While meandering through the local Lowes I was checking out their prefab shower stalls and it got me thinking: Man, these things would make a great tank insert for a plywood tank build. And they cost less than 300 bucks. And to have 3 or 4 sides all one solid piece has to be an advantage. Just an idea....
New Idea for a DIY tank- shower stalls
- Thread starter spiff
- Start date
Yeah, I took another look at this, and I honestly think that this might be one of the most cost effective ways to waterproof a plywood box and wind up with a reasonably permenant structure. (vs some cheap drylock coating) If you don't mind the dimentions of the stall that is. But they're so cheap, you could get a couple and cut them up to form a multi-piece shell for a much bigger box.
The few technical hurdles should be easy to overcome:
If you can't find the perfectly smooth ones with out any interior moldings,(which are orderable if not locally available) it would be simple to either cut out the molded section or think of a way to incorporate it into the decor. Then of course you would have to seal the cut out sections, but this would be better than having to seal the whole thing.
And the corners of these things are usually rounded, so this would have to be back filled behind it to eliminate the dead air space as I wouldn't trust the shell alone to support the water.
The few technical hurdles should be easy to overcome:
If you can't find the perfectly smooth ones with out any interior moldings,(which are orderable if not locally available) it would be simple to either cut out the molded section or think of a way to incorporate it into the decor. Then of course you would have to seal the cut out sections, but this would be better than having to seal the whole thing.
And the corners of these things are usually rounded, so this would have to be back filled behind it to eliminate the dead air space as I wouldn't trust the shell alone to support the water.
spiff;2593486; said:
I'd just use the exsisting molded section and do a DIY foam/concrete background..... this would be a pretty nead idea if someone had the time and wanted to build a tank! Someone start a thread!
I have considered this idea. and am planning on trying it here soon. the only hurdle i am running into is what to use to seal the corners and the glass in. GE Silicone II or an epoxy glue?
Few problems with this... I mean great way to think outside the box, I don't want to be the wet blanket, but my concerns would be:
1) The contoured shape of most of them would present you with some fabrication challenges.
2) $300 is NOT cheap for sealing a plywood tank. I assume you'd only be using a 3 foot section or so of the insert, as a 6 foot tall tank is fairly impractical. 5 gallons of fiberglass resin, 10 yards of mat, and a gallon of gelcoat would come in around the same price, and is enough to do a MUCH, MUCH larger tank than could be done with a shower stall. So unless you were salvaging one for very cheap, it's not really that cost effective.
3) Building a tank to suit a solution is a great way to be thrifty sometimes, (like using a deep freeze or a salvaged holding tank, or something), but in this case I think there are other ways to get a tank with exactly the dimensions you want without spending any more money.
Something that would be an interesting alternative, with a similar kind of vein would be using the fiberglass siding they use to make RV's. That white fiberglass sheeting would be a great material to line a plywood tank of any size with, and bond the corners with Sikaflex window sealant, or Dow 832 or one of the other plastic bonding silicones.
1) The contoured shape of most of them would present you with some fabrication challenges.
2) $300 is NOT cheap for sealing a plywood tank. I assume you'd only be using a 3 foot section or so of the insert, as a 6 foot tall tank is fairly impractical. 5 gallons of fiberglass resin, 10 yards of mat, and a gallon of gelcoat would come in around the same price, and is enough to do a MUCH, MUCH larger tank than could be done with a shower stall. So unless you were salvaging one for very cheap, it's not really that cost effective.
3) Building a tank to suit a solution is a great way to be thrifty sometimes, (like using a deep freeze or a salvaged holding tank, or something), but in this case I think there are other ways to get a tank with exactly the dimensions you want without spending any more money.
Something that would be an interesting alternative, with a similar kind of vein would be using the fiberglass siding they use to make RV's. That white fiberglass sheeting would be a great material to line a plywood tank of any size with, and bond the corners with Sikaflex window sealant, or Dow 832 or one of the other plastic bonding silicones.