In Goes the Salt

It a little anti climatic but this is what $1000 worth of salt looks like.

It took over 6 hours to dissolve the salt.

I did this in four sessions due to the size of the hot water heater.

This is 5 bags (50 lbs each) - it took 21 bags or 1050 pounds of salt to 

reach the correct gravity (1.27).

With all the salt dissolved now I just have to wait for it to reach the correct temperature 93.5.

It's starting the night off at 89.2.

Soon!

Test went Well

I put some test water in to make sure everything work!!

A few small drips, but easily fixed.

Everything is Set for the Test

All the plumbing is put together and sealed up.

Water should go in tomorrow with the salt soon to follow.

Back Together

One more line to make sure we have a "water tight" seal.

The newly painted front panel back in place with the door attached.

The door worked perfect after being reattached.

Surprised and very happy.

The back is set and ready to be tested.

After all this work I'll see if it works when I add water tomorrow.

Putting it Back Together

So it was a big day.

We put the four top pieces back together on top of the base -

and it fit!

Here it is from the front -

Here is a back view

A shoot of inside the tank -

black is the new black.

Covering the Pieces

The top is made up of four pieces.

Each piece has foam board insulation on the outside:

Then the inside has foil insulation:

And finally each piece is covered with 6 mil plastic:

Here is the back with holes for the plumbing and air flow:

The Liner is In

So I got the liner all set up.

The Door

The door turned out pretty good.

Plumbing Redesign

After talking with David (who sold me the plumbing equipment) I had to redesign the system.

I got a crash course in fluid dynamics.

So here is the new set up.

The end goal was to remove elbows and create a more direct flow for the water.

Lining the Bottom

So I took the entire tank apart to start the process of lining it.

During this time I'm double checking the plumbing system -

this is a full rookie design.

The pipe on the right will take water out of the tank to the cleaning system.

The pipe on the left is the return for cleaned water coming back into the tank.

I've lined the entire area with foil insulation and placed the water bed heater.

Here's a view from the back of the tank - you can see the controls.

Painted the Shower

So I painted the shower area - Thanks Aleece & Karen for picking the colors!

In the long run the back walls will be covered for the shower area.

The front of the tank will be a slightly darker version of this.

The Angled Door

With weight taring to be on my mind I came up with the great idea to make the top a triangle.

This should eliminate all condensation problems as well as 

create less air space that needs to be heated.

This has become a angle nightmare with some boards requiring multiple angled cuts.

Two more hard pieces to figure out and the rest should go a lot easier.

I finished insulating and covering the sides and bottom.

Pumps and Back End

This is looking at the back of the tank.

The red box is where the spa pack will go - right against the wall.

The two red circles are the in and out take for the spa pack.

These will be going through the back panel (no built yet),

so I don't have to cut my liner.

Building the Base

I started building the base of the tank today.

Pretty simple platform with a foot between the joist.

Topped it off with a layer of plywood.

The end internal dimensions came out to 8 feet  by 4 feet 10 inches.

I ended up having to cut some off to frame the walls with 2 by 4's.

I then framed it in with 2 by 4's so that it can be insulated with R13.

I have to get a few more boards and then insulate the bottom.

I'll hold off on doing the sides for the time being.

Now that this is sitting in here I'm staring to gain a little perspective.

One thing is that this weight a ton!

May have to think lighter up top to be on the safe side.

The other thing that I kept thinking about today was the possibility of a curved roof.

This would primarily be for condensation.

But also allowing for maximum head room at the peak.

Something like this:

You have to love that heat escape on the top.

And so it begins

This blog will record my adventure of turning an old trailer into a shed to house a sensory deprivation tank. Don't ask why, because I don't have an answer for you.

It all started after I first tried a tank down in LA. After the first session I was so amazed that I had to try it again. I have now floated an additional four times at different tank location on the west cost (all locations come very highly recommend):

• Float Labs in LA
• Float On in Portland
• Samadhi Tank Co in Nevada City, CA

What amazes me about floating in a tank:

• The environment is like no other place on the planet.
• The Epson Salt seems to strip away the stress from my muscles and it feels like you have just gotten a message when you get out.
• The lack of any inputs seems to "reboot" your brain in someway.
• With this "reboot", your thinking becomes extremely clear and simple (for about 10 hours).

In a way you could call this a "do not give a f@&* box", because that how you feel when you get out. With that said I have been trying to find a way to be able to float more often. The problem is their is not a float tank in Salt Lake. So, I have decided to attempt to build one.

So why build it in a trailer? Due to my current vagabond lifestyle my house is to small and temporary. So a movable exterior building seems to be the best call.

Another key reason for the exterior structure is the great experience I had at Samadhi. When setting up the appointment I was a bit concerned with the fact the tank was at a private residence. "Was it going to be too weird doing this in someone else's house?" Lee put all these concerns to rest the second I arrived. The tank was located in it's own little building, giving you a sense of privacy during the float. I loved this aspect of the experience. Plus she let my dogs hang out while I was in the tank!

And so begins my journey .........