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
The ideal time to change your float tank solution – New Years Episode – DSP 35
Every float center is going to have to tell their customers, at some point, how often they change out the water in their float tanks. What’s the right answer? Find out Graham and Ashkahn’s take in this informative episode.
Tips for offering sessions open air float tanks – DSP 34
Make no mistake, open air float tanks are a next level challenge for float centers. Graham and Ashkahn explain exactly what to look out for if you’re thinking of using one of these bad boys in your center.
Opening and closing tasks for a float center – DSP 33
What to do when you open and when you close can seem almost arbitrary at times. How do you organize who does what and when? Aside from trial and error, Graham and Ashkahn explain how things work at Float On, which, despite running 24 hours, does have opening and closing shifts each day.
Choosing between float pods vs cabins – DSP 32
What type of float tank should you get? Is one objectively better than others? How would you know? Graham and Ashkahn put their opinions out there on the debate.
Pros and cons of running Groupon deals – DSP 31
Whether to use Groupons or not is a question that nearly every float center will face. Having been in the industry for more than seven years, Graham and Ashkahn have experienced multiple angles of this conversation and try to lay out, in depth, the pros and cons of running these types of discounts for floats.
Latest Blog Posts
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
