Wow it’s looking awesome. Great job. Can’t wait to see it finishedMade some progress today with most of the outer skeleton of the tank. This weekend I’ll hopefully come up with a couple of ideas on how to support the 2nd level and work on an idea I had to protect the corners of the tank from bumps and dings.
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@PA2019 Are the enclosure you want to stack on top the same size? The PVC would be plenty strong enough under compression to stack 3 if the outside edges match and the weigh is supported by the edges of the enclosure. There would be little to no weight added to the middle section of the roof. Only on the edges. The middle of a large span can sag with PVC. On an 8x3 build with a single layer of 12mm PVC, I would add a support halfway across the middle of the ceiling of the enclosure - front to back cement to ceiling a 4" x 3 ft length on edge to the ceiling. Without that, the roof will sage in a bit. Even without anything stacked above.
I would put a verticle support in the front middle. Basically dividing the door into two sections. You will find the top piece above your door will want to sag without that. That is also an edge and then will better support weight above.
Your really don't need the metal fasteners. I use no fasteners with PVC. I simply cement the pieces together with PVC cement. I use the medium thickness for pipes up to 6" diameter cement. That stuff actually welds the PVC pieces together. When you use it, no need to clamp other than ensuring there is good even contact along the entire surface you are joining. It will harden to become difficult to move within 60 seconds. It will really gain strength in 24 hours and impossible to take apart without breaking new PVC, not the joint.
Totally understand. That is one of the main reasons I build mine to slip together and apart easily!Thanks for the response Mark. I was hoping to not use pvc cement on the tanks as it is a giant pain to get the tanks in and out of the room if needed. I end having to tilt the tank vertically to get it out of the room and that have a tight hallway to maneuver through. The goal was to be able to assemble and disassemble them in the room.
How’s the new enclosure coming along? I’d love to see the finished product when it’s ready.