confused on how to shim

[apolyom]

can someone show me how to shim properly? i am unsure and just want to get it right, diagrams and/or pictures would be great thanks

 

[acrylic51]

What are you trying to shim???? If your referring to a tank getting it level??? Don't shim the tank itself....You would need to shim the stand itself, and perferably with hardwood stock or synthectic shims over the cheapo stuff people use for other purposes.

 

[apolyom]

yes it would be the stand i need to shim. basically i want to know HOW to do it... eg: do i use just 1? do i cut them to size? how do i fill the gap thats left once the stand has been raised to the correct height.. all these sort of things

 

[jlem]

Is the stand wabbly or is it firm on the floor and the floor has a lean to it. If the stand is firm on the floor but the floor leans then just leave it. A tank that leans is going to be just fine as long as it is not drastic. I have set tanks up with as much as a 3/4 inch lean over 6 ft of lenth and the tank was just fine.

 

[phixer]

You can shim the legs with a number of things. Basically anything that wont compress. Wood, metal, tile etc...

 

[acrylic51]

Yes you would shim the legs of the stand.....metal would work, but I've always used synthetic shims.....

 

[apolyom]

it's a 4x2x2 solid wood cabinet + hood, it is currently sitting off by about 1/2 inch lower at the back, i am getting a piece of sealed outdoor 18mm ply delivered tomorrow to place the stand on (to distribute the weight evenly) as it has a leg in the middle at the back then the left,right and front sides are flat. i am renting and we have carpeted floorboards so hopefully this will stop it falling through the floor and also level the tank out better. no the tank and stand arent wobbly at all.

 

[rbaldino]

Shimming is easy. Just take a couple of small, thinish strips of wood (maybe more if it's a really pronounced lean) and place them under the stand on the end that's lower. One at the front and one at the back. Also, I think putting plywood under the tank is overkill. If the tank is long, its weight will be distributed across several floor joists. And if for some weird reason the tank does go through the floor, you need to find a better built place to live.

 

[apolyom]

Originally Posted by rbaldino
Shimming is easy. Just take a couple of small, thinish strips of wood (maybe more if it's a really pronounced lean) and place them under the stand on the end that's lower. One at the front and one at the back. Also, I think putting plywood under the tank is overkill. If the tank is long, its weight will be distributed across several floor joists. And if for some weird reason the tank does go through the floor, you need to find a better built place to live.
i dont this is a rough drawing of the stand.
there is no floor contact between the back 3 legs. now place this on floorboards and do you still think the ply is overkill?
and thankyou for actually answering my question

 

[rbaldino]

What you want to do is put shims under the back three legs then. If nothing else, you could use one long piece lengthwise. I wouldn't worry about the plywood, but it's up to you.

 

[apolyom]

i think it would be a more peace of mind thing. so the boards running down the side wouldnt be for structural support? so it wont matter if they are off the floor slightly?
also how far out from the wall should i place my tank?

 

[rbaldino]

I would hope that the sides of the stand offer some support. If you're floor is sloped that much, you might want to consider trimming the stand to level the bottom, or getting a different type of stand altogether. As for how far away to place the tank, that depends on how much clearance you need for anything hanging off the back. If you don't need any, then you can place the tank pretty close to the wall. I'd leave a little room regardless, though.

 

[apolyom]

its down at the back by about 1cm (1/4 inch) not too much but more than i'd like, the reason i asked about how far out is because i have noticed from others post that 6 inches seems to be the common distance.
i think i will try shimming first then if that doesnt go well then i will look into trimming the stand.