tank is 1/8" leaning towards the back...okay ?

[flamenco-t]

I just got done setting up my 240. I leveled the tank previously with half full of water and got everything perfect all the way around.

I got everything filled up last week and tonight I checked the levelness of the tank again out of curiosity and I find out that the tank is 1/8" lower on the BACK side of the tank.

Side to side is perfect.

Setup:

AGA 240 6 ft x 2 ft x 31"
Custom made (by me) stand 43" tall
Plywood top on the stand and the AGA tank sits on the plywood top. No foam
Stand sits on berber plush carpet.

The problem is this, I only have 13" of room on either side of the tank and only 6" of room behind the tank. I can not put any shims under the back side of the stand to level it out.

The only way I can do this is to remove the whole water and everything on the inside, remove all plumbing leading up to the overflow, remove the tank from the stand and level the stand by raising the back side 1/8".

My question is, is 1/8" acceptable as far as levelness ?

 

[AiR foRc3 wUnZ]

No its not. That will lead to stress on the glass in the back and in time it will crack.

 

[AiR foRc3 wUnZ]

You can fix it by placing styrofoam under the tank, or card board.

 

[ercnan]

You still need to drain it, but to save all the rest of the hassle, get a couple small hydraulic bottle jacks to use under the stand to jack it up for shims.
What floor material is it on ? Under the carpet (which will crush in time, possibly throwing off the level). If not on concrete, check the floor for sagging, that's a bunch of weight.
And yeah 1/8" seems excessive to me as well.
I use the bottom trim as a level guide. Just enough water to clear the top of the trim.
Jack it up and shim to level all sides. No foam used here, just wooden shims on a concrete floor

 

[Dr Joe]

If it is off uniformly, .125" is ok, if it's one corner then I would start panicking.

Measure it every day for a week (accurately) to confirm no movement, if the angle is getting worse, then redo it. If no movement monitor weekly.

Dr Joe

.

 

[Aussienative]

i would definately be investigating why it move especially if the tank isn't on a concrete slab

 

[flamenco-t]

The tank is on a plush berber carpet. The leaning is uniformly all throughout the back side of the tank.

I have measured it nightly ever since I discovered it and it hasn't move anymore that when I first discovered it.

I used the bottom trim as a guide as well to measure the levelness from side to side.

I measure the top trim using a 4 ft level. I measure it directly perpendicular to the long side and confirm 1/8" all the way accross.

I also measure diagonally and it was also 1/8" off towards the back.

Eventhough the bubble on the level was still within the 2 vertical lines, I start puting shims under the level on the back side until it was perfectly level, then I measured the shim thickness which was 1/8"

How do you use a hydraulic bottle jack to lif it up ? I can't seem to understand that concept. Where exactly do you lift it up froom ? Keep in mind I only have 6" of room in the back of the tank against the wall, my emperor 400 barely fits there...then I only have 13" or so of room from the tank to the side wall on both sides.

I think the concrete floor foundation is un-level to begin with. The carpeting pad and the berber carpet concealed the un-levelness, but once the weight of the tank, water, stand (I used 2x6's and 3/4 birch plywood) which totaly comes to about 2500lbs, it started to set in.

stan

 

[CichlidAddict]

If the plywood that the tank's sitting on is even, I wouldn't worry about the tank not being perfectly level. Not being level won't hurt the tank at all. Hell, my 240 is off at least 1/2 inch side to side. But you have to make sure the surface that the tank's sitting on is even so the stress on the glass is distributed evenly.

 

[flamenco-t]

If the plywood that the tank's sitting on is even, I wouldn't worry about the tank not being perfectly level. Not being level won't hurt the tank at all. Hell, my 240 is off at least 1/2 inch side to side. But you have to make sure the surface that the tank's sitting on is even so the stress on the glass is distributed evenly.

Wouldn't that cause all the pressure from the water to push on one side of the tank though ? how long have your setup been running ?

stan

 

[flamenco-t]

This is the picture of the stand and the setup. Can anyone help me on how to use the hydraulic jack ?

Keep in mind, I need to jack up the BACK side to raise it by 1/8"

Another thought....

What if I get a piece of 1/4 or even if them make a 1/8" plywood. Sand down the surface until it is completely flat on one side and 1/8" thick on the the oher side and slide it in under the plywood where the tank sits at. WOuld that work ? I guess it is sort of a larger size shim.

Stan