Calculating safety factor for Hexagon tanks?

Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if anyone knows how to calculate the safety factor for Hexagon tanks?

The tank is 800mm high. Each panel is 300mm x 800mm. 10mm glass and 10mm base. I used the volume calculator on Aquatools to calculate and the capacity sits at 187ltr. But there are no option on Aquatools to calculate safety factor for hex tanks.

Any ideas?

 

Hi Slo. Have you tried asking a glass manufacturer? If I put your tank height (800) and width/length of 480mm into the calculator it gives a safety factor of 3.4 for a rectangular tank. I would imagine that angled sides would be less pressure than rectangular but this is all guessing?

 

Hey Marc, I haven't asked tank builders yet. I actually think there's more pressure on corners more than 90°. The silicone method they use to build these tanks are actually very odd seeing that you sit with most silicon on the outside of the tank. :wacko:

But I'm also speculating here. I'll try to get hold of someone who builds tanks to get clarification on this subject. :hmmmm:

 

@SloMo.00. you are correct. there is alot more preasure on the corners of a hexagon tank as there is less surface of the glass touching. on a rectangular tank the glass is basically touching, where as on the hexagon tank, much more silicon is needed to keep it all together safely..

 

@WhitePhantom; @SloMo.00. - Are the edges of the glass on a hex tank square not angled?

 

generally they are. i recon that maybe the larger ones are angled due to the higher preasure. but if the tank is custom built this is generally not the case as not alot of ppl have the access to the tools needed to angle the glass sides

 

This tanks glass is not angled on the edges. @WhitePhantom do you know the safety factor calc for these tanks?

 

i unfortunately dont know the calculation for the safety factor. i am not a maths genius. lol..

Maybe a quick Google search could help you out...

 

Iv'e tried that. Even tried the marine calculator. No hex tank safety calc on it. Surely someone on TASA knows? Can it be such grey area? Any other tank builders on TASA?

 

I can,t help you with safety factors etc. but i will definitely use glass glue and then silicone over it. That glue is very strong

 

Hey @Fonkie, Thanks for the reply. I am planning on selling this tank. But I will not be happy to sell it if it's not safe. Not a big fan of Hex tanks anyway.

But the tank is allready built, so I am not considering stripping all the silicon and rebuilding the thing. I'll rather discard the tank before attempting any building on hex tanks.

Just don't like them

 

MTS MTS MTS ush: - Something about that tank just appeals to me. What size is it?

 

i know the tank is 187L think 80cm high

 

Hi Jenn, The tank is 800mm high. Panels 300mm x 800mm. 10mm glass.

You interested? :deal:

 

I'm very tempted - just need to present it to the rest of the family as their idea :wondering: :worried: I have this idea for a summer outside planted fry grow-out tank. Just need to find a solar powered air pump and some fry to grow out - LOL

 

@Jenn, Not sure if planted will work being so deep? :hmm:

Here is a pic of the tank.

 

Put a "side" on the top, turn it on it's side and remove a side panel. Then you have an 800mm long tank? MTS MTS MTS :jerry:

 

@SloMo.00. i've had a bit of a think about this one, and i hear what everyone is saying in terms of how the tank is siliconed and so forth, but for me, the fact that each panel is only 300mm wide, means that the pressure is distributed over a very short distance (the 300mm) and on top of that the pressure is also spread over 6 sides rather than 4 (so its almost as if its braced every 300mm, 6 times) and then again on top of all that, its built with 10mm glass, for me, logic says that all of these factors combined makes this tank more than just reasonably safe.

i dont know if anyone is following my logic, and i may be wrong, but this is the way i see it.

 

very clever!!! hehe

 

That was my thinking when I posted the first time on this tank. I searched all over the internet but couldn't find anything on these type of tanks.