Exploding tank

[knowthemath]

We had a disaster this afternoon. One of the 125's exploded. It has been in the same place for over a year.

Here's our hypothesis:

1. The place where the break occured was where the heater was. At the base of the heater is where you can see a small crater and the cracks shot off from it. Could the heat have weaken the glass????

2. Next door a Lowe's is going in. Lots of small earthquakes caused by the construction. We've had things falling off the shelves.

Anybody want to make a guess to the cause. It was definitely a disaster.

If you think it could be caused by the construction........is there anything we can do. We have 3 other 125's and 6 55's that I'm worried about. Lowe's hasn't even started pouring the foundation.

[gcvt]

If things are falling off the shelves in your house, my money is on the nearby construction effort. I seriously doubt it was the fault of the heater.

What was in the tank....did you lose any livestock? What kind of tank was it? Was it perfectly level?

[mogurnda]

I'm wondering about possibility 3, gradual warping or shfiting in the floor.

[knowthemath]

The tank is in my friend's pet store. I am his volunteer help and guinea pig. I test things out at home and do the research. The store has only carried freshwater fish until recently.

There was only a huge arrowanna in the tank. A customer could no longer keep it in their tank, and the store took it. He's a store pet now. He was cut up some, but seems to be doing okay.

The water damage was another issue. The tank was a top tank which could allow for swaying with the construction going on. Luckily someone was quick enough to cut off the circuit breaker before water got into the outlets.

The tank was level when it was installed. Before we install a new tank, it will be checked again in case settling occured after construction of the stand.

[skippy2]

I would think it was Lowe's fault. The owner should go nextdoor and ask to talk to the foreman.The foreman should then go talk to his boss. I would definately follow through with this before any major damage is done. Just think how bad it could have been if the circut breakers didn't get shut off in time.

[Max]

the construction companies general commercial liability policy should cover any damages caused as a direct result of their efforts. I would speak with the foreman to get the name of someone in their corp office so that you can file the claim. In case they give you kick back you can file a claim with the stores policy and they will go after the other party if it's worth the effort. \
hth
Chris
p.s. p.m. me if you need any help

[knowthemath]

Thanks for the replies.

The foreman is going to be contacted. They tried yesterday, but he was not there. Clean up is finished, and the arrowanna now lives with a big catfish. So far, so good! :p

[skippy2]

Did you take pictures of the damage before you cleaned it up?

[knowthemath]

Not a one. The only thing we were thinking of was keeping the water from leaking into the other stores. Pictures never entered our mind until it was over.