Bracing Acrylic Tank ??

65newbie · May 4, 2023

Hello everyone! I just purchased a used acrylic tank. The dimensions are 7ft long x 2ft wide x 1ft deep. The tank thickness is 1/2"-5/8". It has beveled edges so it's a little harder to get an exact measurement. The tanked is bowed out towards the middle of thank. It bowes out about 1". in the middle the width of the tank is 25" as opposed to 24". Can I just clamp it, pull it in 1" and then use weld on #3 or weld on #4? OR is it better just to brace it how it is so it will not flex any further. I just do not wish to add stress to the tank by clamping it "black into place".

Is weld on #3 or #4 the best to use? (The bracing that I have is 1/2" thick. I have enough scrap acrylic to cut 2 braces)

Thanks in advance.

Zach

BeanAnimal · May 4, 2023

You can likely draw it in. Go easy.

I would use a spreader in each side, not just the footprint of the clamp itself. You don't want to point load it. I would leave it clamped for a few days after welding.

A warm day will make it easier than a cold day. Even heating may help, but without experience you will be flying blind with regard to how much is too much.

65newbie · May 4, 2023

Thank you for the response. I know it took time to flex out to the level it is at now. I don’t want to just crank down on it. And the clamps I have have a 2”x4” flat rubber surface vs just a round 1” circle. I will still add in a price of wood to spread the weight though.
I just didn’t know if anyone had done this and would share their experience.

o2manyfish · May 5, 2023

I had a 96x33 tank that was entirely open top, no braces. After about 15 years it had stretched to 36" in the middle of the tank at the top. I got a pair of bar clamps and a 2x4 between them. Every 2 or 3 days I would give the bar clamps a 1/4 of a turn and slowly over 4 weeks brought it back to 33".

I did this with the tank full and operational. From my experience you might consider filling the tank with water before clamping it and compressing it. This will help keep the pressure equal across the front and keep the acrylic to bending where you need it to without affecting the rest of the tank.

Dave B