I need to make lids for my septic tanks. Yay.
According to their website, sonotube makes a 28" flavor, but nobody locally can get me one. Boo.
I'm just drawing a blank at things that diameter I could use as forms Since I'm not up for buying or building a steamer box to bend wood.
So does the hive have any ideas? Or other ways I could make a big round slab?
How are you wanting to make them?
https://www.rokhardware.com/rev-a-shelf-full-circle-lazy-susan-shelf-only-28-x-28-x-1-5-8-in.html
A 55 gallon drum measures 23", so no dice there.
Are making concrete covers? If so, you could potentially make some forms from foam insulation.
Bend foamcore in a circle? Basically roll your own piece of sonotube
RevRico said:I'm just drawing a blank at things that diameter I could use as forms Since I'm not up for buying or building a steamer box to bend wood.
Rather than bending wood around a round base to make a stepped flange how about some ~1/8" HDPE sheet?
Got a patch of dirt in the yard? Just dig what you need and pour concrete in it.
Brotus7 said:A 55 gallon drum measures 23", so no dice there.
Are making concrete covers? If so, you could potentially make some forms from foam insulation.
Foam board. There's an idea. One inch is cheap, cut and stack.
28 inches diameter is about 88" in length. I can look for flexible stuff in sheets or rolls...
Garden edging. About the right height too.
Current lids are 3 inches thick, I want to go 3 or 4. I'm adding in a cleanout as well on them, but 12"pipe and caps are easy to find.
Boom. Tape off the hole, fill with concrete, done.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/EASTMAN-28-in-Aluminum-Water-Heater-Drain-Pan-with-Fitting/1002939360
There are plenty of things that will easily do a 14" radius bend. Luan, masonite, acrylic, formica, commercial vinyl baseboard.
Also, does it have to be round? We did a square one at mom and dad's house since it just sits on top. We used some scrap pieces of 2x6 on a piece of cardboard. We actually didn't have enough 2x6 so we just folded the cardboard up and stapled it to the ends.
Mr_Asa said:Boom. Tape off the hole, fill with concrete, done.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/EASTMAN-28-in-Aluminum-Water-Heater-Drain-Pan-with-Fitting/1002939360
Not in stock. Good idea though.
Garden edging, and buckets with screw off lids because Holy E36 M3 has 10-12" pipe gone up in price. Then when I destroy the top bucket with lid, pull it out and replace it.
Now I just have to find somewhere dry to hold all the firewood in my wheel barrow
RevRico said:Mr_Asa said:Boom. Tape off the hole, fill with concrete, done.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/EASTMAN-28-in-Aluminum-Water-Heater-Drain-Pan-with-Fitting/1002939360
Not in stock. Good idea though.
Garden edging, and buckets with screw off lids because Holy E36 M3 has 10-12" pipe gone up in price. Then when I destroy the top bucket with lid, pull it out and replace it.
Now I just have to find somewhere dry to hold all the firewood in my wheel barrow
Was the first link I found. There are dozens of others available when you search for "water heater pan"
https://www.amazon.com/Eastman-60087-Heater-Aluminum-Silver/dp/B00MX6A2GQ
https://www.zoro.com/zoro-select-water-heater-pan-28-in-aluminum-qp-28/i/G4340971/
(this one's a lil expensive) https://www.killarneymetals.com/water-heater-pans/11178-round-drain-pan---28-x-2---stainless-steel.html#.Yy4UB3bMJhE
https://www.faucetdepot.com/faucetdepot/ProductDetail.asp?Product=191041
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Holdrite-QP-28-28-Aluminum-Water-Heater-Pan-w-PVC-Drain-Fitting
https://www.amazon.com/Oatey-34103-Water-Heaters-Inch/dp/B000VYHB16/
https://www.amazon.com/Eastman-60078-Water-Heater-Plastic/dp/B00838J908
I'd go garden edging. Put some poly down on a level surface, make the ring in garden edging and fasten together in a mostly round shape. Dam up the holes/bottom edge with whatever you have handy: outdated caulking, modeling clay, actual clay, duct tape, etc. You could use 6" flashing in a roll as an alternative to garden edging. Might be a few bucks cheaper too.
I've been making some plaster molds and played the "what do they sell that might be re-purposed for my needs" game walking through Home Depot the other day. The water heater pans were pretty close to what I needed but ended up going another route.
Could you get a sheet of rigid foam and cut out a 28" circle? Seems easier that cutting strips, bending them, and trying to make them stay circular?
Use a tire with a 28" diameter as a form (for the form)? https://tiresize.com/tiresizes/28-inch-tires/
I assume that most of us have a few tires of various description around.
Go to any sheet metal heating shop and have them cut whatever depth strips of thin galvanized steel you want. The circumference of a 28" dia. circle is 87.964594 inches. Screw or rivet multiple pieces of shorter strips together plus an overlap and Bob's you uncle. You could attach the sheet metal hoop to a sheet of plywood with angle brackets to keep it round. To draw the circle, drill two holes in a wood yardstick, one at 1" and the other at 15". Tack the 1" hole to the center of the board and trace out the circle with a pencil through the 15" hole.
AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) said:Use a tire with a 28" diameter as a form (for the form)? https://tiresize.com/tiresizes/28-inch-tires/
I assume that most of us have a few tires of various description around.
Beat me to it. It was the first thing I thought of.
Why would you want to make them? Go online and buy appropriately sized polyok or tufftite lids and risers bring them to grade in your lawn and never dig your tank up again. If that is too steep you can go prowl some civil construction sites and look for some scrap pieces of 24-in ultra rib plastic culvert section. There are often scraps left over a few inches or a few feet long. Mortar them onto your tank and then screw a piece of 3/4 in plywood down for a lid. 24-in diameter inside is usually adequate because there is a rib of an inch around as well and if it still does not quite fit you can always fill the Gap with rocks and chunks of scrap metal embedded in your mortar. If you really want to go pro you can go online and order flat Lids that will adapt to culvert pipe. A little Googling will find you lots of options.
In reply to bearmtnmartin (Forum Supporter) :
Because buying them costs $650 plus shippingbecause I need to come up 24"just to be level with the grass and two tanks, and I have a cracked lid which is not pleasant to me or the neighborhood so I have to do something soon. Being a Friday, the earliest anything could come in is Tuesday, and I'm not trying to be that guy.
There are also other issues involved. The mounting ring/lid recess/lip is pretty broken on one tank and would need to be dealt with to prevent dirt and mud from falling in, the mounting gasket material is hit and miss on availability, but it is mostly cost.
GGarden edging, buckets, something to make handles, and concrete will only set me back a little over $100, and I can be done Sunday before the rain comes back. Wanted to use 12" pvc, but not at $200 a stick and $30+ per cap.
TThis is a project I've been putting off and thinking about since we moved in. Having a lid break today just pushed it up the priority list.
Thought about tires, wife car is 24-25 diameter, excursion are 33, and I don't have any old ones laying about. I've thought about making a crazy form and pouring concrete risers, but that's a lot more work, and mixing, than I really want to do.
What gets me is my first call was to a company that MAKES septic tanks relatively locally. They ONLY make tanks and catch basins. No lids, no parts, no desire to suggest a place to get the rest of the parts.
Piece of marine grade plywood. Boom done for awhile.
I like many thought you were only trying to build a "lid". But, reading your posts it appears you want to build a hollow column all the way up to ground level and put the lid something like 24" above the actual tank.
I can tell you that I don't see that sort of application in my area of Florida. Our lids are on top of the tank, and if maintenance is needed we just dig down to uncover them.
So pouring a lid in a simple mold works for us. YMMV
Donk rimz.
You should at least be stylin' and profilin'.
garden edging for the win. About $140 for everything, including a dozen buckets, 2 lids, the edging, and the concrete.
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