Flotation tank design; anyone still check the forum?

[WoodWinds]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum, and I have never floated. But the idea intrigues me and I can only foresee benefits in it. I frequently wake up with back pains behind my shoulder blades. I know my problems are a combination of things; poor posture, lack of exercise, and not having the ideal mattress being chief among them. I am going to focus on fixing those issues, and those are off-topic so I will get back to the topic at hand.

I am considering making a floatation tank. I know pretty much nothing about salt-water pumps, and next to nothing about heating systems employed in flotation tanks. Other than those very important issues, I have some ideas and more than a few questions for any out there who have experience in floatation tank design.

I guess I will start by asking if aluminum is corroded by (or reacts with) salt water. I can readily buy sheets of aluminum and have the means to weld the aluminum to make a watertight 'tub'/liner in which the salty water (and I) can go. Or I could attempt to get sheets of an alloy of stainless steel that doesn't react with or corrode in the salt water, if such exists and is affordable. As a person who has the means to work metals, I would prefer to use metals for the water-tight tub/liner, but if those are out of the question, I suppose I could get sheets of PVC and seal the seams with a really good RTV/caulk. By all means if anyone has any input regarding these matters, please comment.

For the framework, I don't see a reason why I couldn't try using plywood. I would just want to treat the surface of the wood that was going to be exposed inside the chamber with some marine epoxy to waterproof it. I guess another option, which might be prohibitively expensive would be to use kitchen-countertop laminate sheets; this could be applied to the inside and outside surface for aesthetics maybe?

The plumbing could be PVC I guess. I'd want to design a circuit which utilized a microcontroller and have a control panel for inside and outside the tank, allowing the user to make adjustments to the thermostat temperature, to turn the interior light on and off, increase/decrease ventilation fan speed, and perhaps other options.

Well, I guess that's all I have for now...especially since the last post I think this forum had was in 2006. I'll wait and see if there are any others out there.

[centaure]

yes but lots off spammers are hitting this forum so i have to check members registery.

[centaure]

I guess I will start by asking if aluminum is corroded by (or reacts with) salt water

never use any metal inside the tank use plastic material.

[WoodWinds]

After weighing all of my options and the prerequisites/logistics for floating, as well as reading Lilly's "The Deep Self", I've decided that the tank I wish to make is one that is vertical, which can consequently utilize fresh water.

The main reason I arrived at this decision is that a vertical tank can have a smaller 'footprint' since I have limited floor space with which to work. In addition to this limiting factor I also found some convenience in the following:

- No need for 800 pounds of hydrated epsom salts
- Can utilize a very sturdy molded plastic tank for less than $200 (such as a 300 gallon, 34.5" W X 84" H)
- Pumps/filters for fresh water are cheaper and less complex
- Heating options are better when corrosive epsom mixtures are not required
- Can siphon out old water into yard without killing the lawn!
- Less issues with head not floating as well as trunk (in horizontal floating) and causing neck strain or requiring the hands to go under the head, either/both of which seemed to be prevalent in Lilly's float logs. I will however note that there will be some issues to overcome with regard to the arrangement for proper and uninhibited breathing (since I know my bouyancy is such that my mouth and nose would be underwater if I did not either devise a snorkel/mask or perhaps harness my body up a few inches higher than I would other wise float or something like that)
- Can utilize standard pool/hot-tub PH kits and chlorination

There are drawbacks, of course. But the drawbacks are no more in number or severity than those presented by the notion of using a horizontal super-saturated epsom salt solution tank.

- More effort to get in/out, which I anticipate needing to go slow and HAVE A HELPER to get out since I will expect to be 'woozy' and disoiented at times
- Have to settle for a compromise when it comes to having/using either a snorkel or harness in order to have uninhibited and SAFE (most importantly) breathing.

On another note, in using fresh water I have come to realize that I could in fact use a metal tank so long as it were constructed in a hypoallergenic (sp?) foodsafe, etc way using stainless steel or perhaps (although perhaps not) anodized aluminum. The reality is that there are molded plastic tanks available and easily-enough modifiable for much less hassle and cost, made for cisterns/pressure tanks/etc.

I expect to be told that my idea will not work; such is life on the internet - someone is always going to say you "CAN'T" do this or that. I admonish the reader to carefully consider what I have described and see just how I very much CAN do what I describe before jumping on the bandwagon to the contrary.