i_declare_bankruptcy
out of control
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2018
- Messages
- 744
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- Location
- SoCal
- What state or country do you live in
- Colorado
Hi all,
I'm getting close to ordering my Red Sea Reefer 350. I'm just stressed about how I'm going to level the tank in my home. It's my first ever home and I'm rather young (24) so it's not exactly... perfect. It's a single-level home built in the 40's over a very well maintained crawl space. The home itself is structurally sound but the old hardwood floors are a little uneven. I guess wobbly would be a better word to describe them! Probably a symptom of enduring many of our whacky weather patterns that cause crazy humidity and temperature fluctuations.
The tank will be around 3-5" (haven't decided yet) out from the main load-bearing wall which is sitting atop cinder blocks in the crawl space. About 4-5ft to the right of the tank is a 7"x5" joist (it's actually three 7"x1.7" pieces). The tank is over 8ft away from any joist to the left of it. The joists, slats, subfloor, cinder blocks, etc. are all in great shape, no damage whatsoever. My dad is a skilled woodworker, so I suppose we could shore up the area with braces or a screw jack if necessary (if I notice any sag or de-leveling of the tank).
The floor itself is rather uneven... overall there is a slight lean downhill to the right (referencing the pics; the bubble on both levels just barely touches one of the bars). But there are small hills and valleys in the 4ft space the tank will sit on. I understand the Reefer cabinets have 'feet' on them. I was planning to shim these to accommodate the unevenness, but I'm not sure how I'm going to shim the back of the tank or how to get a perfect amount of load onto each foot and what the consequences would be of doing that incorrectly. I would definitely shim empty, fill halfway, check level again, then all the way, just to be safe.
I realize that's a lot of information but I can't make the decision myself. Is my shimming idea acceptable, and do you think the space is strong enough?
Thanks!
The pics are all taken from the same general perspective. The main wall is sitting atop the cinder blocks. The joist in the crawl space runs below the wall parallel to the open door to the right. The tank will almost entirely fill the space between the edge of the wall and the window 'thing' to the left; about 1" to spare on either side.
I'm getting close to ordering my Red Sea Reefer 350. I'm just stressed about how I'm going to level the tank in my home. It's my first ever home and I'm rather young (24) so it's not exactly... perfect. It's a single-level home built in the 40's over a very well maintained crawl space. The home itself is structurally sound but the old hardwood floors are a little uneven. I guess wobbly would be a better word to describe them! Probably a symptom of enduring many of our whacky weather patterns that cause crazy humidity and temperature fluctuations.
The tank will be around 3-5" (haven't decided yet) out from the main load-bearing wall which is sitting atop cinder blocks in the crawl space. About 4-5ft to the right of the tank is a 7"x5" joist (it's actually three 7"x1.7" pieces). The tank is over 8ft away from any joist to the left of it. The joists, slats, subfloor, cinder blocks, etc. are all in great shape, no damage whatsoever. My dad is a skilled woodworker, so I suppose we could shore up the area with braces or a screw jack if necessary (if I notice any sag or de-leveling of the tank).
The floor itself is rather uneven... overall there is a slight lean downhill to the right (referencing the pics; the bubble on both levels just barely touches one of the bars). But there are small hills and valleys in the 4ft space the tank will sit on. I understand the Reefer cabinets have 'feet' on them. I was planning to shim these to accommodate the unevenness, but I'm not sure how I'm going to shim the back of the tank or how to get a perfect amount of load onto each foot and what the consequences would be of doing that incorrectly. I would definitely shim empty, fill halfway, check level again, then all the way, just to be safe.
I realize that's a lot of information but I can't make the decision myself. Is my shimming idea acceptable, and do you think the space is strong enough?
Thanks!
The pics are all taken from the same general perspective. The main wall is sitting atop the cinder blocks. The joist in the crawl space runs below the wall parallel to the open door to the right. The tank will almost entirely fill the space between the edge of the wall and the window 'thing' to the left; about 1" to spare on either side.
