Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
Still no Ashkahn today. He’s taking a couple of post-conference days to himself.
Jake and Graham are on the scene though to answer construction questions, though. Even the straight forward ones, like today. Jake informs us which to choose when doing construction, light or heavy gauge studs when constructing a float center, while getting a little sidetracked when comparing wooden and metal studs.
Listen to Just the Audio
Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Graham: Alright, welcome everybody. This is Graham over here.
Jake: And this is Jake over here.
Graham: The man with the lesson.
Jake: Oh, something with the lesson.
Graham: And today’s-
Jake: We have a question.
Graham: Question. Yeah, I guess, first of all there’s no Ashkahn so if you’re expecting Ashkahn, you were wrong and you should feel bad about it. And so it’s just Jake and I rocking it out. Answering some construction stuff. And today’s question is “what are your thoughts on heavy versus light gauge studs?”
Jake: My thoughts on heavy versus light gauge studs.
Graham: So they’re talking about metal studs.
Jake: Of course.
Graham: Because you don’t have gauges of wood.
Jake: No, they’re talking about metal studs here and you have a whole range of gauges. What do we see? A lot of 20? 20 gauge is what we’ve come across as the most common.
Graham: Yeah, I think especially when you’re dealing with commercial construction, not residential, when we’re gonna be putting some heavy sheets of drywall on our walls most commonly. So I think a lot places 25 is the requirement, but 20 is really common.
Jake: Yeah, definitely. Probably more common for what we want with our very heavy walls like you’re saying. But to get back to the question, light gauge versus heavy gauge.
Graham: And so either of those would be light gauge.
Jake: Right.
Graham: 20/25, that’s light.
Jake: Absolutely. I guess the answer there is light gauge. Unless it’s load bearing. If you’re not holding up part of the property, if you’re not putting tanks on the second floor, if it’s not load bearing, then light gauge studs are definitely the answer.
Graham: And that’s pretty much the alternative to wood studs. You don’t really see heavy gauge steel studs used as just an alternative to standard wood studs in framing or anything like that. Light gauge is the alternative.
Jake: And we like metal studs for a couple reasons. If you do end up with a moisture problem in your wall or something like that, metal stud holds up better than a wooden stud. A wooden stud is gonna swell, it’s gonna flex. Mold and mildew can grow through it. Whereas a metal stud is not gonna suffer that sort of damage. What else do we like about them?
Graham: Well, in some places they’re required for commercial construction.
Jake: Yeah. In some places you just have no choice. So we love them.
Graham: They don’t flex with the seasons as much in general.
Jake: If you have a good thermal barrier. If you have a good thermal break in between an exterior environment and an interior environment. When we were down in Australia they were mentioning that they’d experience some problems with that from time to time if they didn’t have a good thermal break because it would be really, really hot outside.
Graham: Oh, sure, yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s Australia too.
Jake: Yeah, right. Usually in spring and fall is when the houses were changing and stuff like that. That’s what we heard.
Graham: So does that mean that the metal actually expands and contracts more than the wood is going to change with the seasons?
Jake: It has worse thermal resistance. Yeah, that is kinda one of the down sides of metal studs. The thermal resistance is not as high as it is for wood.
Graham: But does it actually grow and shrink more with the thermal changes? I mean it definitely is affected more but-
Jake: I think it is, right? Because that’s where you’re getting those popping. That’s where you’re getting that sound. And they do flex. Especially if you go lighter gauge studs. If you’re looking at 25 gauge, those flex much more than 20 gauge which is flexing more than 18.
Graham: This is why we have Jake on the show for construction stuff. Yeah, I thought the metal flexed less than wood. That’s interesting.
Jake: I mean I don’t know the difference between the two. What I know is that metal is flexing. Metal is doing something. I don’t know which is flexing more.
Graham: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, totally. No, it makes sense. Especially in Australia.
Jake: Yeah.
Graham: Okay. So just ignore that whole flexing. But that’s no longer a point of benefit for the metal.
Jake: They don’t rot like wooden ones do. They can be considered greener because they’re using recycled content as opposed to wood.
Graham: Okay. But back to the original question. So light versus heavy gauge studs.
Jake: Light gauge studs, unless it’s load bearing.
Graham: Ding. A little extra bonus content with wood versus steel in there too. But yeah, anything else?
Jake: No, no, no, great. I love them.
Graham: Good question.
Jake: Yeah, great question.
Graham: Bravo. Bravo. Encore.
And if you have questions of your own, just head on over to floattanksolutions.com/podcast. We’ll be there waiting. We’re always waiting. Talk to you tomorrow.
Jake: Goodbye.
Recent Podcast Episodes
Special tools for cleaning your float center – DSP 139
There are so many tiny particular things that go into keeping a float center clean that are really specific to this industry. For example, mopping at the end of the night can be a chore because using a typical mop bucket will just mean spreading salt water everywhere.
Graham and Ashkahn share some of their favorite convenient products that they have found helpful running Float On that they totally recommend for everyone else as well.
Causes for drifting to the side of float tank – DSP 138
Okay, so this is something that happens a lot, and it can seem like a small thing, but it can be a little confusing when it keeps happening. What’s going on when you float in the same tank and keep drifting to one side? How does that happen? And why is it so consistent? Graham and Ashkahn know what the deal is here and drop some knowledge here on this topic.
Cause and Solutions for a Crystallized Pump – DSP 137
This is a terrifying experience the first time it happens in a float center. A pump will seize, it’s full of salt and there just seems like there’s nothing you can do about it. Fortunately, this is one of those things that happens to pretty much everyone and it’s not too difficult to take care of.
Graham and Ashkahn dive into what causes a pump to seize as well as how to fix it. It’s all here. Right now. Check it.
What social media networks to use? – DSP 136
Social media is everywhere. There are entire libraries of books written on its effectiveness as a tool for marketing for small and large businesses alike. There’s so much, in fact, that it can seem impossible to find a good place to even start.
Graham and Ashkahn break down this subject and provide some simple, straight forward solutions based on their own experiences and observations within the industry.
Thoughts on franchises vs. mom and pop float centers – DSP 135
As franchises become more common in the float industry, it’s natural for people to start wondering what the benefits and drawbacks are to opening one of them as opposed to simply starting your own center.
Graham and Ashkahn delve into the nuanced differences between each approach, which both have very tangible benefits and drawbacks and whether or not it’s a good idea definitely depends on what kind of business a person wants to run.
Latest Blog Posts
Think Big and Start Small When Planning a Float Center
Deciding on how many tanks to have is a big question for anyone starting a float center. Answering that question can depend on factors ranging from the philosophical to the inescapably practical. It really depends on what you want out of a float center. If your vision...
Start Small or Launch Big
I think everyone should do what feels right for them. But I have a strong preference for slow. People who are able to start small have such an advantage over someone who has to learn everything so fast. We happened to start with one and then two tanks in our home for...
Would You Like a Cup of Tea?
This post is a carry over from our February topic. I live in a world of duality. My mind is always busy, with the past or the future, or involved in some project in am immersed in. It is evaluating and trying to figure things out. What did that mean, how can I...
Hanging Out – Post Float Experience
This post is a carry over from our February topic. I like to think of our float center’s lobby as a sort of no-man’s-land. It sits between the nothingness of the float tank and the everythingness of the outside world. A place where people can attempt to merge these...
