mister crabs Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 ok for those of you who have ventured into the in wall tank setup how many studs is it safe to cut out of the wall? My wall is about 16-18 feet long (wall between garage and living room) and i want to put a 180 gallon glass on a stand in garage with a picture frame setup similar to izzypops 290 gal. I want a long tank versus a deep tank to give the fish plenty of swimming room. I know I have to cut studs to fit tank but i dont want to mess up the structural integrity of the house. Any suggestions? The tank is 6 feet long. I am still in the planning stages of this but am gathering information before i buy the tank itself. thanks for all suggestions!(clap) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 If it is a bearing wall. I would do a header. It most likley is, Garage to house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronjunior Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 You need to check your local codes on how much/thickness of bracing needs to be done depending on how far of a run you do. Do it right the first time! Often they are available online. You might also call Parr Lumber for their project desk in help in getting materials. They helped me a great deal with local codes when I built my loft over a 19 foot span in the garage a few years back...and it hasn't fallen or bowed to this day. Only hickup was drilling through a 220v line in the wall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbrownies Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 They helped me a great deal with local codes when I built my loft over a 19 foot span in the garage a few years back...and it hasn't fallen or bowed to this day. Only hickup was drilling through a 220v line in the wall OUCH!!! power was off i hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 220v feels good! yay! I thought about a header over the span that I am cutting out and then adding vertical posts at each end of the header. I just really like the appeal of all the tank noise and ugly equipment being in the garage. And I like Izzypops tank but i dont want a tank excessively deep front to back cuz then its hard to clean that front glass. We are looking more for a tank to house a few tangs in and give them plenty of room to swim back and forth. I have thought about getting a 210gal and underfilling it a bit to try to get a sort of surge going in there as well and having some nice corals that like high flow that will sway back and forth. If I make the window only 24" tall rather than the 29" of the 210 tank height then it would hide the actual top of the water flow. any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 My friend is a contractor in eugene but he is extremely busy right now and hasnt been able to make the trip up to check out my plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 You best to wait for him, I was going to suggest a contractor friend, LOL, your better safe than sorry. Even if it works now, you don't want to be crossing your fingers in the event of a snow load on the roof. Especially when you go to sell, its always good to know it you can take pics and show them it was done right so that you wont affect the resale value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronjunior Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 OUCH!!! power was off i hope Nope, put quite a spark in our marriage though! I got lucky, the drills are not grounded either, but sure arced the tip of the bit off completely. Only scar is a power box I had to put on the outside where new wiring was spliced. I believe you have to put a header no matter what, load bearing or not. it's the thickness I'm not sure about. Like someone said for resale too, they can check the thickness of the beam after sheetrock is in and if not correct, would be a pain to redo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I do commercial design work and have a structural book here, let me know what the wall is supporting (load) if there is a second floor, rafters, or trus above and if they sit on the wall. However outright with no major loads I would just throw up 2 2x10's and that would be fine actually overkill for most applications (nail strapped) and put on extra 2x4's (king stud) on the ends for seat. Or you can buck up and get a beam, but strapping 2x10 is great for most applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 I am planning on waiting for my friend to check it out first. I think he is actually going to help me out with the work. I am not planning to do this until late summer early fall at soonest so i have time. I am just researching tanks right now. I wouldnt mind something like izzypop's tank but the cost of it shocked my wife. Plus i really dont like acrylic. (I am allergic to the hard work of buffing out scratches...LOL) I figure i could get a 180 or a 210 and then drill it myself for a closed loop since they come with dual overflows. And I may have a lead on a 180 pretty cheap used. I figure the more i save on the tank itself i can spend more on reactors and skimmer and comp controllers for it all. I will probably use 3 400w halides or maybe only 250w. figure an 80 gallon for sump. (already have) and i can build the stand myself out of pressure treated lumber and I have some locking casters that are rated at 2500lbs each so the whole thing is moveable. I was thinking maybe putting a piece of glass into the window opening but not sure if it will cause a distortion or glare having two panes of glass (including tank) ? I am going to build the light rack attached to the stand but in a way that i can take it off to do maintanence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 i thought the 2x10's would work as well. the living room itself has a vaulted ceiling and the garage has a attic above it. so the wall in question goes all the way to ceiling (about 16 foot). and i am assuming there are prefab truss' over garage and opposite end of house. living room and dining room are sandwiched between garage/kitchen and bedrooms all of which have standard height ceilings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Sounds fine, even if the attic is supported off the area in question I can't see it being a big deal, after all your only taking out a few regular studs and replacing just that area with the 2x10's. so if there is major support needed it will be above and already be taken care of, you will just be redistributing the previous load of the studs your removing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 pm me your email address and I will send you a cheat sheet for window header sizes and construction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronjunior Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I was thinking maybe putting a piece of glass into the window opening but not sure if it will cause a distortion or glare having two panes of glass (including tank) ? 2 pieces of glass next/close to each other sounds like a cleaning nightmare!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 tank and stand would be on heavy casters that lock so i could just wheel it away from wall to clean front of tank and to make it easier to scrape glass inside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADBaxter Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Mr. C.. Assuming that your walls are 6"... I would just install a 2x10 header... 2 - 2x10's nailed to a 2x6 that is flat. so that the total width is the same as the 2x6... 5 1/2 inches. This is rated for loads up to 8 feet. I am in Corvallis.. I am a licensed contractor and I also am very busy... Pm me your number and we could chat. Interior walls can be load bearing even with trusses.. depends on how it was designed. I WOULD ALWAYS PUT IN A HEADER! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I sent him the code and proper construction (visual) for construction of Lintel spans for interior walls with attic support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 i will put in a header. Once it gets closer to time to "make a hole" i will definately have a contractor look at the plan. baxter, what kind of construction do you do? general home or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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