Pressure Treated VS standard 2x4 for DIY stand?

redspot321

redspot321

In Memoriam
Just wondering if pressure treated wood is prefered over standard stud 2x4's for the main stand structure.

The standard stud boards seem to be a bit straighter.....
 
I personally wouldn't use pressure treated. You could always coat the interior to waterproof it. I read a thread where a guy built a nice stand using pressure treated lumber. He allowed it to sit for a while and as it dried out it warped. I've seen it happen with 4x4 posts too. I picked out the best looking lumber, no cracks, no bad knots etc... couple weeks later after the wood dried out I have tons of splits and all the posts are warped.

I'm no carpenter, but I assume that if I were to have picked out non-treated wood that was already DRY and in good shape ... it's likely that it would not spontaneously warp.
 
I would stay away from the pressure treated. I used some yesterday on a project that had dried and they were warped and split when I ran the screws in. As far as plywood goes I have used it for a 46 bow front stand I built and it is sold as a rock. What size tank stand are you building would determine what kind of wood to use. JMO
 
I just got a deal on an oceanic oak stand (the old design) and the structural parts are 90% 3/4 oak plywood. I was going to build one myself, but at the price I paid, I couldn't buy materials to build the stand.
 
pressure treated has nasty chemicals in it that you don't want inside your house, let alone near your tank.
 
... at least that is what the class action folks want you to believe. Along with the fact that Teflon frying pans are killing us all.
 
Treated lumber could be very bad for things in your tank. There's no reason to use it over a standard 2x4
 
I have built 4 stand all using regular 2x4 with no problems at all. The biggest stand I made was for a 125 and it was very sturdy.
 
Go with regular lumber and water proof it if you're that worried, I wouldn't use pressure treated, not because of the "deadly chemicals" in it, but because of the copper in it.. and no not for invertebrate health (they shouldn't be having contact with your wood) but it is a bit more expensive due to the copper.

Using ventilation fans under your tank if you're worried about humidity is another option.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9884153#post9884153 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
... Along with the fact that Teflon frying pans are killing us all.
Click to expand...
At least there is some *potential* merit to this one, ask any bird.

James
 
If you burn MILK in a frying pan, the fumes will kill a bird....

In an ironic twist, I just opened the latest issue of consumer reports... they overheated pans from 7 manufacturers... the PFOA levels were 100 times below the allowable exposure limit. Just about everything around us will give off PFOA when heated to extreme temperatures.

PFOA is NOT in teflon, it just used in making teflon. It is NOT released during normal cooking...

The trial lawyers have been trying to make it into payday for years :)

Your "green" CFL bulbs are going to kill you (mercury) long before the PFOA gets you :) Of course Austrailia, The EU, Japan, and several other deep thinking contries are banning PFOA containing products and at the same time trying to mandate the use of CFL bulbs.

Kinda like the tree huggers did with fuel and MTBE. Complete tunnel vision by morons....

I would agree that there is no need to use treated lumber indoors (code phrohibits it anyway).... but I would certainly not lose sleep over it. Come to think of it, my (2) stand legs are treated 4x4 (had them lying around when I built the inwall).

Bean
 
If you burn PTFE (aka Teflon) above oh 550F or so, the outgassing is said to kill birds, by many noteable sources, and the potential for health concerns with long term exposure in humans is also present. While normal conditions don't allow for this, leaving a Teflon coated pan on the stove wth nothing in it does have potential.
If this is verifiably incorrect, I'd like to see documentation of it. There would be several class-action suits brought about but such info.
Not long ago, "weldable" Teflon was introduced into the industry which was supposed to alleviate this issue at a *very* high price - thousands per sq ft.

I'm not a nut (well, that kinda nut maybe) but burning many plastics do realease some nasties that even I don't want to be around.

James
 
Never said you were a nut james :)

And yes, I agree that heating PTFE to over 550F can cause it to outgas... I was more making a joke and also pointing to the fact that at 550F the plastic handles on most pans or the milk in the pan will also cuase the death of a bird (they are hypersensitive to just about all chemicals). At normal cooking temperatures, the PTFE is harmless, but the class action folks would have you beleive that it is killing us all... The same was true for the "radioactive" paints in fiestaware, the anodized aluminum tumblers popular in the 70's and 80's, the excess IRON from iron cookware, titanium "dust" from titanium cookware, aluminum "dust" from aluminum cookware... etc.

I have a LOT more in life to be worried about than my PTFE coated pans or pressure treated deck. Imagine how much BRAKE DUST You suck in a week if you live in the city.. That is silicone, asbestos, ceramic, etc. Most people drink more arsenic in their drinking water in a year or two than they will ever get from a lifetime of living around pressure treated lumber :)

:)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9894388#post9894388 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
Never said you were a nut james :)

And yes, I agree that heating PTFE to over 550F can cause it to outgas... I was more making a joke and also pointing to the fact that at 550F the plastic handles on most pans or the milk in the pan will also cuase the death of a bird (they are hypersensitive to just about all chemicals). At normal cooking temperatures, the PTFE is harmless, but the class action folks would have you beleive that it is killing us all... The same was true for the "radioactive" paints in fiestaware, the anodized aluminum tumblers popular in the 70's and 80's, the excess IRON from iron cookware, titanium "dust" from titanium cookware, aluminum "dust" from aluminum cookware... etc.

I have a LOT more in life to be worried about than my PTFE coated pans or pressure treated deck. Imagine how much BRAKE DUST You suck in a week if you live in the city.. That is silicone, asbestos, ceramic, etc. Most people drink more arsenic in their drinking water in a year or two than they will ever get from a lifetime of living around pressure treated lumber :)
:)
Click to expand...
Link or just opinion?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
DIY Stand Help
Replies
6
Views
460
kharmaguru
kharmaguru
D
Structural support for 125 gallon aquarium
Replies
7
Views
1K
ddang
D
F
DYI Perestaltic Pump Kit
Replies
0
Views
2K
Fishkin
F
C
DIY Stand for Flatback Hexagon Tank
Replies
2
Views
2K
Drummer98
Drummer98
S
75 Gallon FOWLR Trigger Species tank?
Replies
3
Views
1K
snakeybird
S
Back
Top