Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
In this short, salty, and to the point episode, Graham and Ashkahn talk about installing float tanks on the second floor and how to work with contractors and engineers to determine if you need to reinforce your building to support the weight.
While you usually don’t need reinforcement, it’s always good to check. Listen in above or check out the transcript below and, as always, be sure to send us your questions. All questions welcome, from basic industry questions to well crafted stumpers. If Graham and Ashkahn don’t know the answer, they still relish the journey of discovery and educated guessing.
Show Resources
Listen to Just the Audio
Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Ashkahn: We’ve got a question today about being on the second floor of a building with your float center. So, if you’re thinking about putting a float center on the second floor, do you need to do any structural reinforcement to hold the weight of the float tank?
Graham: Let me just say definitively that, it totally depends.
Ashkahn: Yeah, that I think is a very concrete answer.
Graham: Of course, it’s going to depend on the building, how new your construction is, whether you’re in a big multi-story concrete kind of building or whether you’re in an old wooden Victorian house. There’s a lot that goes into it, but shockingly, the overall answer in almost all of those cases tends to be no. You don’t really need to do any extra reinforcement.
Ashkahn: Yeah, most times people bring in a structural engineer to take a look at things and examine it. Often landlords will even require you to do that.
Graham: Which you totally should do, don’t just listen to us and be like, “Oh it’s totally fine,” and go forward with it — a structural engineer is a great thing to bring in.
Ashkahn: It usually ends up being that while the float tank is heavy and all the salt water is heavy and all that, it’s just got such a big footprint. The float tanks are so big that the actual amount of pounds per square foot that’s really being put on, is not really as much as one might think. So it tends to be that a lot of buildings can hold it, even the way they are. Especially newer construction, like newer condo type buildings with strong reinforced concrete and stuff like that, tend to not really be much of a concern.
Graham: Again, surprisingly even for older buildings. Often times those are also good to go. Another good reason to consult an expert before spending a lot of money on reinforcements you might not necessarily need.
Ashkahn: Yeah, it’s always weird and there’s always weird stuff out there. I mean, even The Float Shoppe across the river from us, they’re in an old Victorian house and they brought a structural engineer in to check things out before they started and they found they could put float tanks on the second floor but their first floor was not actually strong enough to put float tanks on. Which is really crazy.
Graham: Yeah, so again, consult the experts and if it doesn’t work out, then you always can reinforce anyway.
Ashkahn: Boom.
Graham: Shakalaka.
Recent Podcast Episodes
How do Float Centers Incorporate Massage? – DSP 210
What’s the best policy for a float center that wants to add massage? Do they hire on the Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) as an employee, or do they bring them on as an independent contractor? Or what about just letting them rent a room in their business and not having to worry about it.
Dylan Calm of The Art of the Float podcast is in the studio with Ashkahn and Graham to discuss this issue, since his float center, The Float Shoppe, offers massage as well as other services, unlike Float On.
Can You Wear Jewelry in a Float Tank? – DSP 209
Sometimes people wear jewelry. Sometimes people float. What happens when these things overlap? What about piercings?
Graham and Ashkahn concisely explain why it’s a good idea to take that wedding ring off before you float in this episode.
What’re the Benefits of Financial Transparency for a Float Center? – DSP 208
There’s a traditional wisdom in business that dictates certain information should be held close to the vest. Financial information, hiring information, performance metrics, and so on should only be shared on a need to know basis. More recently, there’s been a push for more businesses to have transparency in some of these areas.
Ashkahn and Graham explain their stance on transparency and the thought process behind making Float On as transparent as possible, as well as many of the benefits they see on a regular basis because of it.
How to Prevent Losing Members to Cheap Discounts – DSP 207
Many float centers rely on memberships, usually monthly, to help maintain a steady flow of income throughout the year. Sometimes that’s not enough, like during slow months, and a steep discount can seem really attractive for filling up float tanks. What’s the best solution to making sure that you aren’t cannibalizing your own sales with discounts and potentially losing members?
Graham and Ashkahn share their tried and true approach to this nuanced question and share some excellent examples of how Float On rewards its members without losing sales during discounts as well as throughout the rest of the year.
Dealing with Low Flow After Installing a Flow Meter – DSP 206
Flow meters are designed to measure how quickly water travels through a filtration system. This is useful for all sorts of recreational water facilities. Pools and spas have been using them for years. Often times health departments will require them for float tanks, as they help provide a certain level of assurance to the filtration quality of a system.
The problem arises when using flow meters that aren’t designed to handle the specific gravity of float tank solution. So far, only one flow meter is designed to be accurate for float tanks and if a system isn’t using that one, it can be a bit surprising to find out that the flow is different. Ashkahn and Graham talk all about the reason for flow meters and how to troubleshoot problems that may cause a loss of flow.
Latest Blog Posts
Handling Tough Decisions…
I’ve written the introduction to the conference program for four years in a row, and each year I like to share it on this blog. For those of you who didn’t make it out for the 2015 Float Conference, here are a few of my thoughts on the work that float center owners do, and the questions they may face in running a float tank center.
How to Drain and Fill a Float Tank
There are roughly 850 pounds of epsom salt and 200 gallons of waters in an average sized float tank (approximately 8 feet long and 4 feet wide). It takes hard work (and a few tips I’m about to share) to get a tank ready for floating.
The Whys and Hows of Email Marketing
A trending strategy when a small business goes to market is that social media marketing becomes their main focal point. On the surface, social media marketing is easy to get started with, the costs can be nil, and most people are already using it for personal use. The...
How to Deal with a Power Outage in your Float Center
Power Outages = Unplanned Sensory Deprivation It only took a day since the publishing of my last blog post before I would have to put my knowledge of unconventional ways of waking up floaters to the test. The incident did not involve “sinkers” those individuals who...
