actuator advice on wedge tank

Sk8r · 04/22/2018, 08:13 AM

I have a corner bowfront. The canopy is a yard wide and a yard deep, oak, heavy as sin, and can't be tilted back: it sits down over the rim. Takes two people to lift. The tank with canopy is about 6 feet tall, so there is a 2 foot distance from canopy top to ceiling.

What sort of actuator can lift this thing safely? I do have attic access and could mount something up there with a hole for a cable, but rigging a stable one-point lift of a really heavy canopy over a glass tank is, well, something I'd never want to fail.

Anybody have any recommendations of how to go about this? I'd estimate the weight involved to be about 40-50 pounds. I could lessen this by 10-15 pounds by cutting out the top, but it's a finished piece of furniture and I'd rather not.

homer1475 · 04/22/2018, 08:32 AM

A chandelier lift would work, but they are very pricey.

A DIY idea would be a winch mounted in the attic with a cable and pulley.

Sk8r · 04/22/2018, 09:12 AM

Brilliant. Sincerely, thank you. One of the toughest things is finding an accurate look-up word.

homer1475 · 04/22/2018, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Brilliant. Sincerely, thank you. One of the toughest things is finding an accurate look-up word.

I know just what you mean. I often sit in front of google going "Now WTH was that thing I wanted to look up was?"

Gorgok · 04/22/2018, 03:44 PM

A bicycle lift storage thing would work. They are very easy to operate as well. But it may not be the prettiest option.

Tastee · 04/23/2018, 02:10 AM

If you want a fail safe you could connect this to the attic with two sets of cables. One set connected to the winch drum and a second set connected to the winch body or hard connected to a fixed surface in the attic.

The second set needs to be 'just' long enough for the canopy to lower. You could fit recessed buffers under the canopy so it actually sits just above the tank and rests on the buffers to stop any movement. This way if the winch fails the failsafe will still support the canopy.

If your canopy overhangs the edges of the tank then you may need to alter that design slightly so that it doesn’t, otherwise a fall could still hit the tank edge before the failsafe took over.

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laverda · 04/23/2018, 11:36 AM

Ypu mentioned one point lift. I would never consider lifting with just one cable. You need at least 3 cables from the cealing down to the canopy for stability. They can attach to one cable or winch in the attic.

04/22/2018, 08:13 AM	#1
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	actuator advice on wedge tank I have a corner bowfront. The canopy is a yard wide and a yard deep, oak, heavy as sin, and can't be tilted back: it sits down over the rim. Takes two people to lift. The tank with canopy is about 6 feet tall, so there is a 2 foot distance from canopy top to ceiling. What sort of actuator can lift this thing safely? I do have attic access and could mount something up there with a hole for a cable, but rigging a stable one-point lift of a really heavy canopy over a glass tank is, well, something I'd never want to fail. Anybody have any recommendations of how to go about this? I'd estimate the weight involved to be about 40-50 pounds. I could lessen this by 10-15 pounds by cutting out the top, but it's a finished piece of furniture and I'd rather not. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/22/2018, 08:32 AM	#2
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	A chandelier lift would work, but they are very pricey. A DIY idea would be a winch mounted in the attic with a cable and pulley. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

04/22/2018, 09:12 AM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Brilliant. Sincerely, thank you. One of the toughest things is finding an accurate look-up word. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/23/2018, 11:36 AM	#7
laverda Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 6,902	Ypu mentioned one point lift. I would never consider lifting with just one cable. You need at least 3 cables from the cealing down to the canopy for stability. They can attach to one cable or winch in the attic. __________________ 240G mixed reef, 29G SPS/LPS clam tank, 50G mixed reef Current Tank Info: 300g mixed reef, 50g cube

04/22/2018, 03:44 PM	#5
Gorgok Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Cypress, Texas Posts: 1,904	A bicycle lift storage thing would work. They are very easy to operate as well. But it may not be the prettiest option.

04/23/2018, 02:10 AM	#6
Tastee Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 277	If you want a fail safe you could connect this to the attic with two sets of cables. One set connected to the winch drum and a second set connected to the winch body or hard connected to a fixed surface in the attic. The second set needs to be 'just' long enough for the canopy to lower. You could fit recessed buffers under the canopy so it actually sits just above the tank and rests on the buffers to stop any movement. This way if the winch fails the failsafe will still support the canopy. If your canopy overhangs the edges of the tank then you may need to alter that design slightly so that it doesn’t, otherwise a fall could still hit the tank edge before the failsafe took over. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk