Need help levelling my stand! Quick help!

[Andrew52984]

Hey guys, i have also posted this question in my chronicle. I have a 240g perfecto and stand. They are in my basement and the tank is on the stand. When I checked to see if it was level it was leaning forward just a little bit at the top, obviously not level. I believe its from the concrete on the floor of the basement, the stand is two inches from the wall so its not resting on the tack strip for the carpet. How can I get the stand level? When the tank and stand were on the floor of the garage it was perfectly level but now downstairs they're not, its either the pad for the carpet or the concrete under it. How do i go about fixing this so i can fill her up with water?

 

[BigAl07]

Good deal for checking and asking NOW!! Kudos to you

How much off is it? If it's the pad/carpet it's possible that with the weight of water it will correct itself. If it's the concrete itself then you need to level it at the base of the stand. How depends on how MUCH it needs to move. Whatever you decide to use it must be something SOLID/RIGID so it doesn't compress over time.

Good luck

 

[Andrew52984]

Its not off by much Al, you replied to my other and responded there too. Oh well, I can actually push with my hands on the front of the stand with the tank on it and it goes back maybe a centimeter tops before the bubble level says its level. I leak tested the tank of course and its good to go, now i'm thinkin of filling it up a quarter of the way and seeing if it will level itself.....?

 

[BigAl07]

I think I'd do that... see what's happening with dead weight added.

 

[Smiley1]

most basements have a slope poured into the floor to aid in drainage if your basement floods. It usually slopes towards your sump crock. My guess is that its not the carpet/padding, but the slope of the floor thats throwing your level off. I would fill the tank with plain water up to about half......make a mark on the front of the tank at water level and a mark on back of tank at water level. split the difference in half and thats the thickness of shim you will need. you only really need to shim the front corners of the stand. Most lumber stores sell shims in packs... you can put the shim under the corners, and break them off flush.

 

[cbrownfish]

most basements have a slope poured into the floor to aid in drainage if your basement floods. It usually slopes towards your sump crock. My guess is that its not the carpet/padding, but the slope of the floor thats throwing your level off. I would fill the tank with plain water up to about half......make a mark on the front of the tank at water level and a mark on back of tank at water level. split the difference in half and thats the thickness of shim you will need. you only really need to shim the front corners of the stand. Most lumber stores sell shims in packs... you can put the shim under the corners, and break them off flush.

I think smiley is on target here. If the stand is off by 1/4" in front there is hardwood lumber at Lowe's/Home Depot, cut in small lengths/widths, that would work great as well. Otherwise, get a pack of cedar shims as stated.

 

[Andrew52984]

Thanks for your help guys! The stand ended up only being unlevel by a quarter of an inch from front to back. My buddy nick and I attacked it tonight after i got done cleanin the inside of the tank, which of course required me gettin in it. My youngest saw me in the tank and started yelling at me to get out, once i got out he started yelling IN, he wanted in and me out. So i stuck him and my oldest in there and took a ton of photos. After getting it cleaned we lifted the stand with tank on it and used tack strips for carpet that Nick had from when they removed the carpet from his living room. We set them under where the stand sat with the tacks up and let the stand set back down on it. Its as perfectly level as we could get it, hope nothin occurs like with your AGA castro, sorry to hear about that by the way! Good thing Nick was available to help me, he's a carpenter lol. After getting it level we hooked up a hose to the water line for my washer and filled it up with FW to the top and it now sits perfect once full!

 

[chrome91]

good on getting it level, i know too many people that say "meh, its only a inch off" and within a year the whole panel of glass shoots out from stress