First tank acquired

The biggest news on our recent progress is that we’ve acquired our first float tank!   We found a great deal being offered on an old tank, and decided to take the leap.

It’s a Float To Relax tank from the 80s that had been residing for a while in someone’s yard, so it needs quite a bit of TLC before it’s going to be ready to go.  The seller had inherited the tank, and did not even know the manufacturer or model, never mind whether all the parts worked.  Most significantly, the temperature control system is entirely missing, so I’m going to have to rebuild that.  And the pump and filter are disconnected in enough different pieces that I do not yet know if they even work.

But it holds water, and refurbishing this beast will teach me a lot about how these tanks really work.

Fortunately, Tom Wunk from The Float Place on Long Island has got one too, and recognized it from the picture we posted on Twitter.  It turns out to be from a now-defunct Colorado manufacturer called Float To Relax. (You’d think they would have put their name on the tank somewhere.)  They went out of business in the late 80s, so all we really know is that our “new” tank is at least 25 years old.

Tom acquired a fixer-upper himself, not long ago. I take some encouragement from that. From him I now have a photocopied manual from the early 80s — it seems to be not quite for the actual model we now own, but it’s certainly close enough to be helpful.

I now have to cram an education in PVC plumbing and basic electronic control systems.  We’ll keep you posted as we get the thing working!  I’m happy to answer any questions, as best I can manage.  Plus, if you sign up for our mailing list, we might even be able to offer freebie test floats to a few lucky enthusiasts.