concrete stand

[Mr Pleco]

My basement floor is sloped as most are from interior walls to the drain.
In order to ensure the stand/tank is level , due to size of tank.I wanted to use cement/concrete as a leveling medium.

I do not want to use shims, as in the past I have had some compression issues.

My question is, has anyone built a raised concrete pre-base for their stands..?
I wanted to pour a small footing base -

What bagged concrete can I purchase from Home depot? Footing will be approx 3- 4" high, tank is approx 300 gallons. Will self leveling cement hold up under the pressure? is rebar needed?

 

[KnifefishFan]

as an alternative, there are self leveling concrete mixes and that way you dont have a permanent stand just in case you do decide to move your tank. here they are 47$ a bag.

 

[Mr Pleco]

as an alternative, there are self leveling concrete mixes and that way you dont have a permanent stand just in case you do decide to move your tank. here they are 47$ a bag.

Thank you from what I understand self leveling concrete cannot be applied any thicker than 1"? Is that statement true? If so I could probably use it as a top coat...

you brought up a good point about not making it permanent. What about a base of self packing sand in a wood frame?

 

[KnifefishFan]

sorry i am not very familiar with this kind of concrete...only started in this field of construction. ill ask the guys i work with as they have been using this for years. we do use the self leveling only as a top coat to level the concrete for flooring. as far as sand, i wouldnt use it. i wouldnt think its too unstable, especially when a corner hits the sand and digs into it.

 

[KnifefishFan]

yes, that is only a top coat and a max of 1" application. still think its a better alternative than a permanent concrete stand hehe

 

[Jgray152]

Technically you can make any concrete mix self leveling but you start running into integrity issues.

What I would do is lay some wood 2x3 or 2x4 on the ground on end, use a level to draw a level line on the the side of the wood, then use a circular saw or table saw to cut on the line. The cut side should be facing up. This way you can take a board and rest it on the top of the forms you have now created to screed the concrete perfectly level when using thicker (viscosity) concrete. Use caulking between the forms and the concrete floor to create a seal.

No rebar is needed. Although if you want t to use some cheap steel screen you can but as long as it not resting over a crack in the floor (assuming your floor is concrete) than there is no reason for the concrete to crack or brake.

Most concrete mixes will range from 2500-5000 PSI compressive strength. More then enough for your tank.

Now to make it non-permanent, lay some 4-6mil plastic on the floor where you will be pouring concrete. This way there will be absolutely no bond to the floor.

Cheaper alternative than self leveling as there are usually admixtures that are added to the self leveling concrete such as water reducers (plasticizers and superplasticizers) which allow it to be thinned out without sacrificing the integrity of the concrete. Plasticizers also make concrete "sticky" which can create a much better bond to the existing concrete floor. No need for self leveling concrete. Not need for "top coats".

Remember never allow the concrete to go from say 1" thick to 0" thick when leveling. The concrete will not last. At the thinnest point, I would have at least 1" of concrete then increasing thickness as the floor pitches.