Punch in the gut = uneven DIY cabinet *HELP*

[ComfortRacing]

Hey everyone not new to reefing, but new to cabinetry. I am a mechanical Engineer but more comfy with metal working than wood. Somehow this got away from me.

i built a well thought out cabinet to hold my 120gal. Reef ready tank. I measured 6 times cut once. I checked level and flatness all the way thru and still one corner is lower than the other three!! So three corners and two sides are flat to the tank frame and the fourth is 1/4” in the air. I have already glues, sheathed and filled, sanded and painted the seams. Didn't notice until the i finally got help moving the tank from the garage to the cabinet in my office. Tank is actaully dead to nuts level on all four sides just floating on the one corner.

so is this a complete tear down and redo? Is there some 100% safe trick to fix this? The cabinet is build like a Russian tank and hate to tear it apart but dont want to risk the tank coming apart on me either.

any suggestions welcomed

. Pictures attached.

 

[ColoredRock]

I noticed its on a wood floor..Is this on a cement floor with wood over it .. or on a sub floor?

 

[Weasel1960]

If you built it dead on in the garage and moved it into the house you have an uneven floor. Shim your cabinet at the floor until it is level. Usually easiest to build where it is going to go.

 

[flagg37]

The tank is rimmed so it doesn’t need to be supported 100% underneath it. I would cut and paint shims.

 

[ComfortRacing]

It is wood floor on a crawl space.

i have heavy duty adjustable feet underneath so it is adjusted completely level. The cabinet is so stiff that raising it in that low corner wouldn't do anything for it at this point just make it rock on the floor.

I was thinking shims as the outer frame is the only thing supporting the weight. Was thinking shins also. I actually had them all around the two sides. My only concern is its 1/4” at the corner then goes down drastically to zero. Is 1/4” going to be too much weight for wood shims? Do they make any composite shims?

 

[theMeat]

I see a few options.
Build a small base to place between stand and tank, with the difference planed into it.
Or
Shim it in multiple places around that low corner on the tank bottom
Or
Sand away some of the bottom plastic to compensate. Might be asking too much, that plastic is only so thick

Looks nice BTW

 

[jtichenor]

It looks to me like the stand is bowed - where it is taller in the center than on the sides. Your center braces (between the doors) may be too long. Those are not really necessary. Removing them may be your solution.

 

[MnFish1]

Is it all possible that its a problem with the tank - as compared to the stand? If its completely 'level' in the garage and not in the house

 

[theMeat]

Is it all possible that its a problem with the tank - as compared to the stand? If its completely 'level' in the garage and not in the house

Good point. Easy enough to check with a level or straight edge

 

[ComfortRacing]

It looks like the near side is in the air because you cant see the leveling feet underneath. The bottom doesnt need shimming as there are 8 heavy duty adjustable feet that can be adjusted from inside the cabinet. That side is higher than the left because the floor is uneven from left to right.

i dont think the tank is uneven i placed a straightedge and level an all four sides. I will attach pics.

 

[ComfortRacing]

 

[Kershaw]

What about using some bondo on the stand were it’s low and sand it little by little till the tank touch’s all the way around? Not sure if this would work just an idea

 

[G Santana]

I built my stand in my basement, the floor slopes to the front of the house about a 1/2" drop in order to drain water in the event of flooding. I shimmed the heck out of the front of the stand and in the middle. It holds my 130 gallon. Chances are it's your floor and not the stand.
I'd shim.
Good luck.
Great looking stand by the way!!!

 

[theMeat]

From the looks of the stand it’s a stiff box. Shimming would help if it wasn’t level. But since it has adjustable feet…
From what I’m gathering and seeing one corner is shorter than the others. Adjusting the foot on the short corner might help

 

[MnFish1]

Sorry - I'm dull I guess. The place its 'off' is between the tank and the stand (i.e. the corner of the TANK is 1/4 elevated off of the stand) on only one corner.

The OP states that the stand is level in the garage - and the tank stand cannot 'move' - its rock solid. So - here is what I don't 'get' - if the stand was level etc - both on the garage and on the floor before the tank was put how can one corner 'sink' - to me it has to be the bottom of the tank (somehow)??

But. -here are a couple suggestions:

1. Take off the tank, Move the stand to a flat part of the floor and put the tank on it - to see if it's the same.
2. Make sure nothing was left over under the tank - thats elevating one corner (I know this seems obvious - but more obvious things have happened.
3. Turn the TANK over - and see if the bottom is 'level'. I had a similar issue - where the tank was exactly like this. The LFS owner said - we see this sometimes - once its filled with water - it will be even with the stand (it was) - though I never trusted the tank or the stand completely/

To the rest - to me - if the problem was 'the floor' - if the floor was the problem, since the stand is 'non-moving/bendable, etc' - It seems like the place the problem would show up is ON THE FLOOR - i.e. thats where the gap would be. As compared to be the top of the tank on the stand in one corner. (I can't physically see how a solid stand will drop 1/4 inch in one of 3 corners - with only the weight of the tank on it (and - obviously - the weight of the tank is not even on that corner.

Hope this helps - But even after reading through all of this a couple times - I cant understand easily - how this can happen (unless in fact either the tank or the stand is 'out of line' - or the stand is not as 'solid' as the OP thinks?

 

[NowGlazeIT]

It is wood floor on a crawl space.

i have heavy duty adjustable feet underneath so it is adjusted completely level. The cabinet is so stiff that raising it in that low corner wouldn't do anything for it at this point just make it rock on the floor.

I was thinking shims as the outer frame is the only thing supporting the weight. Was thinking shins also. I actually had them all around the two sides. My only concern is its 1/4” at the corner then goes down drastically to zero. Is 1/4” going to be too much weight for wood shims? Do they make any composite shims?

They do make composite shims, any glass shop should carry them or you can try CRL.com

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Based on the pics above. It looks like the lifted area is between the stand and the floor, correct?

If the bottom of the tank is straight and not twisted.

AND the top of your (well built and attractive) stand is flat and not twisted

AND the tank on the stand is sitting level and supported,

Then adjust your leveling feet to support the high side of the stand to ground.

 

[MnFish1]

Based on the pics above. It looks like the lifted area is between the stand and the floor, correct?

If the bottom of the tank is straight and not twisted.

AND the top of your (well built and attractive) stand is flat and not twisted

AND the tank on the stand is sitting level and supported,

Then adjust your leveling feet to support the high side of the stand to ground.

The lifted area is between the stand and one corner of the tank - if you look at the -picture above. To me there are 2 options - the tank is not 'square', or the stand is not 'square'. Another 'test' - add an inch of water to the tank -and see what happens. (Or more than an inch) - i.e. if its the tank - the water will push the tank down - and be level. If its something else - the water level will not be even front to back - or side to side.

 

[Jedi1199]

What about using some bondo on the stand were it’s low and sand it little by little till the tank touch’s all the way around? Not sure if this would work just an idea

This is what I would do.

Make a mark where the tank first begins to separate from the stand on both sides. Build it up a bit thicker than the gap and then sand it down till the tank sits flush. Quick coat of paint and you are back in business.

Bondo, pained cabinets best friend... lol

 

[vintage detritus]

Here's my suggestion
1) take the tank off the stand.
2) Level the stand perfectly.
3) Place tank back on stand upside down (I know,, easier said than done)
4. Check level across bottom of stand. Be sure to measure diagonally corner - to - corner.
5. If it's off, tank is warped. Most vendors will tell you just fill 'er up and the weight of the water will bend it back into alignment. I think 1/4 " is too much to allow a good night's sleep.

There was a fairly recent post here regarding a new WB exhibiting the same issue. Not sure how or if it was ever resolved.