylic, custom box-steel stand, form-fitted oak facad and canopy, corner overflow....

300 US Gallons and Chock Full of Sexy Reefy Goodness!

NOW, what the HECK do I do with this thing????

- plumb sump and all components outside.....yes, got that
- use all schedule 80 valves and plumbing components.....yea
- "pad" or shim the floor to help distribute the weight......uh huh
- use flood alarm and cut-off switches to prevent overflow....yep
- polish up the good 'ole home-owner's insurance plan....Ok

but other than posting a 24/7 French Foreign Legionare in my living room (no potty breaks for you, Frenchy!) what else can I do???

Inquiring Minds want to know

Thank you for your help RC!

Kevin...you are finally installing this thing with your easy water change system...now you ask if wood flooring is ok? are you nuts?...tile would have been your better solution...now spend some more of that mystery money to replace wood with tile...you should have known better to ask...supposedly you are smarter than that.

 

[savethereef]

sup daniel where you been bro i hardly see you on the boards. How is our 3 fish doing. Sohal,nazo,chocolate tang?
Man i wish i did not sell them now i have my 180 set up

 

[Onesaltydawg]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12546615#post12546615 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by savethereef
sup daniel where you been bro i hardly see you on the boards. How is our 3 fish doing. Sohal,nazo,chocolate tang?
Man i wish i did not sell them now i have my 180 set up

They are still doing great and eating by hand too...been working too much...and the drama here as else where is the same so if you read one drama thread you read them all...glad to hear you went bigger on your tank...still in Bellflower?

 

[GTR]

1 "A" ticket please

SteveU