How to level a tank on carpet?

[albatross666]

Greetings

 

A slight issue. My tank and stand weight about 200-300 lbs. Its a 6 foot by 1.5 foot footprint. It has under 150 lbs of sand it it. It sits on carpet. The wall behind it continues below in the basement, so its probably a load bearing wall, But I have no way to tell.

 

With water it tilts forward - > water level is full to the trim in the back, and about 3/4 th inch less in the front. Will a piece of plywood help level it out? If i put tiles on the plywood, will the tiles crack? Can use furniture moving pads/discs to level the stand? I thought that letting it sit for a day would compress the carpet and level out, but didn't happen. Tank and stand are brand new, so the stand is surely level.

 

I have been googling around, but is there any standard way to level tanks? shims - may not look pretty, then there is the foam sheets method between tank and stand. There is nothing in the tank, but water and sand. I also have a quarter pallet of slate that are the decor for inside too, all heavy stone.

 

Any ideas appreciated. I have to solve this by tomorrow. If you have done this before, please advise.

 

 

[Chad]

How close to the wall is the stand? If too close, the stand may be sitting on the carpet tacks that are next to the wall causing the levelling issues. IME, you need at least 6" from the wall on carpet and I recommend sitting the stand on a piece of plywood set underneath the stand.

 

If this isnt the issue, I am not sure the best way to level on carpet. Hopefully some clever handy folks will chime in on that.

[iangibby]

If its only off a little you could try shims. Basement walls generally arent load bearing. There is usually a beam that runs the center of the house with steal posts supporting the beam. Generally the front and rear walls are load bear if theres a second story the center wall is load bearing or another bean is used depending on the floor layout.

[Incredible Corals]

I would put quarters between the stand and the carpet. Keep adding quarters until it levels out. I wouldn't touch anything between the stand and the tank.

[albatross666]

The stand is about 2.5 inches form teh wall. first thing i checked too!, I was albe to feel the nails under the carpet, so it clear off the nail strip. I also described it wrong. the tank is tilting forward, so that the water in the FRONT is touching the trim, and the back is where the water line is about 3/4 inches below the trim. The tank is somewhat in the center of the house, and there is one metal pole in the basement, but its pretty far from the tank. I just bought a sheet of plywood 4 feet by 8 feet and 3/4 inch. I will cut it tonight and try it tomorrow. Has anyone done this, and can tile be used and the tank sat on the tiled wood?

[hypertech]

Is the floor level and the stand square? 3/4" over 18" sounds like a lot.

Edited October 2, 2010 by hypertech

[davelin315]

Put a level on the carpet and see what you come up with. You may want to simply cut the carpet so that you can put the tank on the floor, too. Does the stand have legs or does it have a flat base? If it's on legs then you could cut the carpet in an X and then it would sit squarely on the floor - when you move the tank, just push the carpet back down (I'd cut the padding out, too, and then you could simply put it back in should you move the tank). My guess is it's more the floor not being level than anything else.

[albatross666]

This is a standard 125 gallon setup. the stand is not flat, but has an edge all around the stand base. I cannot cut the carpet, but never thought about removing the padding. I have a piece of plywood that i cut ready to put under the stand, if that does not work, I might try the padding. Manpower arrives after breakfast. Lets see if it works. I also don;t have a decent level, i am about to go and get one. I have the phone app level will be interesting to compare results.

 

 

[davelin315]

You can just use a glass of water to see how level it is, too.

[Grav]

Drain and relocate to a external / load bearing wall perpindicular to the floor joists. If it is level empty and 3/4 inch out when full you are bending one of the joists 3/4 of an inch... I'm guessing you have 80% of the load on a single joist, at or near center of the joist. This can not end well.

[albatross666]

So we drained the tank, and the level was not quite straignt, but almost level. Put a piece of plywood and filled it, tilted again, almost the same as before. I have been reading up on floors and weight distribution too, and we will have to rethink where the tank sits. Its in the garage till we figure this out.

 

Thanks for suggestions

[iangibby]

If your basement is unfinished you could put up a temporary load bearing wall up directly under the tank. Use pressure treated on the concrete and two top plates. Make sure it fits nice and snug shim any joist that isnt snug.