"humid" environment materials?
Oleg Kiselev
aquariums in the (uninsulated) garage of our house. The fish room will
have to be insulated and the materials, obviously, able to resist high
humidity levels. Ideally the structure will also be cheap and easy to
build and easy to remove. Some sound insulation would be desirable, too.
The insulation does not need to be extremely good: the temperatures here
rarely fall below freezing and I am prepared to heat the fish room.
From the reading I have done, it seems that the simplest approach would be
to use metal framing (like the stuff used for office wall construction in
modern office buildings), with drywall on either side of for the frame,
fiberglass insulation between the drywall layers and plastic film glued
to the exterior surfaces of the inner shell to keep the humid air away from
the dry wall. I planning to anchor the framing to the exposed 2x4
framing of the garage walls. The fish room walls will not be used to
support much weight -- the fish tanks will be placed on free-standing shelving
units.
Any suggestions? Is there a better, more reliable or easier way to
water-proof drywall? Are there simpler to use or cheaper materials
available? Would 2x4 framing be easier or cheaper or much safer to
use? Would it be possible to anchor the shelving to the metal framing
to prevent it from rocking during minor earthquakes?
--
Oleg Kiselev at home ...use the header to find the path
Howard Rebel
> I am planning to build a "fish room" to house a large number of
> aquariums in the (uninsulated) garage of our house. The fish room will
> have to be insulated and the materials, obviously, able to resist high
> humidity levels. Ideally the structure will also be cheap and easy to
> build and easy to remove. Some sound insulation would be desirable, too.
>
> The insulation does not need to be extremely good: the temperatures here
> rarely fall below freezing and I am prepared to heat the fish room.
Insulation is your friend. It will pay for itself in short order.
I can not produce the figures for you but I tried using a space heater
to raise the temperature of a heated bedroom and my utility bill went
up by nearly a $100. The average room temperature was about 60 without
the heater and 75 with it.
Your mileage may vary.
--
Howard Rebel hpcsos.col.hp.com
Tom Haberlandt
I think that there is a somewhat moisture resistant drywall called
blueboard. I've seen it used in a screened-in porch (a moist but not
wet environment).
I would recommend using 2x4 framing. If you do decide to hang anything
heavy
(like cabinets, shelves, etc) I would feel safer sinking a wood screw in
a 2x4 than
I would putting it into sheet metal. (I'm sure that there are ways to
attach these
things to metal studs - I just don't know what they are.)
Other things to consider:
use a vapor barrier
water resistant paint
__________________________________________________
Tom Haberlandt | habe...@ccmail.dayton.saic.com
SAIC |
Dayton Ohio | #include <standard-disclaimer.h>
patterson,george r
>I am planning to build a "fish room" to house a large number of
>aquariums in the (uninsulated) garage of our house.
<description deleted>
>Any suggestions? Is there a better, more reliable or easier way to
>water-proof drywall?
You might check into the coated melamine or wood panels which are
intended for use in bathrooms. They would certainly look better than
what you're describing.
> Are there simpler to use or cheaper materials
>available? Would 2x4 framing be easier or cheaper or much safer to
>use?
Metal studs are used in commercial construction because they're easier
to install (if you have the appropriate power tools) and they're fireproof.
Wood studs are cheaper in most locations. If you don't own a screw gun
and a power driven hacksaw, they're also easier to work with.
> Would it be possible to anchor the shelving to the metal framing
>to prevent it from rocking during minor earthquakes?
Not really. Salt water weighs 8.6 pounds per gallon; fresh is about 8.
My 100 gallon display tank comes in at over 1,200 pounds. You will
need some hefty shelf supports.
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|
George Patterson - | He who is not a revolutionary at 16 has no heart.
| He who is a revolutionary at 60 has no head.
| Lord Chesterfield
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Steve Wechsler
>aquariums in the (uninsulated) garage of our house. The fish room will
>have to be insulated and the materials, obviously, able to resist high
>humidity levels. Ideally the structure will also be cheap and easy to
>build and easy to remove. Some sound insulation would be desirable, too.
>From the reading I have done, it seems that the simplest approach would be
>to use metal framing (like the stuff used for office wall construction in
>modern office buildings), with drywall on either side of for the frame,
>fiberglass insulation between the drywall layers and plastic film glued
>to the exterior surfaces of the inner shell to keep the humid air away from
>the dry wall. I planning to anchor the framing to the exposed 2x4
>framing of the garage walls. The fish room walls will not be used to
>support much weight -- the fish tanks will be placed on free-standing shelving
>units.
I think 2x4s are easier to use, and they cost about the same as metal
framing (at least at Home Depot on Long Island). It's really a
personal preference, though...they'll both be strong enough. Metal
studs have the advantage of not warping when they dry out, and they
have pre-drilled holes for running wires, but using 2x4s lets you put
nails into the studs (may or may not be a consideration).
You might want to look into using greenboard instead of sheet rock.
Greenboard is water resistant sheet rock normally used in bathrooms.
It costs more than sheet rock, but gluing sheet plastic to sheet rock
sounds kludgy, and gives the advantage of holding paint better (plus,
it won't tear the way plastic can). Consult with your home
improvement store to see if greenboard would be appropriate.
--
Steve Wechsler | zap...@src4src.linet.org | Call Lady Hawke's Castle BBS:
Please respond to my posts via e-mail (post also if you like) | (516) 226-4630
because my site purges news much faster than I can keep up with it.
"Watch?? I'm gonna pray, man! Know any good religions?" -- Zaphod Beeblebrox
wm.keith.brummett
In article <1993Jan4.0...@netcom.com>, ol...@netcom.com (Oleg
Kiselev) writes:
> I am planning to build a "fish room" to house a large number of
> aquariums in the (uninsulated) garage of our house. The fish room
> will have to be insulated and the materials, obviously, able to
>
> Any suggestions? Is there a better, more reliable or easier way to
> water-proof drywall? Are there simpler to use or cheaper materials
Someone else mentioned this, but I want to re-emphasize: there is a
special type of drywall made for high-humidity areas. I believe the
other poster called it "blueboard", although the stuff I've seen is
hospital green. When our house was being built, this green drywall was
used in all the bathrooms, whereas the regular, gray-white board was
put up everywhere else in the house. Your local hardware store folks
should know all about this stuff.
-- Keith
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